U.S. Men’s Soccer Gets One Point in Draw With England
Clint Dempsey celebrates his goal against England by pointing upward in remembrance of his late sister Jenifer. Dempsey's goal puts him in the record book along side Brian Mc Bride as being the only two players for the US who have scored goals in two different World Cups.
In a game that many perceived to be the most anticipated in U.S. Men’s National Team history, the matchup with England did little to disappoint. After conceding an early goal, the Americans composed themselves and played the type of game that was needed in order to compete with the number three ranked team in the world according to the Soccer Power Index. (England is currently ranked fifth by FIFA.) In the first World Cup meeting between the two teams since the 1950 shocker that saw the U.S. win 1-0, the Americans played the Three Lions to a 1-1 draw. Although it wasn’t to the level of that fateful game 60 years ago, the draw was considered by most to be a bit of an upset for the U.S. and quite disappointing for England.
The game began poorly for the U.S. when Steven Gerrard got behind Ricardo Clark to receive a pass and calmly slot it past a helpless Tim Howard. The goal continued the history of Americans conceding an early goal in World Cup games. However, in this game, the U.S. chose not to collapse, and instead got back to work doing the job they set out to do in South Africa. The U.S. began to possess well and pressure effectively against a team who struggled to get their star player involved. Wayne Rooney did not touch the ball for the first 17 minutes and didn’t get a touch in the box until the 70th minute. It was speculated that the U.S. may employ tactics to rile up the emotional Rooney, however, they simply chose to stifle him with great marking and skilled defense. Rooney was rarely in a position to be able to take a player on in a 1 v 1 situation and was clearly frustrated as the game wore on.
Later in the half, Altidore barely missed heading home a ball that was superbly swung in by Landon Donovan, which would have knotted the score. The tie would eventually come in the 40th minute when Dempsey found himself clear to attempt a 25 yard shot which he drove low and hard towards the net for what should have been a routine save for goaltender Robert Green. Instead, Green continued England’s history of poor goalkeeping by fumbling the shot and allowing it to slowly roll into the net behind him as he desperately reached back for the ball.
With the game tied 1-1 entering the second half, it was time for goalkeeper Tim Howard to show why he is regarded as one of the top keepers in the world. Having injured his ribs in the first half while doing a fantastic job breaking up a dangerous cross, Howard received an injection at half time and came back out to ensure the eventual tie. In the 52nd minute, he absolutely smothered an 18-yard rip by England’s Heskey. Howard was again tested in the 63rd minute when he was forced to parry a left-footed shot from Lampard.
The U.S. was not without its chances in the second half. In the 65th minute, Altidore was able to square his hips behind England’s defense for a 10-yard shot which Green got a hand on to deflect off the post. Outside of the goals, it was probably the closest that either team came to scoring and would have given the U.S. a 2-1 lead.
The last 20 minutes of the game saw the U.S. team playing 10 players behind the ball on virtually every England possession. It was a tactic that showed Bradley would be playing for the tie at this point. Although the U.S. needed a little luck to gain the tie, they definitely showed that they are capable of playing with the best teams in the world. Overall, it was a very evenly matched game, and the U.S. definitely earned their well deserved point in the bracket.
Next up for the U.S. is Slovenia who succeeded in getting three points against Algeria. The game is scheduled to kick off this Friday, June 18 9:00am.
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