England vs USA 2018 with friendlies against two of the world’s most recognizable outfits. First up, it’s meeting with England at famed Wembley Stadium. This young American side will be the opposition for what is being used as a sendoff match for Wayne Rooney. It’s not often that players get to play at such a high profile venue in their careers. You can bet everyone on the field will be looking to make a name for themselves. For the first time in a while, the USMNT is as close to “full-strength” as we’ve seen. Christian Pulisic is finally fit enough to play, even if he’s not in the best of form. Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie too. It should be a very interesting one to watch as the Three Lions are coming off of an appearance in the World Cup semifinals and appear to be in the midst of a terrific generation of talent.
This will likely be the last two matches in charge for interim manager Dave Sarachan. Can the players send him off in style? Let’s find out. Get ready for some SOCCER.
International friendly: USA vs. England
Date: Thursday, Nov. 15
Time: 3 p.m. ET
Location: Wembley Stadium in London
TV channel: English: ESPN2; Spanish: UniMas (Sky Sports Main Event in United Kingdom)
Streaming: fuboTV (Try for free)
Odds: USA +1050 / England -375 / Draw +450
USA vs. England prediction
With such a young team, and despite having some European starters like Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie, it was always going to be tricky to win at England. The Three Lions look like the stronger team from start to finish and win.
Storylines
USA: It’s another opportunity that Dave Sarachan is giving the young and up-and-coming stars of U.S. Soccer. After having faced teams like Brazil and France, the U.S. gets another shot at a big boy under the lights at Wembley.
England: Eyes will be on Thursday’s Nations League match between Spain and Croatia, but this is another quality opportunity for England to prepare for the upcoming game against Croatia. Expect Wayne Rooney to see some time in this tribute match.
Preview
The last time these teams met was during group play at the 2010 World Cup, where they played to a 1-1 draw. This outcome of this friendly won’t be anywhere near as crucial as that one, obviously, but this match holds importance for another reason.
It’s the official international sendoff for Wayne Rooney, who stands as England’s all-time leading scorer with 53 goals in 119 appearances. After retiring from international duty in 2017, he calls this farewell a “one-off” that has been in the works for the better part of a year.
“(England manager Gareth Southgate) and I both felt it was the right time to do it [now], my season in the States is over, and it’s against the USA and it’s a friendly match before the lads play against Croatia on Sunday,” Rooney said. “We all felt it was the right time and the right game.”
Rooney, who will wear his No. 10 shirt and come off the bench, will be given the captain’s armband when he enters the game.
“When I came into the England set-up Wayne was captain, he welcomed me and made me feel at home,” said Fabian Delph, who will start the game with the armband. “As soon as he comes on I will be giving him that armband.”
Rooney will also receive a guard of honour.
“It is going to be a huge night for Wayne and we want to make it special for him,” Delph said. “We think it is important to honour him for the achievements he has made throughout his career.”
For the United States, this is another opportunity to get their young players of the future some important international experience. Led by the likes of Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, Weston McKennie and Antonee Robinson, the players called up for this game have an average age of under 24.
“We’re excited to be here, great test for our young group,” interim USAMNT manager Dave Sarachan said. “Obviously we’re facing a team in England I feel is in good form and has a lot of quality.”
