Young England Side Held to Draw in Miami

(thefa.com)

Miami FL - Roy Hodgson's young side was held to a 2-2 draw after a tough bout with Ecuador.  Despite taking a lead in the second half, the Three Lions were unable to pull off a win.

With their first test in a hot climate, Hodgson opted to start a very young side against an Ecuadorian side who is very accustomed to the warmer weather.  The youth of the side was very evident in the early minutes of the match.

An early goal by Ecuador in the 8th minute of the match showed some confusion by the English defense.

Hodgson opted to test midfielder James Milner at right fullback, which proved to be somewhat of a failed experiment. 

The defense also featured youngster Luke Shaw, 18.  The Left Back showed why he was selected for the squad due to his excellent performance.

England were able to bring the score level in the 29th minute with a strike from veteran forward, Wayne Rooney.

Shortly after halftime, Hodgson's side was able to take the lead after a very good strike from recent Liverpool signing, Rickie Lambert.

Though England gained the lead, the job was far from finished.  A persistent attack from Ecuador kept the Three Lions on their heels.

Ecuador finally equalized in the 70th minute with an upper 90 shot from 25 yards out by second half substitute, Michael Arroyo.

Shortly after the second goal was scored, the referee's role came into question.  Jair Marrufo, the Mexican-American referee, issued a double red card after an incident between England's Raheem Sterling, and Ecuador's Antonio Valencia.

The incident began after Sterling slid into Valencia, but escalated with Valencia pushing Sterling as he walked away.

The Major League Soccer ref sent off both players forcing both teams to finish the match with 10 men.

This decision was very questionable given that the match was a friendly.

With the match ultimately ending in a draw, both sides will take away different points from the match.  England will have a considerable amount of work to sort out in training, while Ecuador can take away that captain Antonio Valencia must keep his cool heading into the World Cup.