Five Things to Know About England ahead of World Cup clash with USMNT

For the third time in their history, the U.S. Men’s National Team and England will clash in a World Cup match when the two meet for a massive Group B match at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, Qatar on Friday, Nov. 25 at 2 p.m. ET (FOX, Telemundo).

In their Group B opener on Nov. 21, the Americans played to a 1-1 draw with Wales. Tim Weah lifted the USA to a 1-0 lead in the 36th minute, but Gareth Bale’s late penalty kick equalized for the Welsh.

Earlier in the day, England rolled to a 6-2 win against Iran, scoring three goals in each half. Bukayo Saka bagged a brace as Jude Bellingham, Raheem Sterling, and second-half substitutes Marcus Rashford and Jack Grealish added goals. Here are five thing to know about the Three Lions:

HOW THEY QUALIFIED

England (8-0-2, 26 points) captured the UEFA Group I crown, topping the group by six points over second-place Poland (6-2-2, 20).

The Three Lions kicked off their qualifying with a 5-0 home triumph over San Marino at London’s Wembley Stadium on March 25 as Dominic Calvert-Lewin scored on either side of halftime and England never took their foot off the pedal.

They secured qualification in their final match, a 10-0 win in San Marino on Nov. 16, 2021. Forward Harry Kane tallied a stunning four first-half goals. During their campaign, they outscored their opponents 39-3 while recording seven clean sheets. Their 39 goals were the most by any team in UEFA’s World Cup qualifying.

Kane led England with 12 goals, while defender Harry Maguire added four and forward Bukayo Saka chipped in three.

England entered the World Cup carrying a six-game winless streak in UEFA Nations League A play, scoring only four times. The results included a 1-0 loss at Hungary, a 1-1 draw at Germany, a scoreless home tie with Italy, a 4-0 home defeat to Hungary, a 1-0 defeat at Italy on Sept. 23 and a 3-3 deadlock with Germany at home on Sept. 25. Defender Luke Shaw, midfielder Mason Mount and Kane scored vs. Germany.

WORLD CUP HISTORY/MAJOR HONORS

England is appearing in its 16th World Cup and seventh in a row. The last time the team failed to compete at the game’s biggest stage was the 1994 World Cup, hosted by the United States. The English are 29-19-21 all-time at the World Cup, scoring 91 goals and conceding 63.

As hosts in 1966, the Three Lions won their only World Cup. After playing Uruguay to a scoreless draw in the opener, they won their final five matches. England topped Mexico and France by 2-0 results in Group 1 action before blanking Argentina 1-0 in the quarterfinals and got past Portugal and the great Eusebio in the semifinals with a 2-1 win.

In one of the most memorable finals in World Cup history, Wolfgang Weber equalized for Germany in the 89th minute to make things 2-2 before Geoff Hurst tallied twice in extra time to net a hat trick and boost England to a 4-2 victory at Wembley.

At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, England finished second in Group G before making a run to the semifinals and falling to Croatia in overtime, 2-1. The Three Lions finished fourth at the tournament, falling 2-0 to Belgium in the third-place match.

PREVIOUS HISTORY VS. USMNT

England enjoys an 8-2-1 record against the USMNT, outscoring the USA 39-9. Their first encounter is considered one of the biggest upsets in World Cup history as the Americans recorded a 1-0 victory over the heavily favored English in Belo Horizonte, Brazil on June 29, 1950.

Joe Gaetjens (pictured above) headed in Walter Bahr’s cross past goalkeeper Bert Williams for the game’s lone score in the 37th minute. Frank Borghi backstopped the win.

READ MORE: RIVALRY RENEWED – USA AND ENGLAND SET FOR THIRD WORLD CUP CLASH

The teams played to a 1-1 draw in their other World Cup meeting at South Africa 2010 as USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard made several vital saves in Rustenburg. Steven Gerrard got one past the legendary U.S. netminder in the fourth minute, but goalkeeper Robert Green gifted the Americans a goal in the 40th, a gaffe for the ages as he allowed a 25-yard shot from Clint Dempsey to go through his hands.

The USA’s only other win vs. England came with a 2-0 triumph in the U.S. Cup in Foxborough, Mass. on June 9, 1993, as goalkeeper Tony Meola stoned the English with several spectacular saves. Thomas Dooley and Alexi Lalas scored for the U.S.

The nations last met on Nov. 15, 2018 as England registered a 3-0 win at Wembley behind goals from midfielder Jesse Lingard, defender Trent Alexander-Arnold and forward Callum Wilson. The match was the final international appearance for all-time leading scorer Wayne Rooney.

USA-England Head-to-Head Results
Date	Result	Competition	Location
June 29, 1950	1-0 W	1950 FIFA World Cup	Belo Horizonte, Brazil
June 8, 1954	3-6 L	Friendly	New York, N.Y.
May 28, 1959	1-8 L	Friendly	Los Angeles, Calif.
May 27, 1964	0-10 L	Friendly	New York, N.Y.
June 16, 1985	0-5 L	Friendly	Los Angeles, Calif.
June 9, 1993	2-0 W	Friendly	Foxborough, Mass.
Sept. 7, 1994	0-2 L	Friendly	London, England
May 28, 2005	1-2 L	Friendly	Chicago, Ill.
May 28, 2008	0-2 L	Friendly	London, England
June 12, 2010	1-1 D	2010 FIFA World Cup	Rustenberg, South Africa
Nov. 15, 2018	0-3 L	Friendly	London, England

HEAD COACH

Gareth Southgate, a former England international, starred as a defender and midfielder for Crystal Palace, Aston Villa and Middlesbrough, making 503 first-team league appearances during a 17-year playing career.

The 51-year-old Southgate earned 57 caps for England, scoring twice, and played in the 1998 World Cup. His most publicized moment came when he missed the Three Lions’ last penalty kick in a shootout loss to Germany in Euro 1996 semifinals, which England hosted.

This will be Southgate’s second World Cup at the helm of England after directing the team to a fourth-place finish at Russia 2018. He has a 46-13-17 record as head coach.

ENGLAND ROSTER

All but one of the 26 players that manager Gareth Southgate selected for Qatar 2022 ply their trade in the English Premier League. Midfielder Jude Bellingham plays for Borussia Dortmund in the German Bundesliga and is a teammate of USMNT forward Gio Reyna.

Five players hail from defending Premier League champion Manchester City- defenders Kyle Walker and John Stones, midfielder Kalvin Phillips and forwards Jack Grealish and Phil Foden.

Current league leader Arsenal, as well as Chelsea, Manchester United and Newcastle United each had three players called up to the World Cup squad.

Captain Harry Kane leads England in scoring with 51 international goals, just two behind current D.C. United head coach Wayne Rooney for the all-time lead. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the Tottenham Hotspur striker tallied a tournament-best six goals, including a hat trick in the team’s 6-0 triumph over Panama.

Chelsea forward Raheem Sterling (20 goals and 21 assists in 80 international matches) is playing in his third FIFA World Cup at age 27 and scored his first goal in 10 World Cup appearances vs. Iran.

Defensive midfielder Declan Rice (West Ham United) has been a key contributor for the Three Lions, doing much of the dirty work in the middle of the pitch and helping the squad register 19 shutouts in 27 contests from the 2021 UEFA European Championship through the World Cup qualifying campaign.

England’s three oldest players are each 32 and battle-tested. Midfielder Jordan Henderson, an impact player with Liverpool since 2011 and one of the most experienced players on the squad with 70 caps serves as vice captain. Manchester City’s Walker has also made 70 appearances and Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier has earned 38 caps.

Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who started against Iran, is Southgate’s No. 1 choice in the net. Depending on the foe, England has lined up in either a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-4-2-1 formation.

USMNT forward Christian Pulisic is teammates with Sterling and midfielders Mason Mount and Conor Gallagher at Chelsea. Fulham defenders Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson and Leeds United midfielders Tyler Adams and Brenden Aaronson have faced off against many of England’s players during this EPL campaign.

ENGLAND ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; CAPS/GOALS)

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jordan Pickford (Everton; 46/0), Nick Pope (Newcastle United; 10/0), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal; 3/0)

DEFENDERS (9): Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool; 17/1), Conor Coady (Everton; 10/1), Eric Dier (Tottenham Hotspur; 48/3), Harry Maguire (Manchester United; 49/7), Luke Shaw (Manchester United; 24/3), John Stones (Manchester City; 60/3), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle United; 38/1), Kyle Walker (Manchester City; 70/0), Ben White (Arsenal; 4/0)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund/GER; 18/1), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea; 4/0), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool; 70/2), Mason Mount (Chelsea; 33/5), Kalvin Phillips (Manchester City; 23/0), Declan Rice (West Ham United; 35/2)

FORWARDS (8): Phil Foden (Manchester City; 19/2), Jack Grealish (Manchester City; 25/2), Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur; 76/51), James Maddison (Leicester City; 1/0), Marcus Rashford (Manchester United; 47/13), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal; 21/6), Raheem Sterling (Chelsea; 80/20), Callum Wilson (Newcastle United; 5/1)