Ivan Toney scored a hat-trick as England thrashed an amateur side 6-0 in a behind-closed-doors training match, their final tune-up before the World Cup opener against Croatia. The Brentford striker, a surprise inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s 26-man squad, produced a timely reminder of his quality with a treble that included a spectacular long-range effort, according to details of the exercise released by the Football Association.
The match took place on Thursday at Palm Beach Gardens in Florida, with England facing Miami United FC — a fourth-tier amateur outfit who are the oldest football club in the city. The opponent, coached by former Haiti Under-20 manager Claudio Frean, play in the United Premier Soccer League and were founded in late 2012. Their past signings include former Brazil international Adriano and Honduran star Julio César de León, though England’s preparations were the priority.
Tuchel had made clear the match would not be a standard 90-minute contest. “It will be a match according to our rules,” he said. “It will not be 90 minutes, maybe 60 minutes, maybe 2 x 30 or 2 x 25. It is to get some minutes into the legs of players who didn’t get minutes against Costa Rica.” The game was played at reduced intensity and was structured around shorter periods to allow the coaching staff to fine-tune specific combinations and run through set-piece routines.
Alongside Toney’s hat-trick, the other goals came from highly-rated Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha, Arsenal teenager Ethan Nwaneri and former captain Jordan Henderson. Ngumoha’s goal was a curling effort from distance, described as breathtaking, and continued a remarkable camp for the 17-year-old. He had made his senior debut for England against New Zealand on June 6, becoming the fifth youngest debutant in the nation’s history and the 1,300th senior international. He was named Player of the Match in that game, sparking debate about his omission from the final World Cup squad — though he is ineligible as an injury replacement because he was not included in the initial 55-man squad. Nwaneri, who has previously scored for England Under-21s, also found the net. Marc Guehi and Kobbie Mainoo were among other players who caught the eye.
The training match was designed to give minutes to those who had featured little in the previous friendly against Costa Rica. Key attacking players Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham were rested, having played in that 3-0 win. Several young players who have been training with the squad but are not part of the official World Cup party — including Ngumoha, Nwaneri, Alex Scott and Josh King — also participated. They are expected to leave the camp before the squad moves to their tournament base in Kansas City.
Warm-up form and team health
England have now played three warm-up fixtures on American soil. The campaign began with a laboured 1-0 victory over New Zealand, with Kane scoring the only goal. That was followed by a much-improved 3-0 win over Costa Rica, where Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins were on target. The training match against Miami United served as a controlled environment to sharpen patterns of play ahead of the Croatia game on June 17.
Tuchel has also expressed concern about the fitness of Bukayo Saka, noting the Arsenal winger has been carrying an injury since March and requires careful management. However, no injuries were reported from the training match itself, meaning England will face their Group opener with a clean bill of health. The squad has been based in West Palm Beach, enduring high heat and humidity that has seen some training sessions delayed by thunderstorms — conditions Tuchel has used as an opportunity to prepare the squad for potential adverse weather during the tournament.
Ivan Toney, now of Saudi Pro League club Al-Ahli, will hope his hat-trick performance has cemented his place in Tuchel’s plans. Players were given time off after the match before the final leg of their preparations in Kansas City.
