England v USA live scores, starting 11 team news and latest World Cup updates

John Stones has recognized Harry Maguire for nearly twenty years and revealed the pair usually share jokes over texts – that means the Manchester City defender was in “no doubt” that his England team-mate would discover his kind on the World Cup.

The two centre-backs could cross the Manchester divide, with Maguire captaining Manchester United, however they’re long-time mates and have constructed a high-quality understanding on the coronary heart of Gareth Southgate’s defence.

Maguire has been dropped by United lately and was additionally jeered by a small part of England followers earlier within the 12 months.

But Southgate saved his religion within the 29-year-old and it was repaid with a high-quality show within the 6-2 win over Iran on Monday earlier than Maguire went off with sickness.

“First of all, no doubt at all,” Stones replied when requested if Maguire would settle in with England regardless of his membership kind.

“Harry hasn’t played much at his club, but to come in and play like he did – I don’t think anyone saw a bit of rust on him.

“That’s great credit to him and I’m so happy for him and everyone who played. As a player you want and need to be playing and have a good rhythm. But for him to come in to play as he did is credit to him.”

Jordan Pickford is hoping England get honest therapy from officers after boss Gareth Southgate mentioned he was “worried” that his aspect had been used for instance throughout pre-World Cup referee conferences.

England have been denied what regarded like a transparent spot-kick when Harry Maguire was grabbed by Rouzbeh Cheshmi early on of their 6-2 win over Iran on Monday.

The VAR determined to not intervene however later alerted the referee to a tug on a shirt within the England field which resulted in Mehdi Taremi scoring a last-gasp penalty, whereas the same offence resulted in a spot-kick in Argentina’s shock defeat to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

England and six different federations feared that their captains might have been issued a pink card, and that there was basically “unlimited liability”, had they worn the OneLove armband of their opening World Cup matches.

There wouldn’t even have been the prospect of an iconic photograph, as any sanction would have been administered earlier than the groups set out onto the pitch. It was for that reason that the federations have been eager to take the choice out of the gamers’ palms, and not put them beneath any stress.

The comparatively small gesture of the armbands – a protest in opposition to Qatar’s legal guidelines and angle to LGBTQ+ teams – has turn out to be one of many largest points in a massively controversial World Cup. The German federation have already accused Fifa of “extreme blackmail” in discussions, and there was a real worry that it might have seen gamers similar to Harry Kane, Virgil van Dijk and Gareth Bale suspended.

Kane suffered a knock to his proper ankle after a slipshod problem by Morteza Pouraliganji in England’s 6-2 win in opposition to Iran on Monday – the nationwide team’s largest ever win firstly of a serious match.

The Spurs striker, who has a historical past of ankle issues, did play on for 25 minutes however was seen limping after the sport and went for a precautionary scan.

But the 29-year-old acquired the inexperienced mild to coach on Wednesday, with the official England Twitter account sharing a photograph of him in coaching accompanied by the caption “skipper” and a fist emoji.

Gareth Southgate has not dominated out his England team making a gesture to spotlight human rights considerations on the Qatar World Cup however says they won’t be pressured into doing so.

Seven European nations competing on the World Cup – together with Germany, England and Wales – deliberate to put on OneLove anti-discrimination armbands through the match, however have been dissuaded from doing so following the specter of sporting sanctions from Fifa.

Southgate, whose team face the United States of their second match on Friday, mentioned: “I don’t think we should feel any pressure – I think we’ve spoken on these particular topics for over a year and we’ve supported all manner of good causes either as individuals or the collective.”

As England started to play the ball round in opposition to Iran, they felt one thing totally different.

“Definitely a click,” John Stones mentioned of the 6-2 win. “Or a desire to put things right. We had come out of a bad period.”

They can now look by way of to the opposite aspect. England scored extra objectives in opposition to Iran than they did in your complete Nations League marketing campaign. The actuality, nonetheless, was that it was a step up from Gareth Southgate’s basic type somewhat than simply the final eight months.

“I guess people wouldn’t expect us to be like that having watched us for a couple of years and the style of football we play,” the supervisor acknowledged. “Maybe we regressed to the norm.”

The problem now’s to make it the norm, and illustrate it was not partly a product of the disarray that Iran are in; that England have introduced their credentials.

Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney’s massive match preview from Doha:

As England’s teenage soccer hero Jude Bellingham returns to the pitch in Qatar on Friday, mates and neighbours in his hometown of Stourbridge within the West Midlands are bursting with delight.

And none extra so than his former main faculty caretaker, who used to fetch the participant’s misplaced ball down from the roof when he was a boy.

“It seemed to be a daily occurrence,” Mark Williams tells The Independent. “You could tell then he was quite a good little footballer and he was destined to be.”

“He did seem to do that more than any other child. It became a joke. Every day the ladders were out. I kept them on standby because of that reason.”

He provides: “He was a very pleasant lad. He always asked you to get the ball down nicely.”

This made the midfielder solely the second teenager – after Michael Owen – to attain for the Three Lions at a World Cup.

Jesus Valenzuela is the referee of England’s match in opposition to the USA on the World Cup tonight.

The Venezuelan is taking cost of his first match on the World Cup after being chosen as one among 36 referees on the match in Qatar.

The 39-year-old is taken into account to be one of many high referees in South America – taking cost of matches within the Copa America, Copa Libertadores, Copa Sudamericana and South American World Cup qualifiers.

He referees skilled in Venezuela’s high flight, the place he took cost of 9 matches earlier than the league paused for the World Cup.

In these matches, nonetheless, Valenzuela confirmed pink playing cards in seven of them, in addition to an array of yellow playing cards.

Opponents this time are United States, who themselves drew with Wales – although Gregg Berhalter’s aspect will little question be ruing the very fact they have been so dominant in that recreation early on and did not make their superiority rely sufficiently to take all three factors.

USA know that though a defeat would make issues troublesome, they nonetheless have Iran to face of their ultimate recreation – seemingly the weakest of the quartet, with 4 factors probably sufficient to undergo relying on outcomes elsewhere.

Bukayo Saka’s good displaying within the Three Lions’ opener absolutely means he’ll retain his place, with maybe solely accidents prone to see Gareth Southgate change his line-up.

The Group B match will kick-off at 7pm on Friday, 25 November on the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor.

England will qualify for the World Cup knockout section in the event that they beat the United States on Friday.

Here is a better have a look at the aspect standing in the way in which of Gareth Southgate’s males.