Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon started behind Harry Kane in England's World Cup opener against Croatia, with Thomas Tuchel leaving Bukayo Saka and Marc Guéhi on the bench in Dallas.
Tuchel's selection dilemmas always looked to be in attacking midfield and central defence, with Saka's fitness a particular talking point heading into the crunch Group L clash.
The German coach opted for caution, resting the Arsenal winger and selecting club teammate Madueke. Bellingham, despite speculation about Morgan Rogers starting, was also picked, while Gordon was in ahead of Marcus Rashford on the left.
The slight surprise came at the back, with Ezri Konsa and John Stones selected ahead of Manchester City mainstay Guéhi -- although Tuchel did hint at that choice after starting the pair in the final warmup against Costa Rica.
It was an unchanged team from that match in Orlando, where Bellingham impressed.
Harry Kane captained the side as he joins David Beckham at third in the all-time list of England appearances with 115 caps and the striker sits two goals shy of Gary Lineker's record of 10 World Cup goals.
- England at the 2026 World Cup: Schedule, results, how to watch
Reece James and Nico O'Reilly were in the full-back positions, with Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson continuing their flourishing partnership in midfield.
Luka Modric plays at his fifth World Cup as he captains Croatia, who beat England in the semifinals in the 2018 edition.
Former Tottenham defender Ivan Perisic, 37, and Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol also start.
Information from PA was used in this report.