- Welcome to Football America. That heart in your chest, edge of your seat back's to the wall, immense pride for your team and the bliss at watching a pure sport thing you felt for 90 minutes.... I've been feeling it for 24 years. It's the greatest sport in the world. You guys were just late to the party.
- I'm not panicking.... yet. The old addage that starting a tournament slowly isn't bad is there for a reason. Remember we drew with the Swiss in '96 and Italy also drew 1-1 with USA 4 years ago before they went on to win the whole thing. the second half saw Rooney and Lampard grow in confidence, their performance wasn't great but perhaps this is a sign of better things to come.
- 6 years on and Lampard and Gerrard still don't function as a midfield unit. Gareth Barry's return to fitness can't come soon enough. His discipline, left foot and natural inclination to sit back might just free up our midfield and let them dominate.
- Wright-Phillips did nothing more or less Walcott would or wouldn't have done. His inclusion in the 23 man squad shouldn't have prompted the media outcry it did. Capello's decision not to introduce Joe Cole was a much bigger (and in my opinion incorrect) call than omitting Walcott. Cole has the ability to think outside the box, and in a game against a decent defensive outfit such as USA he would have had more impact.
- Emile Ivanhoe Heskey. Some will say Defoe would have burried that one on one, others will say Defoe wouldn't have set Gerrard up for the goal. He will continue to divide opinion. For me this is an England side that lacks the technical prowess of Spain and Brazil so the inclusion of a big lump is vital in order to play a more basic game. That's how England play best and Heskey is the best man for that job.
- USA were very good defensively and in the middle of the park. Their real test comes on Friday when they have to go out and win a game against Slovenia. Donovan and Dempsey are definite weapons but they were a little blunt today, they have the ability to qualify from this group now, they just need to show more ambition going forward.
- We knock him when he's down but let's praise him when he's good, John Terry was superb for England. I hardly noticed him, the hallmarks of a good game for a centre back.
- When it came down to it the difference was the Goalkeepers. Tim Howard is world class, Robert Green is not. Fumble aside, I never felt confident in Green on the flipside I never expected Tim Howard to drop a clanger.
- From what I've seen so far England are rightly classed in a group of maybe's alongside France, Argentina and Germany. Teams that might explode into life, but in reality will stumble through to the Quarters and drop out. This is nothing to be ashamed of, we just don't have a generation of players as talented as Spain and Brazil.
- Glen Johnson's ability to attack is perceived by many to be a weakness, today he showed that actually his natural inclination to bomb forward will probably cause opponents more damage than it will England.
- Pray for Ledley. If Carragher is our number 3 centre back then we are in trouble because whilst he is decent enough he has the turning circle of a cruise ship and the pace of steamroller.
- Steven Gerrard actually played like a captain for a large portion of the game. Let's hope Fabio can extract the best of him and keep his form and goalscoring going.
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