England’s World Cup prep just keeps getting more lopsided. A week after they rolled Miami FC 6-0 in a closed-door scrimmage, they put five past Sporting Kansas City in another friendly. This time it was 5-1, but honestly the scoreline flattered Kansas City a little bit.
Thomas Tuchel used the match to give run to guys who didn’t see major minutes in the 4-2 group stage win over Croatia. Marc Guehi got some work in. Morgan Rogers and Djed Spence logged time too. And Ivan Toney? He just keeps forcing the conversation.
Toney scored another hat trick. That makes two in two warm-up games against American opposition, pushing his unofficial tally to 11 goals across those matches. The guy is making it impossible for Tuchel to keep him on the bench forever.
How the Game Worked
The match wasn’t a full 90. They split it into two 25-minute halves, which is standard for these behind-closed-doors training games during a tournament. Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers also scored for England. Watkins’ movement off the ball was sharp as ever, and Rogers looked comfortable pressing and finishing in tight spaces.
Kansas City did get a goal back at some point. Nobody is really counting it as a statement result for MLS. These are tune-up games. But the way England’s second-string guys are performing has to be reassuring for the coaching staff.
One guy who didn’t play was Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah. He watched from the sideline as Tuchel rotated heavily after the intensity of the Croatia match. The squad has depth, and that’s becoming a real talking point as the group stage moves along.
What This Means for the Group Stage
England faces Ghana on June 23 and then closes group play against Panama four days later. The momentum is real right now. Tuchel’s guys are scoring for fun even when he swaps out half the lineup. The starting XI is settled more or less, but Toney, Watkins, and Rogers are all making cases that they deserve real minutes when things tighten up.
None of these scrimmage results count officially. But confidence is a weird thing in tournament soccer. Teams that feel like they can score from anywhere tend to play looser. England looks like that kind of team right now.
The real test comes against Ghana. If the backups keep producing like this, Tuchel might have a good problem on his hands: too many guys playing too well to leave out.
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