LONDON, ENGLAND - The US suffered its first European defeat of 2008 record as goals from John Terry and Steven Gerrard handed England a comfortable 2-0 win at Wembley.

The Chelsea captain wiped away his Champions League tears by powering a header past Tim Howard in the 39th minute, while Liverpool's talisman Gerrard added a second on the hour as England sailed away from the American challenge.

Eddie Johnson fired a shot just wide of the England goal seconds after halftime, but otherwise the States created little of note and played second fiddle to an impressive England eleven.

Ironically, it was an MLS player who proved the thorn in the US side. David Beckham, having bowed to the 71,222 fans' applause before the game for having reached 100 caps, then grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck for the first 45 minutes.

The Galaxy man supplied the pinpoint assist for Terry to score, fired in several dangerous free kicks and harassed the US backline, in the process eclipsing the much-heralded challenge of his young pretender, David Bentley.

For the first half hour, Bob Bradley's men were still an improvement on their last Wembley visit in 1994, but in the end, England won by the same score as before and the US left with heads bowed after posing little threat.

Bradley had chosen nine European-based players in a strong-looking starting eleven, although Jay DeMerit and Landon Donovan had joined Jonathan Spector on the sidelines, having failed late fitness tests (DeMerit with a knock, Donovan with a groin strain).

The US began smoothly enough as the early duels unfolded. The central defenders had their hands full with England's high-tempo game in the final third, but Oguchi Onyewu held Jermain Defoe at bay and Carlos Bocanegra started to shadow Wayne Rooney effectively.

In midfield, Michael Bradley found a world-class midfield up against him and did himself no favors with a clumsy tackle on Beckham in the ninth minute. A similar misjudgment by Ricardo Clark floored Steven Gerrard two minutes later, handing England their first set piece in Beckham territory.

Gerrard netted from the free kick to a thunderous roar, but the referee ordered the kick to be retaken as he had not given his signal to restart.

Around the quarter hour mark, England began to look more menacing. Owen Hargreaves' scurrying around in the middle was paying dividends as he launched Gerrard and Rooney on a number of forays.

Fabio Capello suddenly appeared like a monument in the technical area, surveying his troops and scenting a big win. Before long, Bradley had joined him, concerned the game was about to turn.

In the 23rd, momentary panic ensued when Heath Pearce, who otherwise had a good night, slipped on the greasy surface, allowing Rooney to speed past him and whip in a cross. Gerrard gathered, turned and pulled the trigger, but Steve Cherundolo had closed him down in the meantime and blocked his shot.

A minute later England threatened again when Beckham's clever grasscutting set piece found the Liverpool skipper at the far post. This time Clark headed clear of danger.

It was not before the 26th minute that the US created something of note in attack. DaMarcus Beasley's diagonal serve found Johnson's head, but Wes Brown was quick to head clear of the lurking Michael Bradley at the far post.

Moments later, Fulham teammates Clint Dempsey and Johnson combined with a wall-pass but the latter's shot was too weak to trouble a well-placed David James.

The first 'USA!' chants echoed out after that play, but it was England who still looked the more likely to score.

Eleven minutes before the break, Rooney sent Gerrard steaming down the right wing and he sent over a powerful cross towards the onrushing Defoe. Pearce hustled him all the way and the Portsmouth's striker could only touch Gerrard's fast ball a yard wide of the post.

In the 38th, England snatched the lead with a rapier strike. Beckham rifled in a free kick from deep on the right and Terry, free of his markers, sent his flicked header flying past a fully-stretched Tim Howard into the far corner of the net.

The home team certainly had the wind in their sails for the remainder of the first half as the US struggled to compete.

Onyewu hauled down Defoe in Beckham territory two minutes after the goal, while Defoe and Hargreaves both tried their luck from 25 yards.

Defoe seemed particularly desperate to impress and atone for his earlier miss, then Cherundolo saw yellow in the 44th for manhandling the tigerish England striker to the ground.

The US was glad to hear the whistle, but were hard done by when Rooney lunged two-footed from behind on Clark during stoppage time, his dreadful tackle only punished by the awarding of a free kick.

The second half had barely begun when the States forged their best chance of the 90.

With the stadium announcer still going through the substitutions, Pearce surged down the left flank and hit an expert cross behind the England defense to Johnson, 10 yards from goal.

The Floridian leant his tall frame back and flashed a snap shot a yard wide of the post of James, who had stayed rooted to the spot.

Brad Guzan, on for Howard, looked comfortable right away with a pair of saves from Defoe in the 51st and 52nd.

Pearce took aim from outside the box moments later, his optimistic shot deflected away for a corner in front of the US travelling support.

After 56 minutres, Capello sent on Gareth Barry in place of the quiet Frank Lampard, and within two minutes, the ASton Villa man had assisted on a goal.

Gerrard, attacking more centrally than in his first half role on the left, found space to run in between Onyewu and Pearce, breaking their offside trap and side-foot past a helpless Guzan to make it 2-0.

The States conjured a mini-revival in the 66th minute when Dempsey ghosted past Gerrard and supplied Bradley, whose lance into the area was met by Wolff with a diving header a couple of yards off-target.

Freddy Adu and Eddie Lewis came on in the 68th to add some attacking zest, but it was the Three Lions who still posed more of a threat.

Bocanegra was the star a minute later in intercepting a Gerrard pass to Rooney, before Pearce joined Cherundolo in the referee's book.

England stepped off the gas and moved into cruise control, a sentiment picked up by the crowd who busied themselves with a series of waves 20 minutes from time instead of following the match.

James was engaged punching away a Lewis cross aimed at Bocanegra in the 81st, and Adu had a good chance to score two minutes from time when Bradley released him on the right, but James was down fast to smother the 18-year old's effort.

The US legs looked tired in the closing stages, outgunned by a more voracious midfield. When Bradley misplaced a pass to Bentley in the box in stoppage time and conceded a corner, the American challenge was over.

The Nats regroup to play Spain in Santander on Wednesday.

Scoring
ENG - John Terry (David Beckham) 38'
ENG - Steven Gerrard (Gareth Barry) 59'

Line-ups
ENG - David James; Wes Brown, Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Ashley Cole (Wayne Bridge 81') David Beckham (David Bentley 46'), Owen Hargreaves, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard (Gareth Barry 57'), Wayne Rooney (Joe Cole 79'), Jermain Defoe (Peter Crouch 68')

USA - Tim Howard (Brad Guzan 46'); Steve Cherundolo (Frankie Hejduk 46'), Heath Pearce, Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Ricardo Clark (Maurice Edu 78'), Michael Bradley, DaMarcus Beasley (Eddie Lewis 68'), Clint Dempsey, Josh Wolff (Freddy Adu 68'), Eddie Johnson (Nate Jaqua 89')