Slovenia 2 - 2 United States
England 0 - 0 Algeria
An incredible match. USA, guided by the mighty Landon Donovan, brought fans to their feet, as they turned a runaway train headed off a cliff, back on track. That said, let the rants against poor officiating begin. Referee Coulibaly Koman from Mali interfered at pivotal moments to make bogus calls. He undeniably deprived the US its rightful victory.
The first half of the game entailed a disastrous mix of failings and misfortune for the US. Specifically, squandered opportunities, baffling officiating, a wide-open defense and some weak moments from Tim Howard.
A yellow card allowed Francisco Torres a corner kick which he delivered superbly, followed soon after by an amazing headbutt by DeMerit. Unfortunately, both were blocked by Slovenian goalie Samir Handanovic.
Robbie Findley had a perfect opportunity to strike in the 38th minute but threw it away, passing it to Jozy Altidore instead, who had no chance of following through. I think Findley needs more confidence, he's got speed and maneuverability, but he appears to shy away from taking direct shots.
Bradley came very close to scoring until the ref interrupted play for a completely unfounded yellow card to Findley for a handball that didn't take place. Replays clearly showed Findley getting hit in the face by the ball, his hands nowhere to be seen. At a the NYC bar where I watched, the anger and disbelief amongst US fans was unanimous. To quote a fan who verbalized it to the TV screen, "You REALLY need to suck it!!" Adding injury to insult, was a second goal by Ljubijankic in the 41st minute.
Onto the second half. Sometimes praying for the best but preparing for the worst really pays off. It certainly did in today's game, fraudulent referee notwithstanding. From Donovan's shot in the 47th minute to Bradley in the 81st AND Edu in the 4th minute of stoppage time, the way the team dug themselves out of a hole was inspiring. And that is soccer at its best.
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