England vs. the United States was an utter snoozefest. A tactical match that left many viewers disappointed and sleepy. The U.S. now controls its fate in the tournament with everything to play for against Iran on Nov. 29.

England was the favorite coming into the game, but the U.S. looked better. In the first 10 minutes of the match, England dominated possession and looked good going forward. After that, the U.S. showed its prowess. The press of the U.S. forced England to pass the ball backward and forced them to make mistakes on the ball. They took advantage of this by creating a lot of chances for counter-attacks. The U.S. had its best chance to score in the first half when forward Christian Pulisic hit the crossbar.

In the second half, the U.S. continued to show its dominance against England. However, the problem for the U.S. was not being clinical enough to score. The U.S. managed only one shot on target. England’s defense was able to hold off the pressure throughout the game, blocking four shots from the U.S. 

Going forward England struggled to make anything happen. U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams controlled the midfield for the U.S. making things difficult for England when they had possession of the ball. England had a chance to score in the last minute with a set piece that forward Harry Kane headed wide of the net. 

England’s lack of creativity going forward is worrying for them after they battered Iran 6-2. Substitutions by manager Gareth Southgate seemed to come late and the players subbed on didn’t make a complete impact on the game. A player many expected to come on was forward Phil Foden. Foden is one of England’s most gifted players they’ve had in a long time. He’s a regular for his domestic team Manchester City and has scored eight goals and three assists in all competitions. 

Southgate explained that they had already made changes to the wide areas and did not want to play Foden in the middle as he does not play there for City. But, a player of Foden’s caliber has to come on. Especially in a game where you needed that spark to score a goal. England faces Wales next, hoping to win that game to top the group.

For the U.S. it’s onto Iran. They will guarantee a spot in the Round of 16 if they beat Iran. However, if they lose or draw they are eliminated from the World Cup. After an impressive performance against England, the U.S. should be filled with confidence.

U.S. Manager Gregg Berhalter was pleased with his team’s performance, but there is still work to be done. “I’d like to see goals,” said Berhalter in a post-game press conference. The U.S. has only scored one goal in two games and only has two shots on a total of 16 shots. Scoring is a problem for the U.S. and they have to get that fixed against Iran. Iran is a strong defensive team but if they can create chances and get more shots on target that should be able to get them the win.