How England's Lionesses closed the gap on the all-conquering USA

The world champions are in town on Friday night. England are the bookies' favourites for the friendly. The current generation of Lionesses have no reason to fear facing the USA. They are European champions and backed by a sold-out Wembley crowd. Head coach Sarina Wiegman wants to see how they fare ahead of the World Cup. Beth Mead was named as England's player of year on Thursday. She believes the defeat to USA in the 2019 World cup semi-final made them hungry to prove themselves.

England's fortunes have improved since their loss in Lyon. Financial investment from the FA, sponsors, broadcasters and big clubs has transformed the English women's game. The launch of the Women's Super League in 2011 has enabled more and more English players to compete regularly against and alongside elite stars. England have also caught up in terms of fitness. Jill Ellis and Wiegman were the two leading candidates to replace Phil Neville as the next England coach.   The FA plumped for Wigman. They are preparing for the Euro 2020. She is a double World Cup winner. Her predecessor was Dawn Scott.

The USA and Europe are playing each other at Wembley on Friday. Tom Garry picks his hypothetical team from the USA vs. Europe match. England players are in the majority in his XI. Megan Rapinoe believes there is no gap between the top European and top American teams any more. She is excited about the game. The team is selected based on the principle that every player is fully fit. Alex Morgan, Sophia Smith, Trinity Rodman, Mary Earps and Alessia Russo are the England stars in Tom's team. Alyssa Naeher is the goalkeeper. Manchester City's Alex Greenwood and Chelsea's Crystal Dunn are at the back.