Richardson Shines on England Debut

Manchester United winger Kieran Richardson grabbed his England opportunity with both hands, netting twice in his debut for an impressed Sven Goran Eriksson against the United States of America in Chicago.

The 20-year-old, who made his name on loan at West Bromwich Albion this season, was not included in the initial squad who tours the USA this summer and was a late replacement for Shaun Wright-Phillips and Stuart Downing.

However, Richardson, who is keen to establish himself as a Red Devil next season, struck twice in the first half to see off tough opposition from Bruce Arena's outfit.

Boss Sven Goran Eriksson hailed his young, inexperienced side for coming out on top in their first of two games in America. "All the young players showed they want to play football and they were hungry and they showed a lot of talent," he commented. "Coming to the United States with a young team and playing such good football and winning is absolutely fantastic for us and especially the players."

Richardson calmly executed a free-kick from the edge of the area just three minutes into his debut, a set piece that pleased the Swede. "We practiced that in training. It was fantastic and for a young player to score twice on his debut is fantastic and he played very well also."

Andy Johnson and Joe Cole combined to allow Richardson double his England tally and his side's advantage minutes before half-time. 

The USA could have equalised prior to Richardson's second through David James' misjudgment of Landon Donovan's free-kick. Clint Dempsey headed home a consolation in the second half.

United's Wes Brown, Alan Smith and Phil Neville all featured in the victory.

England now travel to New Jersey, where they face Columbia on Tuesday.

Final Score: USA 1 - 2 England
Att: 45,000

USA: Keller, Cherundolo, Gibbs, Pope (Bocanegra 73), Vanney, Ralston, Zavagnin, Dempsey (Simms 90), McBride (Casey 82), Donovan, Wolff.
Substitutes Not Used: Hahnemann, Berhalter, Spector, Convey.

England: James, Glen Johnson, Ashley Cole, Brown, Campbell (Knight 45), Joe Cole (Defoe 63), Carrick, Jenas, Richardson (Neville 59), Andrew Johnson (Young 76), Smith.
Substitutes Not Used: Green, Crouch, Carson. 

Refereed By: Benito Archundia Tellez (Mexico)

Venue: Soldier Field, Chicago