U.S. Exits 2010 FIFA World Cup with Defeat to Ghana

RUSTENBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - June 26, 2010 - The U.S. Men’s National Team fell 2-1 in extra time to an inspired Ghana team in their 2010 FIFA World Cup Round of 16 matchup in Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg, South Africa. The USA’s first loss of the tournament ends the team’s impressive World Cup run that saw them win their group over England, Slovenia and Algeria. 

Following a 1-1 draw in regulation, Ghana scored a brilliant game-winner in the third minute of extra time on a 15-yard blast from Asamoah Gyan, who expertly split the U.S. defense and fired his shot over goalkeeper Tim Howard. Gyan was sprung by a high, searching ball played by midfielder Andre Ayew from his own defensive half. 

The USA dominated play in the second half and tied the match on a penalty kick from Landon Donovan, set-up by one of the team’s many chances in front of the net in the final 45 minutes. On the goal, it was Donovan’s clever back heel touch from a hard pass in the midfield from Benny Feilhaber that enabled Clint Dempsey to skip the ball through the legs of Ghana’s captain John Mensah and into the area where he was taken down with a late challenge by Jonathan Mensah. 

On the ensuing penalty kick, Donovan calmly banked his shot off the right post as Ghanaian goalkeeper Richard Kingson dove the wrong way. With the goal, Donovan now stands atop the U.S. World Cup record book for matches played (12), goals scored (5) and consecutive games with a goal (3). 

Despite numerous opportunities, the U.S. could not get the second goal they needed in regulation play to avoid participating in their first ever World Cup overtime match. The two best chances for the U.S. to grab the late lead came in the 76th minute off the foot of Michael Bradley, who beat the Ghana offside trap and hit a turnaround left-footed shot in the penalty area that Kingson got low to save. Just four minutes later, Jozy Altidore battled through his defensive markers and, while falling to the turf in the same part of the penalty area as Bradley’s attempt, was able to lift a light shot past Kingson that bounced just outside the right post. 

The USA’s best chances to score in overtime, fittingly, came in the 120th minute of the game with Dempsey having a dangerous shot blocked from eight yards out by the scrambling Ghana defense. That attempt came after a cross from Steve Cherundolo was headed down dangerously by 91st minute substitute Herculez Gómez. Immediately following that attempt, Gómez hit a vicious shot from 20 yards that deflected dangerously close to the left post. On the ensuing corner, the U.S. pressure increased and Kingson was forced to make consecutive one-handed punch clearances in traffic, with the last gasp U.S. attempt coming on a looping 20-yard side volley from Jay DeMerit that went over the bar by just a few feet. 

As they did in two of their Group C matches, the U.S. fell behind early, with Ghana striking in just the fifth minute after a giveaway in the center circle by midfielder Ricardo Clark. With Ghana midfielder Kwando Asamoah nicking the ball away to Kevin Prince Boateng, it was immediately on for the Ghanaian midfielder who dribbled straight forward with pace against the surprised U.S. defense and was able to slot a perfectly placed shot into the lower left corner of the goal past Howard. 

The U.S. had an excellent chance to tie the match in the first half with Dempsey springing Robbie Findley free into the area for a one-on-one shot with the goalkeeper, but Kingson was up to the challenge, denying the U.S. forward with a kick save from 12 yards out. 

The U.S. finished their strong World Cup showing with a 1-1-2 record in four matches, scoring five times and allowing five goals. The World Cup appearance was the sixth consecutive for the Americans who have advanced to the knockout stages in three of those tournaments, including a run to the quarterfinals in 2002. 

Ghana will now face Uruguay in the 2010 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals on Friday, July 2, in Johannesburg.

Closer to the Prize

PRETORIA, SOUTH AFRICA - June 23, 2010 – In the most dramatic moment in U.S. Men’s National Team history, forward Landon Donovan scored a 91st minute goal to give the United States a 1-0 victory against Algeria to earn first place in Group C and a berth into the Round of 16 at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. will now play Ghana at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg on Saturday, June 26, at 2:30 p.m. ET live on ABC HD and Univision.

With the other Group C match seeing England defeat Slovenia 1-0, the Americans needed a winning goal or they would have been eliminated from the World Cup.

It was Donovan, the USA’s all-time leading scorer, who provided the dramatic goal with a clinical finish from seven yards out after a brilliant attack that pierced the Algerian team from goal line to goal line. After Tim Howard snared a looping header on his goal line, he immediately surged forward and hit a streaking Donovan in the midfield with a perfect throw. Donovan then blazed forward at a blistering pace and found Jozy Altidore with a pass into the penalty area.

Altidore, who played a fantastic match despite getting pounded repeatedly by Algerian defenders, had enough left in the tank to dribble into the penalty area at speed and slip a square pass to Clint Dempsey. With Algerian goalkeeper Raïs M'Bohli lunging for the low cross, Dempsey got a touch that ricocheted off the goalkeeper and rolled to the center of the penalty area where Donovan stroked it home, setting off a wild celebration as almost the entire U.S. team dog-piled near the left corner flag and the stadium erupted with patriotic fervor.

“It’s a match where both teams need to win, so it turns into a very wide open game," said U.S. MNT head coach Bob Bradley. "Algeria is a very good team, skillful and well-organized, but the game now takes on a different tone just because of the need for both teams to win.

"In this last cycle, guys have grown, taken leadership roles, as a team we’ve grown stronger, we’ve had experiences where we’ve been hardened...We believe that in soccer sometimes you can’t always control a call or a bounce, but you can control what you’re all about as a team, what you put into it, how committed you are to giving everything in the game. I think that has become the special quality of this group.”

After the match, former President Bill Clinton, who is the honorary chairman of the U.S. Bid Committee for the 2018/2022 World Cup, came to the locker room to personally congratulate the team on the historic victory.

Donovan’s goal, the 44th of his international career, gave the USA a World Cup group title for the first time in 80 years (since the very first World Cup in 1930). It was also the fourth World Cup goal of his illustrious career, tying him with Bert Patenaude on the USA’s all-time list. The match was also Donovan’s 11th all-time World Cup appearance, tying him for the U.S. record with Cobi Jones and Earnie Stewart. Donovan has started 11 consecutive World Cup games for the United States dating back to 2002. He also becomes the only U.S. player to score multiple goals in two different World Cups.

Throughout the evening at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria, the USA were the better team and the aggressor for 90 minutes and into stoppage time. Donovan’s late heroics might not have been needed, however, but for another controversially disallowed goal by the United States.

This time it was Dempsey scoring from close range in the 20th minute on what appeared to be a valid goal that was nullified for offside. On the play, forward Herculez Gomez calmly crossed the ball to him at the top of the six-yard box after collecting his own rebound from a close range shot that was saved by M'Bohli. Gomez’s attempt was the result of a steal by Altidore in the midfield as he managed to nick the ball away from the Algerian defense, then square a pass to midfielder Michael Bradley, who had the ball tackled away at the top penalty area, only to have it roll for Gomez to hit on goal.

The rest of the first half (and the game) was more of the same, with the U.S. compiling near-miss after near-miss in front of a partisan crowd cheering their every move.

In the 35th minute, Altidore, Donovan and Dempsey almost combined for the first goal, this time with Altidore hitting Donovan on a cross-field pass that Donovan then slotted to Dempsey in a clever opening in the center of the penalty area. A sliding Algerian disrupted his shot and he could only Dempsey couldn’t get a good strike on the ball as it was saved by the M'Bohli.

Two minutes later the USA created an even better chance, this time with Bradley finding Donovan open deep into the right side of the penalty area. Donovan lifted the ball over the sliding Algerian ‘keeper, but it deflected into the air and dropped to Altidore. Donovan was also lurking for the rebound, but Altidore got to it first and blasted his effort over the bar from close range.

Throughout the first half, Algeria attempted a number of long range shots, the best of which came off the foot of Rafik Djebbour in the 6th minute that crashed off the crossbar after defender Jay DeMerit couldn’t clear a long pass that landed at the top of the penalty area and skipped through. In the 38th minute, Karim Matmour hit a blast from 25 yards out that Howard pushed out for a corner, taking no chances with the accurate, hard shot.

Overall, the USA defense was stout throughout the game, and recorded their first shutout in World Cup play since the team’s historic 2-0 victory over Mexico in the Round of 16 of the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea Republic (a span of seven games). The shutout was also just the second for the United States in 22 World Cup matches dating back to 1950.

Jonathan Bornstein made his World Cup debut in a revamped U.S. backline, slotting in at left back, while Carlos Bocanegra lined up centrally alongside DeMerit. In addition to Bornstein, Edson Buddle made his first-ever World Cup appearance as a late second half sub and DaMarcus Beasley made his seventh all-time World Cup appearance in his third World Cup tournament when he replaced Bornstein in the 80th minute. For Gomez, the start was just the second of his USA career, dating all the way back to a game at the 2007 Copa America.

In the second half, the U.S. had as many as five great scoring chances, before finally breaking through in the 91st minute. Included in those chances was a shot by Dempsey that hit the right post after he was sprung with a long cross from Altidore. Dempsey then had a chance to sweep his rebound into the net as it bounced behind M'Bohli, but he couldn’t turn the attempt on net.

In the 65th minute, second-half substitute Benny Feilhaber snuck into the right side of the penalty area, took the ball tight along the end line and tried to guide a cross in front of the goal behind the diving M'Bohli, but the Algerian goalkeeper knocked the ball out for a corner with his legs.

Buddle had a headed attempt on goal in the 68th minute on a cross from Steve Cherundolo, but couldn’t get squeeze it past M’Bohli, and just two minutes later a cross from Altidore from the right wing was almost knocked into his own goal by Algerian defender Madjid Bougherra.

The last definitive U.S. threat before the goal came in the 79th minute on a free kick from Michael Bradley that he drove straight on goal for M'Bohli to punch away.

After the U.S. goal, the emotions of the Algerians got the best of them as Anthar Yahia was sent off after receiving two consecutive yellow cards for arguing with referee Frank De Bleeckere of Belgium following a foul call on the North Africans in the waning minutes.

U.S. forward Robbie Findley missed the match for the United States after picking up yellow card cautions in the team’s first two games, but the entire U.S. line-up will be available for selection when the team takes the field in the Round of 16 against Ghana, which will be re-match of the USA’s final group match at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, a game in which the U.S. was eliminated from the tournament after a 2-1 loss.

Special pre-game coverage begins at 2 p.m. ET on ABC HD. Fans can also follow along on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and at twitter.com/ussoccer.

U.S. Rallies to Earn 2-2 Draw Against Slovenia

JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA - June 18, 2010 - The U.S. Men's National Team played Slovenia to an epic 2-2 draw in its second Group C match at the 2010 FIFA World Cup. After falling behind 2-0 in the first half, an early second-half strike from Landon Donovan and a fantastic finish off a half-volley from Michael Bradley evened the score and earned the USA a critical point before another boisterous pro-U.S. crowd of 45,573 at Ellis Park.

The result puts the USA’s destiny in their own hands, with a win in their final Group C match on Wednesday, June 23, against Algeria at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria automatically earning the Americans a spot in the knockout phase. With Algeria’s 0-0 draw with England in the other Group C match, the U.S. sits in second place in the group tied with the English on two points, but ahead in the standings based on goals scored (three for the United States and one for England). The U.S. can still advance with a draw against Algeria if England loses to Slovenia or if England draws and the U.S. maintains an advantage in total goals scored.

“I think this team has shown that it keeps fighting until the end and we have now had the experience of pushing games when we’re behind,” said U.S. head coach Bob Bradley. “It’s a credit to the mentality of the players and to the fact that they’re going to fight for 90 minutes every game. We have a third match where we still have the chance to determine our ability to move into the final round.”

The USA comeback began just three-minutes into the second half, with a world-class strike from Donovan, who roofed a shot past Slovenian goalkeeper Samir Handanovic from six yards out after dribbling freely into the right side of the box from a tight angle. Donovan was freed into the area on a perfectly placed pass from the halfway line by standout defender Steve Cherundolo that eluded the Slovenian defense.

After several goal mouth chances for the U.S. throughout the half, the USA finally cashed in for goal number two with one of the most skillful tallies in team history. The goal came in the 82nd minute on a lunging half-volley toe-poke from Bradley, who was set-up in the right side of the penalty area, by a perfectly weighted knocked-down header from Jozy Altidore. The big U.S. forward got his head on a service sent by Donovan from midfield and put it right into the path of the charging Bradley. The ussoccer.com Man of the Match scored his eighth career goal, and his first in a World Cup.

The inspiring U.S. comeback could have netted the team all three points just a few minutes later, but Maurice Edu’s volley into the back of the net on a perfect free kick from Donovan in the 85th minute was disallowed by Malian referee Koman Coulibaly for an apparent foul.

Including Edu, four players made their World Cup debuts for the United States in the match. Edu and midfielder Benny Feilhaber were halftime substitutes that helped spark the U.S. attack. Late sub Herculez Gomez and starter Jose Torres also appeared in their first-ever World Cup matches.

For Donovan, the match was his 10th all-time World Cup appearance, moving him to within one game of the all-time U.S. record (11, Cobi Jones and Earnie Stewart), and his goal was the third of his World Cup career (tied with Brian McBride for second best all-time, just one behind Bert Patenaude). He also became the third player in U.S. history to score in two different World Cups (2002 and 2010), joining McBride and Clint Dempsey.

The first half was a difficult one for the United States, who struggled early to break down the compact Slovenians. Slovenia benefitted greatly from a 13th minute goal from Valter Birsa, who hit a perfectly placed strike into the upper right side of the goal from 27 yards out after finding a soft pocket directly in front of the U.S. backline. The shot from Birsa gave goalkeeper Tim Howard no chance.

In the 42nd minute, Slovenia created its second goal on a fast break following some sustained pressure from the United States. On the goal, forward Milivoje Novakovic beat U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu’s offside trap by playing a perfect ball into the run of midfielder Zlatan Ljubijankic, who tucked his shot easily into the center of the goal underneath an onrushing Howard.

Prior to that goal, the U.S. had been all over the Slovenian net. In the 36th minute, Jozy Altidore was fouled at the top of the box on a dangerous U.S. attack, and Torres expertly hit the ensuing free kick to the near post causing Handanovic to make a diving save. On the corner kick that followed that save a clearance by Slovenia was headed tantalizingly close by defender Jay DeMerit from the top of the box but it flew just outside the left post.

Just three minutes later, forward Robbie Findley was given a yellow card after a dangerous U.S. corner kick when he was whistled for a phantom handball on a cross that ricocheted off his upper chest. With two yellow cards in two games, Findley will be suspended for the USA’s final Group C match against Algeria.

Two minutes after that, the USA’s best attack of the first half preceded Slovenia’s fast-break goal. With a nice build-up in midfield, it was Findley who nicely controlled a ball in traffic at the top of the area and found Dempsey overlapping into the right side of the penalty box. Dempsey took one touch and then slid a pass across the goal mouth that was cleared out of play by defender Miso Brecko just before Donovan could tuck it home from the doorstep.

The USA’s second half chances included a 51st minute free kick from Donovan from the left side that was just out of reach for a sliding Onyewu at the far post. In the 70th minute, Altidore was fouled again at the top of the box and Donovan hit a free kick that bounced around before the 20-year old forward turned fired on goal, but Handanovic made a tough save look easy with a confident catch.

The USA's World Cup journey continues on Wednesday, June 23, against Algeria in Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria. Here are the possible outcomes of the USA v. Algeria:

USA Advances:
• U.S. win
• U.S. tie and England loss
• Tie and England-Slovenia tie, and the U.S. maintains it’s +2 goals scored advantage (USA 3 GF, England 1 GF)

USA Eliminated:
• U.S. tie and England win.
• Lose

USA Advances and Wins Group:
• Win by a greater goal difference than England wins by
• Win and England win by same goal differential while the U.S. maintains its +2 goals scored advantage
• Win by two or more goals and England / Slovenia tie
• Win by one goal and England / Slovenia tie while scoring more goals than Slovenia

Howard Leads USMNT to Draw with England

The 1-1 draw between U.S. and England represented the biggest result in U.S. soccer history. As one ESPN commentator remarked, "No one won, but everyone will remember what happened in Rustenberg."

The opening match for both the U.S. and England was a suspenseful one that could have gone either way. There were a lot of opportunities for both sides, but each squad did enough to keep the other from capitalizing on those opportunities. Simply put, it was an epic battle between old rivals made new.

There were several common themes found throughout the match. One goalkeeper (Tim Howard) was "lights out"; another (Robert Green) made one of the biggest blunders in a generation. Two stars (Wayne Rooney and Landon Donovan) had little impact on the game, while two often overshadowed players (Steven Gerrard and Clint Dempsey) scored a goal and earned the glory. Two substitutes (Shaun Wright-Phillips and Edson Buddle) played better than the starters (James Milner and Robbie Findley) and two unheralded players (Emile Heskey and Oguchi Onyewu) put in solid performances despite doubts about their form.

The U.S. and England now look like the favorites in the group, but each must be careful about Algeria and Slovenia. Every match must be treated carefully; there are no pushovers in the World Cup.

For analysis of all of today's action, check out National Soccer Radio World Cupdate #2 (Saturday, June 12) podcast found here.