US gains confidence in tie with England

AL KHOR, Qatar — Soccer isn’t always about winning and losing. Sometimes it’s about how you play the game.

Take Friday’s World Cup match between the United States and England, the No. 5 team in the world. Not so long ago, that would have been one the U.S. had all but conceded before kickoff.

Not anymore. On this night, in a game that ended in a scoreless tie, it was the Americans who were in control. They outfought the

English and outshot them, outhustled and outmuscled them.

That used to happen the other way around.

And though the U.S. lacked the exclamation point of a goal, the draw earned it something just as important as a win. It earned the Americans the confidence to know they have a place in the conversation when the best

Clive Mason / Getty Images Tyler Adams of United States controls the ball under pressure of Harry Kane of England during their match on Friday.