LIONS SHOW WIL POWER!
Callum leads charge as new boys take chance
IT WAS all about Wilson and Wayne at Wembley last night.
But their routes to the home of English football could have hardly been more different.
Rooney came through the ranks at Goodison Park and only ever played at the highest level, with Everton, Manchester United and England.
Except for his latest stint at DC United in the Major Soccer League of course – although at the grand old age of 33 you can excuse him that.
But much of the rest of Gareth Southgate’s team last night had to earn their place at English football’s summit the hard way.
A very hard way, in some cases.
The team picked by Southgate to face the USA last night in their warm-up match for Sunday’s crunch Nations League qualifier against Croatia featured no fewer than eight players who had made their names in the Championship.
Fought
And one or two of them have fought their way through from even further down the pyramid, even in non-league football.
Leading the England attack was Wilson, who was playing for Tamworth in the Conference six years ago and then fought his way back from two cruciate ligament operations.
Making his debut in defence was Lewis Dunk, Brighton born and bred and with six seasons in the Championship under his belt before the big time beckoned.
Keeper Jordan Pickford had loan spells in the Conference with Darlington and Alfreton. Sub keeper Alex McCarthy, who came on at half-time, donned the gloves at the likes of Woking, Cambridge and Team Bath on his journey.
Southgate has not been afraid, since he took over the England job, to look at players whose path to the top has been unconventional. In some ways he has been forced to, with his options in the Premier League reduced by the flood of foreign players into England’s top clubs.
It has been an option, though, that has worked for the England coach, with the sheer hunger of the players in his teams and their will to win, evident at the World Cup in the summer.
That hunger was clear again as Wilson made several dangerous runs, flicked a cross from
Jesse Lingard across the face of goal, and was denied a penalty when brought down by keeper
Brad Guzan.
The Bournemouth striker had waited a long time for this moment.
And he made the most of it in the 77th minute with a deserved goal, when Rooney found Fabian Delph and then the Bournemouth star got across his man to score off the post.
First-half strikes from Lingard and Trent Alexander-Arnold had earlier put England in command against a USA team rebuilding after failing to qualify for the summer’s World Cup.
And despite the Rooney-fest last night, it was the likes of Wilson, Dunk and Sancho that this match was about.
Last night was Wazza-mania. The future is all about the hungry ones.