Berhalter sings praises Of Southgate and admits England are ‘formidable’

USA boss Gregg Berhalter called England a "formidable opponent" and praised Gareth Southgate to the hilt.

An impressive 6-2 victory against Iran in Monday's Group B opener means Southgate's men will seal progress to the last 16 with a match to spare if they beat the US in Al Khor today.

The States head into tonight's Al Bayt Stadium encounter looking to build on their 1-1 draw with Wales

but Berhalter is wary of the threat posed by England, who he called a "scary" prospect in the build-up.

The US boss has praised Southgate for making the England shirt "a cape rather than a straitjacket" since taking over at a low ebb in 2016, before leading them to the

World Cup semi-finals and last year's Euros final.

"I think when he first took over it was very similar to the position that I first took over," said Berhalter, who was appointed in late 2018 as the US rebuilt after failing to reach that year's World Cup.

"Trying to reshape the identity of the team, refocus, working with a younger group of players.

"I think he's done a great job. I've been saying for the last year-and-a-half that his record at major tournaments has been outstanding and there's no denying that - fourth place finish in 2018, second place finish at the Euros. He's done a great job with his team. They got off to a great start and they're a formidable opponent. It's going to be a difficult game for us."

The US haven’t lost to England at a World Cup, including a famous 1-0 win in 1950 and a 1-1 draw 60 years later.