England vs USMNT: An intriguing clash in store with plenty of subplots

Topics: TV Listings, TV Schedules, England, USMNT, 2022 FIFA World Cup

The Three Lions and the Stars and Stripes will lock horns in what should be a highly entertaining battle on Friday, November 25th.

An intriguing clash - with plenty of fascinating subplots - will be in store as England and the USMNT prepare to do battle on Friday. Both teams come into this game looking for all three points, having experienced different results from their respective group stage openers.

England cruised a 6-2 win over Iran to make a major statement, while the USMNT saw a narrow 1-0 lead cancelled as Gareth Bale converted from the spot to draw Wales 1-1. The win for England, which saw youngster Jude Bellingham make history as the first player born in the 21st century to score at the World Cup, was exactly the result the Three Lions needed after an insipid Nations League campaign that saw them relegated to League B.

That being said, conceding two goals against Iran was the one blemish on an otherwise top notch performance for England on matchday one, and as such, Gareth Southgate will demand a better performance from his defense ahead of this tie against the USMNT. To date, England and the USA have faced off at two prior World Cups, with England losing 1-0 in 1950 before drawing 1-1 in 2010.

However, it's the EURO 2020 runners up who boast the vastly superior head to head record, with eight wins from their last 11 meetings with the Americans across all competitions. A victory for Southgate's men would surely secure a spot in the round of 16 and give them some breathing room ahead of their final group stage match against Wales next week.

Indeed, the USMNT, who lost 3-0 to England in a friendly back in November 2018, have not beaten England since June 1993, when they recorded a 2-0 victory. Gregg Berhalter's side thought that they could possibly snatch three points against Wales, only for the Dragons, who are featuring in their first World Cup since 1958, to secure a point thanks to Gareth Bale's conversion from the spot.

The Stars and Stripes are eager to make a big impression this year after failing to qualify for the 2018 edition, and will need to pull off one of their best performances if they hope to keep their World Cup dreams alive - as Wales are highly anticipated to beat Iran in the earlier Group B match on Friday.

It will really be a tough ask, as the USMNT have not kept a clean sheet in their last 18 matches against European times - with their last success being during that 1950 1-0 win over England. That match is ranked as among the biggest upsets in World Cup history, so Team USA will need to pull off something quite similar on Friday in order to revive their chances of qualifying for the round of 16.

We have seen some major upsets so far, with Saudi Arabia beating Argentina and Japan defeating Germany, so the 2022 FIFA World Cup certainly is not immune to surprise results. But will it be a bridge too far for the USMNT? Or will England stamp their authority on this match and become one of the first teams to book a spot in the round of 16?

Team news: England vs USMNT

England: The Three Lions have been given a huge boost with the expected return of Harry Kane to action after the team's skipper was subbed off with an ankle injury during the win over Iran. In addition, Manchester City's Kyle Walker has also seemingly recovered from a groin injury, but may not be involved just yet in the starting XI. Leicester City's James Maddison, however, is still not totally fit and recovered from his knee injury, but Harry Maguire is also expected to return to the fold after recovering.

USMNT: Both Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah were subbed off during the draw against Wales with reported groin and toe injuries respectively, but should recover in time for this match. It will be interesting to see if Dortmund youngster Giovanni Reyna, who was actually born in England when his father was playing for Sunderland, will feature in some capacity here.

Match facts: England vs USMNT

England have faced the USA at two prior World Cups - in 1950 and 2010, with a record of L1 D1 from those matches
Overall, the Three Lions have won eight of their last 11 meetings with the Stars and Stripes across all comps
The USMNT haven't beaten England since 1993...
...and they have struggled against European teams in this competition, with zero clean sheets in their last 18 meetings
In fact, the USA's last clean sheet was during their 1950 1-0 win over England, widely viewed as one of the biggest upsets in history
Timothy Weah, the son of Liberian icon George Weah, could become only the third player in American history to score in his team's first two games at a World Cup, after Clint Dempsey (2014) and Bert Patenaude (1930)