England Out-Friendlies the USA as Rooney Passes the Torch

It's not often you'll see a packed house at Wembley Stadium because of a substitute.

Even more rare, it happened at a friendly that's -- sorry, America -- not exactly a marquée matchup.

But this was Wayne Rooney's swan song for England, his 120th cap that was saluted with a rousing ovation.

Dude entered as a sub in the 58th minute. the original plan was for him to hit the pitch in the 53rd minute in honor of his 53 international goals.

 

Maybe Gareth Southgate thought Rooney was gonna score five goals on the night or someting.

Didn't happen.

The Three Lions sufficed with a 3-0 victory that saw the OG fire a couple of shots that basically confirmed he was making the right move by riding into the sunset.

 

With sentiment being served and setting aside the picking of nits, this match actually made for an entertaining evening.

Christian Pusilic was quality, showing why Chelsea and other clubs are talking about swiping him away from Dortmund.

A tribute to Rooney may be why fans attended or tuned in, but Bournemouth's Callum Wilson is who gave them their money's worth. Dude was everywhere, including on the scoreboard:

 

Wilson's scored seven goals in 13 games for the Cherries and has earned a reputation for being relentless. He definitely confirmed it and was finally rewarded with that debut goal.

So, while Rooney will now head back to the MLS and give DC United fans a reason to cheer, Southgate is being given an attractive option for future international selections.

Wilson clearly needs more finishing touch, but England's version of the Energizer Bunny sure looks like it's in there somewhere.