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.