Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Ben Fisher

England 3-0 USA: international friendly – as it happened

Callum Wilson celebrates scoring the third with Wayne Rooney.
Callum Wilson celebrates scoring the third with Wayne Rooney. Photograph: Joe Toth/BPI/REX/Shutterstock

Callum Wilson, who was brilliant on debut, chats. “He [Wayne Rooney] is a legend for England, he has achieved so much throughout his career and to share the pitch with him was a great honour. His chapter has obviously ended now and mine is just starting. For me it’s a moment I’ll treasure for the rest of my life. To make your debut and then score on it as well, I will share this with my family and friends. I hope to build on this now, keep improving and keep working hard to become a better player.”

Updated

Read Dominic Fifield’s match report from Wembley:

There were glimpses for the majority inside this area to cherish, flashbacks to the skill and vision Wayne Rooney had delivered for England over a career now complete, and celebrated, at 120 caps. The former captain’s final cameo amounted to 32 minutes, a period illuminated by one sharp shift on to his left foot to whip away a shot that was claimed, one wonderful lofted pass for Ruben Loftus-Cheek to gather, and a shot in injury time which nearly, so nearly, squirmed beneath Brad Guzan and in. His script did not quite extend to a 54th international goal.

Updated

Rooney-watch continues. “Call me old-fashioned, but hasn’t Rooney shown, in his bit-part, that he is perfectly able to contribute better than most English players at this level, and that he could and would have been an able and positive addition to the England squad at the recent World Cup?” asks Gary Harley. “It says far more for Rooney than it does for England, that he looked at home, calm, confident and expectant to score for England tonight. He deserved his appearance and showed a few of the others up by being there.” Rooney fared well, to be fair, even if it was a little painstaking by the end, like the dad at his kid’s training desperately trying to leather one into the net before things all turn a bit sour. Still, it was a hearty final England appearance for Rooney, with the forward visibly emotional at full-time.

Wayne Rooney talks, and speaks very well too. “It went as I imagined it, really,” he says. “It’s been great the last few days, see how they’re working and improving. I would like to thank Gareth and the FA for giving me this opportunity, and the players. I think it’s great the FA are celebrating players who have left a mark on international football in England. I think it’s the right thing to do and I’m sure it will happen again. I thought the lads played brilliant, it was a great game but unfortunately I couldn’t get the goal. I felt when I came on, that I fitted in well with the team. But I’ve had my time, it was two years since I last played. I’m proud, to be the record goalscorer, I can sit back now and watch them.” Of what Brad Guzan, who ultimately prevented him from a 54th England goal, said to him at the final whistle, Rooney adds: “I scored past him a few weeks ago in the league, so I don’t think he was in any mood to let one in.” Of the future under Gareth Southgate, he says: “I think it’s in very safe hands, from what I’ve seen this week. It’s a great group of young players who have a really bright future. I’m sure in the next few years they will go close to bringing a trophy back. I’ll be one of the fans supporting them.”

Full-time: England 3-0 USA

Three and easy, but it was all about Wayne Rooney by the end. The 33-year-old made his 120th appearance for his country, but could not add a 54th goal to his tally. Goals by Callum Wilson, Jesse Lingard and Trent Alexander-Arnold give Gareth Southgate’s side victory at Wembley. At the final whistle, Rooney is all smiles, relaxed and embracing team-mates, applauding the fans.

Wayne Rooney shares a joke with Brad Guzan who denied him a last goal for England.
Wayne Rooney shares a joke with Brad Guzan who denied him a last goal for England. Photograph: Alastair Grant/AP

Updated

90+3 min: Another half-chance goes begging for Rooney, who punches the floor in frustration.

Wayne Rooney reacts after a missed chance.
Wayne Rooney reacts after a missed chance. Photograph: John Sibley/Action Images via Reuters

Updated

90+1 min: Rooney twists and turns inside the box, but he cannot beat Brad Guzan! As the USA goalkeeper gobbles it up, the home crowd jeer as though he’s the pantomime villain. Rooney smiles. He knows that was the chance. It was hard and low, but it was too close to truly trouble the goalkeeper.

90 min: There will be three added minutes. In other words, Wayne Rooney has three minutes.

Updated

88 min: Sancho shoots, but it goes out for a throw-in.

Updated

87 min: Bobby Wood wastes a big chance for the USA, and Villafana is replaced by Shaq Moore, who will play the final few minutes at left-back.

85 min: Rooney plays a lovely ball to the back stick, where Alexander-Arnold has ghosted in, but the 20-year-old cannot create the angle. The defender unselfishly looks to slide in a team-mate, but there’s nobody in the box to convert.

Updated

84 min: It’s Pulisic v Alexander-Arnold once more down the flank, but this time the Liverpool full-back nicks the ball away from the American.

Updated

83 min: Pulisic races on to a through ball behind the England defence, again finding plenty of space behind Dunk and Alexander-Arnold. But, in the end, his shot from an acute angle is easily gathered by McCarthy. The Dortmund winger has been a real bright spark all evening for the USA, though.

80 min: It’s all a bit lukewarm at Wembley. Everyone’s beckoning Rooney on, can he score his 54th goal for his country? Meanwhile, Tin Jedvaj has scored in injury-time in Zagreb. Croatia lead Spain 3-2, and are heading for a Nations League victory on home soil:

Updated

78 min: Wilson deserved that. He’s been a nuisance all evening, and after latching on to Fabian Delph’s cross. And that’s Wilson’s last act of the evening, with the Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford on for the final 11 minutes or so. As he heads for a seat on the substitutes bench, there are high-fives all round from Harry Kane, Ben Chilwell and co.

GOAL! England 3-0 USA (Wilson, 77)

A deserved debut goal for the Bournemouth striker. He gets across the near post to stab home England’s third of the evening.

Callum Wilson beats Brooks to the ball to score the third.
Callum Wilson beats Brooks to the ball to score the third. Photograph: JASONPIX/REX/Shutterstock
Wilson celebrates his debut goal.
Wilson celebrates his debut goal. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

75 min: Miazga gets a block in to deny Wilson – who has had a really lively debut. He deserves a goal, in truth. The chance came after a neat ball by Loftus-Cheek out to Alexander-Arnold, who delivered a sweeping ball into the near post. Wilson tried to poke it goalwards, but Matt Miazga stood firm.

74 min: Rooney’s arrival, unfortunately, has sapped the life out of this game. He did just play a sumptuous ball in for Loftus-Cheek, but the Chelsea midfielder was a little selfish with Wilson lurking in bags of space.

71 min: Rooney checks inside, works a yard of space on the edge of the box ... but his shot is comfortably gathered by Brad Guzan. For a moment, almost every person inside Wembley could be heard begging for the same outcome. It was not to be, not yet anyway.

Updated

71 min: The crowd inside Wembley is supposedly 68,155.

Updated

69 min: A ‘fan’ runs on to the pitch and confronts Rooney. It’s all good-natured, but the interloper is soon chased down by a hi-vis steward. And that stoppage means it’s a good time for changes. Loftus-Cheek replaces Winks.

68 min: Ruben Loftus-Cheek is limbering up on the touchline. The game itself has become a little pedestrian, as you might have expected, and feared.

66 min: Wood heads over from inside the six-yard box! England go asleep at the corner, with Pulisic allowed to collect the short corner and loft a ball into the box. Wood rises highest but nods over. That triple substitution – and the Rooney factor – has undoubtedly wavered England’s focus a little.

63 min: Rooney attempts to slide in Wilson, in behind the USA defence, but Brooks does well to snuff it out. Then Rooney plays a give-and-go with Alexander-Arnold but he cannot quite latch on to the pass. He’s finding his feet, blowing away the cobwebs etc.

Updated

61 min: Pulisic does superbly, to keep the ball in on the byline before winning an unlikely USA corner. Alexander-Arnold was just waiting for the ball to roll out of play for a goal-kick that never came, and Pulisic seized the initiative. For a player of just 20 years of age, the Dortmund forward has really drove his team on here. The set-play comes to nothing, other than allowing McCarthy a chance to showcase his handling ability, collecting from the corner.

Updated

60 min: Rooney, wearing the No 10, is playing just behind Callum Wilson in this system. Meanwhile, USA make a change with Green replaced by Tyler Adams.

59 min: A clever ball by Brooks drops kindly for Wood, but the USA forward cannot get any real conviction behind the shot. McCarthy clears.

Updated

57 min: Wayne Rooney is on for his 120th cap! “Rooney! Rooney! Rooney!” It’s not exactly bring-the-house-down noise, but it’s a healthy reception for the former England captain. Dier and Henderson are also on, not that anybody came to Wembley to see those two. Lingard, Chilwell and Alli are off.

Wayne Rooney comes on to replace Jesse Lingard.
Wayne Rooney comes on to replace Jesse Lingard. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Updated

56 min: The corner is too deep for Dunk, and those England changes are imminent. Wayne Rooney is among the trio about to enter at Wembley.

55 min: Callum Wilson does really well again, smartly holding up Alexander-Arnold’s ball before winning another England corner.

54 min: Winks spreads the ball wide to an overlapping Chilwell, who cuts it back for Lingard – but his first-time effort is blocked by the buttocks of a USA defender. Meanwhile, Eric Dier and Jordan Henderson are warming up for the hosts. The crowd, of course, begin to chant Wayne Rooney’s name.

50 min: “I cannot escape and I cannot forget, Southgate you’re the one, you still turn me on, football’s coming home again!” One, two, three, four! ... it’s all good fun inside a sparse Wembley this evening. We’re fast approaching Rooney-time.

Updated

49 min: Sancho makes a marauding run into the box but the USA captain does well to stand firm and fend off the Dortmund forward. The visitors then look to build, but Wood cannot get his shot away on the edge of the box. The USA do seem to come alive up front, but are a little lapse at the back. The same can be said for England at times, though perhaps that’s a hint of complacency.

48 min: The ball runs all the way through to Jesse Lingard, at the back post, from Alexander-Arnold’s long diagonal from the right. It’s a good ball, but should have been routine for USA to deal with. Instead, Guzan is not sure whether to come or go and Lingard senses the uncertainty, in the end dangling a leg at it as Callum Wilson fails to connect. Another half-chance for the hosts.

Jesse Lingard fires the ball over.
Jesse Lingard fires the ball over. Photograph: Ian Kington/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

47 min: Pulisic does really well, striding down the left, going on a mazy run beyond a hapless Winks and Lingard. He drives forward but eventually comes unstuck, just as he enters the final third. Pulisic then has another go, but Delph blocks his effort and with there’s a big thud to boot. Solid stuff.

46 min: USA get the second-half party started. And Alex McCarthy, the Southampton goalkeeper, has indeed replaced Jordan Pickford.

Ah, Spain pull level in Croatia. Back under way at Wembley shortly:

Croatia have gone one-nil up in Zagreb. Andrej Kramaric has opened the scoring against Spain in the Nations League:

Updated

Half-time changes: Alex McCarthy, the Southampton goalkeeper, is expected to come on at half-time in place of Jordan Pickford. That was always the plan, not because of an injury to the Everton stopper. It remains to be seen whether the England manager opts to mix it up elsewhere at the interval.

So, how soon will Rooney-watch commence? Speaking pre-match, Gareth Southgate intimated we will see England’s all-time record goalscorer around the hour mark. “We will look to give him 25-30 minutes,” Southgate said. “We’ve a few changes we want to make in the second half of the game, a few players who need minutes before Sunday. There’s a few objectives from the game.”

Half-time: England 2-0 USA

A foul by Harry Winks on Timothy Weah is the last slice of action, with goals by Jesse Lingard and Trent Alexander-Arnold the difference at the interval. The hosts have been far superior in all departments, as you’d expect.

44 min: This first half is very much fizzling out.

Updated

43 min: Dave Sarachan‎, the interim USA coach, is stroking his chin in the technical area. He will be happy with glimpses of what he has seen, you’d imagine. But at the back they look so very leaky.

40 min: A little lull as we approach half-time, so time for an email. “I’m somewhat surprised that the 10th minute came and went without the sight of an England substitution to bring on their honorary number 10,” says Peter Oh. So far, this has felt all very testimonial-ly, very exhibition match.

38 min: Just as the USA are enjoying arguably their best spell of possession, Lingard presses John Brooks into making an error. He wellies the ball straight out of play and England break. It’s a cute ball into Callum Wilson by Chilwell, and the striker does really weel. He spins of Matt Miazga, takes a superb first touch to buy himself a yard of space before unleashing an effort at goal. It’s easy in the end for Guzan but that was a neat move and a decent effort.

36 min: And now Julian Green tests Jordan Pickford! It’s straightforward in the end, but England have been a little sloppy in moments defensively. It was a meaty challenge by Trapp on Fabian Delph to win the ball before Green took aim.

35 min: Wilson is adjudged to have fouled John Brooks, the giant USA defender. The Bournemouth striker gives him a whack with his left arm as he looks to win the header and USA earn a little respite. The visitors will pump it forward.

34 min: USA, defensively, have been all a bit bees round the honeypot. Going forward, they’ve looked lively. Christian Pulisic had that great chance before Lingard’s opener, after England made a mess of fending off an attack through the very spine of the defence. Meanwhile, Alex McCarthy is warming up, apparently getting ready to come on at half-time in place of Pickford.

32 min: Ben Chilwell has been brilliant – again in an England shirt. The Leicester defender has been involved in just about everything. He’s just kickstarted another smart move, skating down the left before bundling into his marker. The USA earn a free-kick. But, England are cruising already really.

30 min: England have been free-flowing in attack, but USA have looked very frail, to the point where Gareth Southgate’s side look like scoring with every half-chance. Or maybe that is a marker of this England side’s performance.

GOAL! England 2-0 USA (Alexander-Arnold, 27)

The Liverpool full-back powers home, after more dodgy defending by the visitors. The ball breaks kindly after USA make a mess of clearing their lines and Trent Alexander-Arnold – first-time – smacks the ball low into the corner beyond Guzan. It was more good work by Jadon Sancho in the buildup.

Trent Alexander-Arnold fires the ball in low for the second.
Trent Alexander-Arnold fires the ball in low for the second. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images via Reuters

Updated

GOAL! England 1-0 USA (Lingard, 25)

Alli slides the ball across to Jesse Lingard, who wraps his right foot around the ball and bends it beyond Brad Guzan from outside the box. A lovely finish. Seconds after a crucial stop by Jordan Pickford, England lead. The USA look dangerous going forward but worryingly suspect at the back.

Jesse Lingard curls in the opener.
Jesse Lingard curls in the opener. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images via Reuters

Updated

23 min: Pickford makes a big save as England go to sleep at the back! Pulisic ends up chasing his own pass, after Dunk and Keane get sucked in to the ball. England don’t win it in the challenge and Pulisic gallops through the heart of defence to latch on to the ball. He bears down on Pickford, but shoots straight at the Everton goalkeeper’s torso. England survive. That could have been costly.

Christian Pulisic shoots while under pressure from Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Christian Pulisic shoots while under pressure from Trent Alexander-Arnold. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images

Updated

22 min: Chilwell does brilliantly again down the left, carving open some space before driving inside. Wilson was looking for the through ball but it was Sancho who was involved again. Lingard then lost his footing at the crucial moment on the edge of the box.

21 min: Jadon Sancho is slipped in down the left by Chilwell, but he unselfishly looked along the line for Lingard when he perhaps would have fared better being more selfish. Lingard and Wilson were both lurking, but Sancho could have wrapped his right foot around it beyond Guzan. Still, next time maybe.

20 min: Chilwell dinks in but as the ball is cleared by USA, Callum Wilson looks to recycle the ball in the box. He juggles it successfully for a moment, but eventually comes unstuck. USA have certainly been under the cosh.

19 min: Trapp fouls Alli, so England win a free-kick 20-odd yards from goal. The full-backs Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ben Chilwell both fancy it ...

17 min: Brad Guzan’s had a busy first 20 minutes or so. Now he makes a bit of a meal of a routine cross but USA survive. England stream forward once more through Ben Chilwell down the left, but eventually he’s stopped in his tracks.

15 min: Pulisic’s deflected cross is gathered by Pickford. The Everton goalkeeper rolls it out, England fly forward in numbers through Wilson before Winks takes over the baton. England probe in search of finding another opening.

14 min: Yedlin looks to play an ambitious sweeping pass, but he gets the execution all wrong and Michael Keane gladly gobbles it up. Keane then shifts it to Lewis Dunk, who looks to build forward. Quickly, though, the England attack breaks down. USA are grateful for some steady possession on halfway.

12 min: Jesse Lingard stings the palms of Guzan! The England wingers are finding plenty of joy behind the full-backs. But USA sweep upfield and Pulisic wins a corner. Pickford though is infringed in the box, so England win a free-kick.

9 min: Wilson falls in the box under the challenge of Brad Guzan, but the Spanish referee, Jesus Gil Manzano, is having none of it. Wilson looks a bit put out, but he did seem to be waiting for the contact, dangling his left foot into the former Aston Villa goalkeeper as he went to ground. Half-hearted penalty appeals are waved away.

8 min: Brad Guzan makes a poor clearance ... and Callum Wilson, in acres of space, swipes at goal after meeting a low cross from the right, but he drags his effort wide. England perhaps should be ahead. That was a good chance.

Callum Wilson drags his shot well wide.
Callum Wilson drags his shot well wide. Photograph: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Updated

7 min: A sloppy pass by Michael Keane, in search of Ben Chilwell, bundles straight out play. Never mind, England go straight back on the attack.

6 min: USA make a foray down the left, exposing a bit of space left by Trent Alexander-Arnold but the cross comes to nothing. England counter, with Sancho driving down the left with Wilson for company.

5 min: Dele Alli heads on to the bar, via the left hand of Brad Guzan. But the linesman flags, presumably for the corner swinging out of play on the way in. A very promising start by England at Wembley. The USA have been penned in.

Brad Guzan saves from Dele Alli.
Brad Guzan saves from Dele Alli. Photograph: Carl Recine/Action Images via Reuters

Updated

4 min: Chilwell takes, and Wilson is at the front post to flick it goalwards but USA get a block in. England switch play, with Alli winning another corner.

3 min: Lingard flies down the left and wins a corner ...

2 min: It looks as though USA are playing with two up front, Julian Green and Bobby Wood. It’s fairly narrow, and two banks of four. They’ve barely seen the ball inside the opening couple of minutes, with England dominating possession.

1 min: Ben Chilwell flashes a ball across goal within 25 seconds or so of the off. Callum Wilson did well from kick-off, holding the ball up before picking out Fabian Delph, the England captain tonight. Chilwell then marauded forward but his cross was a little too pacy for anyone to meet it. Good start.

Peeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!

And Jesse Lingard gets things started.

We’re just a God Save the Queen away from kick-off. Rooney belts it out one last time from the substitutes bench at a – it must be said – fairly sparse Wembley. We’re almost under way.

Wayne Rooney walks out to a guard of honour.
Wayne Rooney walks out to a guard of honour. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

Updated

The teams are out on to the pitch at Wembley to form a guard of honour, with Wayne Rooney slowly trudging out behind them, family in tow. The 33-year-old is all smiles, with Harry Kane and Greg Clarke, the Football Association chairman, greeting him as he has his picture taken with a special plaque. A few murmurs of “Rooney! Rooney!” break out round Wembley. Coleen, his wife, and their fourth son, Cass Mac, look particularly happy about it all.

Updated

USA have a 20-man squad at Wembley, so there’s no room for the Hertha Berlin goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann, son of the former striker, Jürgen. The Fulham man Luca de la Torre, Romain Gall, Aaron Long, Josh Sargent and Walker Zimmerman also miss out:

Updated

In Ferrara, England Under-21s have just beaten Italy 2-1, thanks to a double by the lesser-spotted Dominic Solanke. Lloyd Kelly stepped off the bench after four minutes owing to an injury to Jake Clarke-Salter to make his debut, while Reiss Nelson and Tammy Abraham both featured from the bench. Back to Wembley, but first an email courtesy of Jerry Parks. “I expect very little from them in this game, and I would expect England to learn very little about themselves from playing us either,” he says. “I would, however, keep an eye on Christian Pulisic, who will very much be auditioning for several top-table Premier League clubs and who will be plenty motivated to show what he can do. Obviously we’re biased, but American fans are pretty convinced we at last have a world-class player in our ranks.”

Updated

So, what does Rooney make of the furore around tonight’s testimonial? “Of course there would be people with their opinions – people who agree and don’t agree – and I think my name brings a bit of controversy with it and that’s partly the reason why,” Rooney, set to win his 120th cap, says. “It was an idea which I felt was good and if the timing was right, I thought it would work.”

Half an hour until kick-off, so enough time for a little nostalgia to make us feel all fuzzy and warm. So, Wayne Rooney’s best goal? For club? It’s difficult to look beyond that volley for Manchester United at Newcastle’s St James’ Park in 2005. For country?

Wayne Rooney’s best goals.

Updated

England may only be in friendly action, but Spain are up against Croatia in Zagreb in the Nations League this evening. If Spain win, then England – who face Croatia on Sunday – cannot top the group, or win the tournament. But if Spain fail to win, then an England victory this weekend would take them to next June’s finals. It would also guarantee a Euro 2020 play-off place:

Thursday 15 November

League A, Group 2: Belgium 2-0 Iceland
A4: Croatia 3-2 Spain
B3: Austria 0-0 Bosnia-Herzegovina
C2: Hungary 2-0 Estonia, Greece 1-0 Finland
D1: Kazakhstan 1-1 Latvia, Andorra 1-1 Georgia
D2: Luxembourg 0-2 Belarus, San Marino 0-1 Moldova

Friday 16 November

League A, Group 1: Netherlands 2-0 France
B1: Slovakia 4-1 Ukraine
B4: Wales 1-2 Denmark
C3: Cyprus 1-1 Bulgaria, Slovenia 1-1 Norway
D4: Gibraltar 2-6 Armenia, Liechtenstein 0-2 FYR Macedonia

Saturday 17 November

League A, Group 3: Italy 0-0 Portugal
B2: Turkey 0-1 Sweden
C1: Albania 0-4 Scotland
C4: Serbia 2-1 Montenegro, Romania 3-0 Lithuania
D3: Azerbaijan 2-0 Faroe Islands, Malta 0-5 Kosovo 

Sunday 18 November

League A, Group 2: Switzerland 5-2 Belgium
A4: England 2-1 Croatia 
B3: Northern Ireland 1-2 Austria 
C2: Hungary 2-0 Finland, Greece 0-1 Estonia
D2: San Marino 0-2 Belarus, Moldova 1-1 Luxembourg 

Monday 19 November

League A, Group 1: Germany v Netherlands
B1: Czech Republic v Slovakia
B4: Denmark v Republic of Ireland
C3: Cyprus v Norway, Bulgaria v Slovenia
D1: Georgia v Kazakhstan (5pm), Andorra v Latvia (5pm)
D4: FYR Macedonia v Gibraltar, Liechtenstein v Armenia

Tuesday 20 November

League A, Group 3: Portugal v Poland
B2: Sweden v Russia
C1: Scotland v Israel
C4: Serbia v Lithuania, Montenegro v Romania
D3: Malta v Faroe Islands, Kosovo v Azerbaijan

• All kick-offs 7.45pm GMT unless stated

Updated

A couple of killer pre-match stats, courtesy of our chums Opta:

• Lewis Dunk will become the first Brighton player to play for England since Steve Foster vs Kuwait in the 1982 World Cup

• Sancho will become the first outfield player to start a game for England while playing for a club from outside of the UK since David Beckham (LA Galaxy) against Netherlands in August 2009

• Christian Pulisic and Sancho have combined to be a part of 41.3% of Borussia Dortmund’s goals across all competitions this season

• Callum Wilson is the first AFC Bournemouth player in history to start a match for England while representing the club

Updated

Gareth Southgate talks, and says the plan is for Wayne Rooney to play about half an hour off the bench. “We will look to give him 25-30 minutes,” Southgate says. “We’ve a few changes we want to make in the second half of the game, a few players who need minutes before Sunday. There’s a few objectives from the game.” And has the Rooney factor helped in the buildup to kick-off? “We’ve had a nice moment back at the team hotel, where he has presented them [debutants] with their shirts and spoken to them about his memories and what it’s meant to play for England. I think that’s already had a compelling effect on them. It’s been great having him this week to pass on those bits of gold dust really.”

As for the likes of Callum Wilson, Lewis Dunk and Jadon Sancho, he adds: “We’ve a good opportunity to look at some players we have not had the chance to work with before, three debutants making their full debuts. It’s exciting, we want to see how they cope against an equally young and energetic team.”

Updated

Team news!

England: Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Keane, Dunk, Chilwell; Delph, Winks, Alli; Lingard, Wilson, Sancho

Subs: Rooney, Kane, Butland, Walker, Henderson, Sterling, Barkley, Rashford, Stones, McCarthy, Dier, Loftus-Cheek

USA: Guzan; Yedlin, Miazga, Brooks, Villafara; Trapp, McKennie; Weah, Green, Pulisic; Wood

Subs: Horvath, Carter-Vickers, Adams, Delgado, Lletget, Saief, Moore, Acosta, Cannon

Referee: Jesus Gil Manzano (Spain)

Updated

The man himself, Wayne Rooney has been speaking pre-match. “I’m excited,” he says. “I think it will be a little strange, playing my last game. I’m sure there will be a few nerves before I go on the pitch, and emotional as well. It’s a moment I’ve done many times, but to know this is the last one and with my family here to be a part of it all, it’s a special moment.” And, what if he scores, has he got a ready-made celebration to mark the occasion? “No, it will be the same as what I always do. You never know, sometimes emotions take over. If I could nick a goal, it would be great. But I’m just looking forward to getting on the pitch one last time.”

Wayne Rooney, Kyle Walker and teammates on the pitch before the match.
Wayne Rooney, Kyle Walker and teammates on the pitch before the match. Photograph: Toby Melville/Reuters

Updated

Preamble

This is it then, the last goodbye, the final farewell. One last swan song and what better way to be remembered, eh? And at least he will go out with a bang. But in excess of five million big ones ... for Richard Scudamore? You could boil water with a look. Could they not just give Scudamore a five-minute cameo tonight? That golden handshake all makes Wayne Rooney’s sudden last hurrah all the more understandable, with the former England captain set to don the armband in the approx. 68th minute for one last runout under the Wembley arch, 734 days on from his last cap. Not everyone is sold on Rooney bowing out part II, with Peter Shilton, England’s record appearance-maker, arguing caps should not be dished out “like gifts”. Still, England’s all-time leading goalscorer will walk out to a guard of honour before winning his 120th cap for his country. Will he add to those 53 goals? Just imagine. “It’ll be a huge night for Wayne, and we want to make it special for him,” Gareth Southgate, the England manager, said at his pre-match press conference. “We think it’s important to honour him for the achievements. It’s been disappointing to see him having to defend his inclusion. But we value what he’s done. We value what he’s given.”

Away from Roo, as he was so fondly referred to in some quarters, there is a game of football. The Brighton defender Lewis Dunk and the Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson are set to make their debuts, while Alex McCarthy, the Southampton goalkeeper, could also feature; a bit of a south-coast love-in, if you will. Up front, Borussia Dortmund teenager Jadon Sancho is expected to get the nod from the start. “As a youngster, playing around with your friends, you’d always re-enact playing at Wembley, things like that,” Wilson said. “It’d be one versus one, where you’d try and score to get through to the next round. Even then I was hoping that, one day, it would happen for real.”

Kick-off: 8pm (GMT)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.