Gareth Southgate makes plea to England fans after USA draw
By Tom Gott
England manager Gareth Southgate has urged fans to remain calm following their frustrating draw with the USA on Friday.
The Three Lions had high spirits heading into the game after thumping Iran 6-2 but, with an unchanged lineup, they were flat against the USA and can consider themselves fortunate to have come away from the match with a 0-0 draw.
Fans in the stadium could be heard booing England as they left the field, but Southgate was keen to remind supporters that his team remain in control of their own destiny as they prepare for a final day showdown with Wales.
“We have to stay calm in these moments,” Southgate said.
“I’m sure there’ll be a lot of noise. This is the tournament of external noise. We’ve added another layer to that, I’m sure. But we’re on track, we can still win the group, that’s got to be our target.”
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He continued: “Of course I want our fans to go home happy and our fans at home to have a smile on their faces, and we haven’t quite managed to achieve that. But people are going to react how they react and I can’t let that affect how I feel about the team.
“We’re in a good position, we’ve got a bit to do to quality but we’ve also got an opportunity to win the group.
“The players were very down and disappointed but I told them that isn’t how it’s going to be for the next three days. They showed another side to what they’re about and it’s going to be important moving forward.”
England remain top of Group B with four points from two games and will qualify in first place with a victory over Wales on Tuesday.