Christian Pulisic and Tyler Adams believe the United States have every chance of beating England, with their confidence having not taken a hit in Monday's draw with Wales.
Pulisic supplied the assist for Timothy Weah's deserved opener at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium but the USA were unable to hold on in their opening World Cup game.
Walker Zimmerman's clumsy tackle on Gareth Bale handed Wales' talisman a chance he duly took, lashing home from 12 yards to send the large Welsh contingent behind the goal into raptures.
While Wales were able to celebrate snatching a point from what was their first World Cup game since 1958, the USA were left to lament not making the most of a bright first half.
The USA's expected goals (xG) of 0.66 far exceeded Wales' 0.17 in the first half, albeit they only had three attempts, despite having 66.7 per cent possession.
Pulisic, however, is confident that the USA can match England, who beat Iran 6-2 earlier on Monday, in their next Group B game on Friday.
"Absolutely. I think we have a good enough team to make it out of this group," he told reporters.
"England is our next test, we've got to be aggressive and go to win the game."
It was a sentiment echoed by captain Adams, who said: "Yeah, I think we match up well against them.
"Football is a game of inches, it comes down to mistakes or minimal details. We're obviously going to try and execute our game plan.
"We trust in the coach's ability to set us up well, but they're very flexible as well. At the end of the day it comes down to certain moments."
Head coach Gregg Berhalter fielded the USA's youngest team in a World Cup match since 1990, and Pulisic acknowledged there were nerves among the squad, with the nation having failed to qualify for the 2018 tournament in Russia.
"The nerves were there, we were all excited, but now we have to take this experience into the next one," Pulisic said.
"There's a lot of positives from the game in general. The team looks good. Now we have to figure out how to put that together for 90 minutes.
"A point in the first game is better than none. We have to move on, learn from this, it's a lot from our first game.
"I want to win. I'm very competitive. I love this team so much, I'm honoured to play in a World Cup for my country so the least I can do is give it all that I have."
Ukraine appoint former Tottenham and West Ham striker Serhiy Rebrov as new boss
Serhiy Rebrov, the former Tottenham and West Ham striker, has been appointed as head coach of Ukraine.
The 49-year-old has enjoyed a varied managerial career, with spells in charge of Dinamo Kyiv, Al-Ahli, Ferencvaros and most recently Al-Ain.
Former Ukraine striker Rebrov, who won 75 caps as a player, has now taken the reins of his national team on a deal until 2026.
Ukrainian Football Association chief Andriy Pavelko said: “This is a long-awaited event. A new stage in the history of Ukrainian football.
“A special moment, since the new page will be written during martial law, in a special period for our country.”
Rebrov takes charge of a Ukraine side looking to kickstart their Euro 2024 qualification hopes having lost their opener against England in March.
Harry Kane and Bukayo Saka scored in a 2-0 win at Wembley, where the visitors were managed by interim boss Ruslan Rotan.
Rebrov’s first game will be at North Macedonia next Friday, before playing Malta three days later – a match that will be hosted in Trnava, Slovakia due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Pavelko added: “We will expect from our national team, a game that will please Ukrainian fans.”
Steve Cotterill leaves role as Shrewsbury manager
Steve Cotterill has left his role as manager of Shrewsbury.
The 58-year-old had already said his position at the club was uncertain and the Shrews have now confirmed his departure.
A statement read: “The club would like to place on record their thanks to Steve for all his hard work and commitment during the last two and a half years, taking us from a relegation place in League One to 12th in the table and also for working from his hospital bed during the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Cotterill guided the club to 12th in League One last season and spent 49 days at the Bristol Royal Infirmary after contracting Covid and developing pneumonia in 2021.
Cotterill, who joined the club in November 2020, released a statement though the League Managers’ Association.
“I’m proud of the work that has been done by everyone in the past two and a half years at the club,” he said. “From fighting relegation to a top-half finish. I am confident this team will continue its progression next season.
“Working through Covid was tough and I have to thank my incredible staff for their help throughout.
“I would also like to thank the players. It is a fantastic group that gave me absolutely everything, right up to the last game of the season. The relationship I had with them was very special.”
Scottish Gas agrees five-year deal to sponsor Scottish Cup
Scottish Gas has filled the void for Scottish Cup sponsorship in a deal understood to be worth about £5million a year.
A five-year contract has been agreed with the Scottish Football Association which will see the energy firm become the title sponsor of both the men’s and women’s competitions. The deal will also provide a major boost to grassroots football projects.
The deal was announced just before the SFA annual general meeting, which saw Alloa owner Mike Mulraney confirmed as president following the end of Rod Petrie’s four-year term. Hamilton’s Les Gray replaces Mulraney as vice-president.
Scottish Gas will become the first title sponsor of the Scottish Cup since William Hill’s nine-year partnership ended in 2020.
The men’s competition will be known as the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup from next season, its 150th anniversary, and the funding will also benefit the Scottish Gas Women’s Scottish Cup, the final of which was staged at Hampden this year for the first time.
The deal will help fund 120 new week-long holiday camps which will provide 6,000 opportunities for children to play football and receive free lunches.
The investment will also help Scottish Para-Football’s disability community initiatives by working with six clubs each year to set up the required infrastructure and playing conditions.
Scottish Gas will also work with the SFA to explore ways of making Hampden more sustainable and design a programme for clubs to help “reduce their carbon footprint and create more sustainable communities”.
SFA chief executive Ian Maxwell said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Scottish Gas on board as a committed multi-level partner and supporter of the Power of Football.
“As part of our 150th anniversary celebrations, they will help us activate the oldest and youngest cup trophies in world football, bringing new and existing fans on that famous road to Hampden.
“Through this agreement, Scottish Gas will also help reinforce the impact our national game has at grassroots level, especially among those whose need is greatest. We look forward to bringing the partnership to life and highlighting the ways in which, together, we can inspire the nation and transform lives.”
Chris O’Shea, chief executive of Centrica, the owner of Scottish Gas said: “We’re delighted to be investing in our customers’ communities and I’m particularly excited about the work we will be doing to support holiday camps, Para-Football and the women’s game across Scotland.”
Mulraney welcomed the deal and promised “100 per cent commitment and focus” on his new role.
“The Scottish FA is committed to inspiring the nation and transforming lives,” the Alloa chairman added.
“We made an impassioned plea at Holyrood only last week urging government and politicians to see us as allies in improving the health and wellbeing of the country and that is something I am determined to facilitate in a practical sense.
“The national association is primarily responsible for the development of the game, the grassroots and it is imperative we work with governments both national and local, philanthropists, commercial and charitable partners, to improve the fundamental infrastructure of our game – facilities.
“We have already agreed a £20m fund with the Department of Culture, Media and Sport and need more investment.
“We need to retain and upgrade the pitches we currently have, attain new funding for new facilities, especially to meet the growth of girls’ and women’s football, and ensure we contribute to sustainable clubs and communities, both from a financial and an environmental perspective.
“This will be a key priority for me as president and I look forward to working with partners to improve our infrastructure.”
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