World Cup: USMNT Breaks 72-Year Drought With Shocking Draw vs. England

All teams have now played their openers for the World Cup as the Group Stage continues while teams try and get those coveted spots for the Round of 16. In one of the most anticipated matches, the United States faced England while Ecuador played powerhouse Netherlands. Meanwhile, host Qatar took on Senegal and Wales took on Iran.

Wales received the first red card of the tournament in their match with Iran. Wales was considered the favorites coming into the match, but after that red card, the Iranians managed to pull off a huge upset against the Welsh with a score of 2-0.

Meanwhile, Qatar managed to score a goal against reigning African champions, Senegal. However, Senegal got in three goals against the host nation and handily won 3-1, according to Fox Sports.

Americans Have Historic Draw Against England, But Iran Win Puts Them in Danger of Elimination

The Wales' loss has a huge implication for the Americans, following their scoreless draw against England. This means they are in a must-win situation against the surprising Iranian team in order to make it to the Round of 16.

The draw was a huge sigh of relief for the USMNT as it keeps their World Cup dreams alive, and a loss against England would have been a bigger hole for them to get out of.

The scoreless draw against the English was also the first time a European team was not able to score against the Americans since the 1950 World Cup when it scored that historic 1-0 upset over England, according to OptaJack.

As for England, the Three Lions had an underwhelming second half, and the English fans made sure that the team knew they were unhappy with their team's performance, as they rained in some pretty loud boos.

British commentators also criticized manager Gareth Southgate's substitutions as he did not send England's best against the Americans. English soccer legend and commentator Michael Owen even stated that he is astonished that the team "used 14 players so far yet our most talented player is still sat on the bench."

Many fans questioned why Phil Foden was kept on the bench for the entire game, as England needed a spark to their offense.

Ecuador Survives Mighty Netherlands

The Netherlands's Oranje came into the match as the favorites to win the entire group, with FC Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong leading the charge. However, the Ecuadorians, who were fresh off their dominant victory against host Qatar, managed to get a 1-1 tie against the Dutch.

According to The Athletic, the Oranje were poised to cruise to their second group-stage victory after Cody Gakpo managed to score a goal. However, Ecuador managed to keep their World Cup goals alive after Enner Valencia scored an important tying goal.

Ecuador is now also in a must-win situation as they face reigning African champions Senegal next if they want to advance to the Round of 16. However, they may have to do it without star Enner Valencia, who was stretchered off late in the match.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Netherlands BOTTLE LEAD! Netherlands 1-1 Ecuador FIFA World Cup Highlights - The Football Terrace