England Under-21s vs. USA Under-23s: Winners and Losers from U21 International
The England U21s continued their impressive form at home on Thursday with a 1-0 win over the United States U23s. The Three Lions have won 25 of their last 26 matches on English soil.
Gareth Southgate's squad of players primarily based in the Premier League dominated the possession battle and created the majority of the chances in the match played at Deepdale.
The Three Lions finally found a breakthrough in the 72nd minute on a quick free-kick taken by Jake Forster-Caskey. After confusion set in among the American defense, James Wilson tapped in the lone strike of the match.
The match helped England get ready for their U21 European Championship qualifier against Norway on Monday. The loss by the Yanks will be seen as a minor setback ahead of CONCACAF Olympic qualifying in October.
Here's a look at the winners and losers from Thursday's international friendly.
Winner: James Wilson
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In his first appearance for the England U21s, James Wilson delivered the game-winning goal for the Three Lions at Deepdale.
The Manchester United product cleaned up the mess in the box in the 72nd minute as the USA defense scrambled to mark players following Jake Forster-Caskey's quick free-kick.
The late goal eased whatever nerves the group of nine England substitutes had when they entered in the 61st minute. With confidence flowing through their veins, Wilson and the rest of the young England attackers threatened for a second goal over the final 15 minutes of the match.
If England U21 boss Gareth Southgate is able to get Wilson to produce behind Cauley Woodrow and Nathan Redmond, the Three Lions will have a formidable strike force throughout Euro qualifying.
Losers: The USA Forwards
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The USA forwards had a dreadful night at Deepdale as they unsuccessfully tried to challenge Jordan Pickford and Angus Gunn in the England net.
The starting combination of Alonso Hernandez and Mario Rodriguez combined for very little in the first half while established starter Rubio Rubin sat on the bench. When Rubin received his opportunity to shine, he disappointed as well as he barely touched the ball during his 30-minute shift.
Hernandez and Rodriguez were handed starts to prove their worth to United States U23 boss Andreas Herzog, but neither did that one bit. Due to the poor showings from both starters, Rubin and Stanford University product Jordan Morris remain the favorites to lead the line during Olympic qualifying.
Winner: Nathan Redmond
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Nathan Redmond was unlucky not to play a part in an England goal on Thursday as he was dynamic on the wing throughout his time on the pitch.
The 21-year-old displayed his experience at the U21 level by showing no fear on the wings against the USA full-backs, and he linked up well with England's starting forward Cauley Woodrow.
As the owner of 23 caps at the U21 level, Redmond is expected to be one of the leaders for the young Three Lions team throughout qualifying, and he proved he can do just that with his performance against the USA.
Loser: Eric Miller
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With Wilson charging in toward goal in the 72nd minute, USA full-back Eric Miller stood on the right side of the box and watched the England forward charge in unmarked.
With Cameron Carter-Vickers on the ground after an attempt to clear the ball off the line, Miller stood with his hands on his face as the goal occurred.
Miller did make an attempt to run with Wilson, but he halted his run after substitute goalkeeper Zach Steffen made the initial stop on Duncan Watmore.
Although he had a decent game, the Montreal Impact man did make a mistake that eventually led to a goal. While he is not the only one to blame for conceding, Miller did play a big role in allowing Wilson a good amount of space.
Winner: Matt Targett
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The latest young Southampton player to shine at the youth level for England could be Matt Targett based on his output at Deepdale.
Targett impressed with his runs forward into the final third from his left-back position, and he let little get past him in front of his own goal.
The 19-year-old entered the match as one of three defenders with international experience alongside Eric Dier and former club teammate Calum Chambers. The three combined with Joe Gomez to put in a solid defensive performance as a collective, but due to his fearlessness in attack, Targett stood out the most of the quartet.
With a confident core in place at the back, the Three Lions shouldn't face a ton of trouble in their qualifying group over the next 12 months.
Winner: Shane O'Neill
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One of the few positives the Americans can take away from their defeat is the play of captain and center-back Shane O'Neill.
O'Neill, who recently joined Belgian outfit Royal Mouscron-Peruwelz after a long journey that started with little playing time in Colorado, showed no signs of rust going up against Woodrow and Redmond. O'Neill read the game well and denied Woodrow a few potential opportunities by stepping in front of the forward and ending a fair amount of England attacks.
If he continues to thrive in his role in front of goal, the Yanks will be able to ease the young pair of Matt Miazga and Cameron Carter-Vickers into the Olympic level. Both young center-backs impressed at the FIFA U-20 World Cup this summer, but they will face an adjustment process moving up to the U23 level.
With O'Neill next to either one of the players throughout Olympic qualifying, Herzog might not have to worry about the play of his defense.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
