USMNT to take on England in its toughest match of the FIFA World Cup

Monday, November 21, the United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) appeared in the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 2014. The young squad deemed the “golden generation” for its powerhouse members, features Chelsea star Christian Pulisic and is coached by Greg Berhalter. Facing off against Wales, the team managed to pull off a 1-1 tie.

This afternoon, the USMNT will come face to face with England in what is likely to be their biggest game of the group stage. They last faced England back in 2010, where the outcome was a 1-1 draw. The highly anticipated match kicks off at 2 PM Eastern time.

England played its first game of the World Cup on November 21 as well and pummeled Iran 6-2. It was the biggest win yet in the first match of a major tournament for the Three Lions. England is a formidable opponent for the United States, as they have won eight of the eleven matches played between the two teams across all competitions.

The Nielsen Gracenote supercomputer is giving England a 44% chance of winning, while the one at FiveThirtyEight has generated a win chance of 54%. Other pundits are heavily favoring another Three Lions victory, especially with Harry Kane and Harry Maguire back on the field.

This will be a divisive match, and the atmosphere in Qatar and around the globe is undoubtedly electric for this high-profile game. England may be the fifth-ranked team in the world, but the youthful USMNT has no shortage of impressive talent. Moreover, they are hungry for a win, complete with the fighting spirit to secure that win.

While a major upset this evening is unlikely, it certainly isn’t off the table. After all, two of the three American victories against England happened at previous World Cup Matches.

Predicted starting lineups:

England: Pickford; Trippier, Stones, Maguire, Shaw; Bellingham, Rice, Mount; Saka, Kane, Sterling

USA: Turner; Dest, Zimmerman, Ream, Robinson; McKennie, Adams, Musah; Weah, Sargent, Pulisic