England secured a second successive victory, thrashing Sporting KC 5-1 in a behind-closed-doors fixture on Thursday. The Three Lions wasted no time resting on their laurels following their win over Croatia less than 24 hours earlier.
Opportunity for fringe players
The match provided a golden opportunity for those who missed out on England's 4-2 triumph to stake their claim ahead of Tuesday's clash with Ghana. Striker Ivan Toney made the most of his time on the pitch by bagging a hat-trick, while Aston Villa duo Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins also found the net.
Remarkably, it is the second consecutive behind-closed-doors match in which Toney has helped himself to a hat-trick, having previously done so when England beat Miami FC ahead of the World Cup.
Players involved
Alongside Rogers, Marc Guehi was another player to have featured against Croatia before being involved in the training-ground fixture. The Manchester City defender came on as a substitute for John Stones three minutes from time. Eberechi Eze and Dan Burn were among the other players reported to have taken part on Thursday, with Jarell Quansah, Kobbie Mainoo and Jordan Henderson also pictured in the group.
Tuchel boost
The outcome will hand Thomas Tuchel a further lift as the German coach was able to welcome another addition to his squad. Tuchel, who threw a ceremonial first pitch at the Kansas City Royals game on Thursday, saw Trevoh Chalobah link up with the group to bolster his options.
The Chelsea defender received the call following an injury to Newcastle full-back Tino Livramento. The former Southampton star's World Cup hopes were dashed after sustaining a problem during training.
Chalobah call-up
Chalobah comes in as a central defender capable of operating on the right, rather than as a like-for-like replacement for Livramento. That choice sparked surprise in certain quarters. Former England striker Wayne Rooney anticipated Luke Shaw would be brought in to bolster the options out wide.
"It's a bit strange," Rooney said. "I would have liked to have seen Luke Shaw. And then Djed Spence maybe being cover for Reece James and Luke Shaw come in. But I'm sure Thomas Tuchel has kept contact with players to stay available and I'm sure he [Chalobah] was one of those who was available."
