World Cup soccer: U.S., England battle to 0-0 draw

Nov. 25 (UPI) -- The United States and Britain fought to a scoreless draw Friday at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Qatar in their first World Cup meeting since 2010.

This second draw for the U.S. Men's National Team sets the state for the final Group Stage match against Iran on Tuesday, with "win or go home" the potential outcome. England remained on track to take first place in the group and head into the knockout round.

Sports historians said the match marked the first time that the United States stopped a European team from scoring in the World Cup, and it represented the first 0-0 draw in U.S. World Cup Competition.

The tie was a heartbreaker for the young U.S. men's team, which averages 25.2 years, because it could not get the ball into the net despite Christian Pulisic and Weston McKennie hitting the post.

Haji Wright and Tim Weah led the line, and Josh Sargent was benched -- the only change in the lineup following the match against Wales.

Wright disappointed by taking only 18 touches and two shots in 83 minutes of play. He did not seem to intimidate the British defenders, was was an unexpectedly lesser target than coach Gregg Berhalter had hoped for.

What saved the Americans from defeat were big saves by Matt Turner and strong defense by Tyler Adams.

Britain outpaced the United States in time of possession, 56% to 44%, but only made eight shots compared to the Americans' 10. Britain has three shots on target, while the USMNT had just one.

England now leads Group B with one win and one draw, followed by Iran with one win and one loss. Then comes the United States with two draws, followed by Wales with one draw and one loss.