In an updated edition of his book “A History of the World Cup: 1930-2010” (Scarecrow Press), Clemente Lisi details the 2010 tournament in South Africa and the US National Team’s emotional run to the Round of 16. From the USA’s draw with England to Landon Donovan’s last-gasp strike versus Algeria to the elimination against Ghana, the book gives readers a chance to relive the emotional ride that is the World Cup. The book will be available April 16th. Below is an excerpt:
The Americans took to the field against England on June 12 in Rustenberg, in what was easily the most anticipated match in US soccer history. What ensued was an inspired US performance and a tough 1-1 draw that temporarily put both teams atop Group C. After a nervous start, the English scored on their first chance when Lampard played the ball into the top of the penalty area that missed Rooney but found its way to Emile Heskey, who fed the ball to Steven Gerrard. Making a diagonal run into the area ahead of Ricardo Clark, Gerrard one-touched the ball and put it past Howard in the fourth minute. The Americans feared that the floodgates had been opened. Instead, the English were put back on the defensive as the Americans regained possession and confidence. “I thought we responded well. I thought we were playing well, they were sitting back and we were creating chances,” said Dempsey. Bradley’s men evened the score in the 40th minute when Dempsey grabbed the ball 35 yards from the English goal, faked out Gerrard, and unleashed a powerful left-footed shot that Green failed to hold on to. Instead of making the easy save, the ball trickled over the line for a goal. Dempsey joined former U.S. striker Brian McBride as the only player in American soccer history to score at two different World Cup tournaments. “These balls move so much if you just hit them on goal you’ll have a chance. It’s one of those goals you always say ‘Why can’t I get one like that?’ and I’m happy to have scored in both World Cups I’ve participated in,” said Dempsey.
The second half was a stalemate, with the United States playing to preserve the result. The frustrated English, with a noticeably irritated Capello pacing the sidelines near his bench, did little in the way of trying to regain the lead. The Americans were able to slow the game down, outmuscling the English on the ball in all parts of the field. The midfield became a large battlefield, with striker Jozy Altidore using his large frame to steal balls, while Donovan used his pace to try and create some offense. Things opened up a bit in the 70th minute when Howard was called on to preserve the draw. During a five-minute stretch, the English challenged Howard several times, but a strong defensive performance from the back four, comprised of Onyewu, DeMerit, Steve Cherundolo, and team captain Carlos Bocanegra, helped keep the game knotted at one. The four defenders took to the field together for the first time since the United States’ 2-1 qualifying loss to Mexico the previous summer in Mexico City. In the 71st minute, Gerrard found Rooney unmarked in the box but could barely get his head on the ball. Four minutes later, off a quick restart, Rooney hit a shot from 20 yards that slid just past the right post, with Howard stretching out his arms to cover the net. Howard was undoubtedly the hero of the game, playing with pain for most of the contest after taking a boot from Heskey to his ribs in the 29th minute while making a diving clearance on a cross from defender Glen Johnson. At the other end, Green had very little to worry about after the Americans pulled back offensively in an effort to preserve the draw. Green, however, would never play again in the tournament after his blunder.
***
With the England game in the books (and record ratings on ESPN and Spanish-language broadcaster Univision), the United States prepared for its next match against Slovenia, 1-0 winners over Algeria in its opening game. American fans had flocked to South Africa in record numbers despite the economic recession, a 17-hour plane ride, and the high cost of airfare and hotels. More than 130,000 of the 2.8 million World Cup tickets put up for sale were purchased by Americans, the highest total of any country other than South Africa. ESPN, for its part, had invested a lot into making the World Cup a success. Aside from paying $100 million for the rights to the 2010 and 2014 World Cups – more than any other broadcaster in the world – the 24-hour sports cable network put together a staff of 300 people to work on the tournament. The ESPN compound right outside the International Broadcasting Center near Soccer City Stadium dwarfed all others. The commitment to broadcast all the games live, plus 65 hours of studio time, was truly unprecedented. By comparison, 20 of the World Cup’s 64 games had been called from inside a Connecticut studio just four years earlier. An estimated 50,000 Americans would ultimately flock to South Africa by the time the tournament came to an end, in large part prompted by the images beamed to living rooms by ESPN, and ratings would reach playoff baseball and basketball-type numbers. The ticket-buying frenzy on the part of American citizens said a lot about “the growth of soccer in the United States. It also shows that Americans are indeed soccer fans,” said U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati. Slovenia had a defense-first philosophy instilled into its players by coach Matjaz Kek. The strategy had served them well in the past since the team lacked any real stars. But Bradley knew that the heroics that occurred in the first game meant nothing if the United States could not get a result against tiny Slovenia. “We’ve had a good focus the whole time. We’ve said it so many times that we understand what the first round is about, but we were still excited to start the World Cup playing against England. It’s a big game and a big night, and overall we take away positive things as we now get ready for Slovenia,” said Bradley.
The game against Slovenia turned out to be another epic encounter for the United States. Another hard-fought game tinged with controversy, the Americans fell behind 2-0 on June 18 at Ellis Park. American fans flocked to the game in record numbers, and the crowd support was noticeable. Not to be outdone, the Americans mounted a comeback thanks to second-half goals from Donovan and Bradley. The first half was difficult for the United States, which inexplicably struggled despite having the better team. The Americans gave up an early goal in the 13th minute when Valter Birsa hit a perfect strike into the right side of the goal from 25 yards out. Howard had no chance at making the save. With three minutes left in the half, Slovenia scored again on a fast break following a long period of U.S. pressure and possession. Striker Milivoje Novakovic beat Onyewu’s futile offside trap after playing the ball to midfielder Zlatan Ljubijankic, who blasted a shot easily underneath Howard for a 2-0 lead. Donovan said the players huddled in the dressing room at halftime, optimistic about tying the score. “We all spoke about first of all believing that we could do it . . . That was the first thing that was said, and the second was that we need to score as early as we can. We knew if we did that we’d have a chance to get back in the game,” he said.
The second half was a new game. The Americans, ignoring the fact they were down, continued to pressure Slovenia’s defense with Donovan once again spearheading the effort in midfield. It was Donovan who tallied in the 48th minute after blasting the ball into the roof of the net from close-range – a shot that caused Slovenian goalkeeper Samir Handanovic to flinch. The goal, from just six yards out, was the culmination of a play that saw Donovan dribble the ball freely along the right flank and into the box, before shooting it into the net from a tight angle for one of the most improbable-looking strikes in World Cup history. “In the end, I decided to take a touch, aim high, and aim at his head. I don’t think he wanted to get hit from there,” Donovan said. Following a series of chances for the United States, the Americans scored in the 82nd minute on a toe-poke from Bradley, who was setup on the right side by Altidore. After putting the ball into Bradley’s path, the midfielder banged in the goal and caused the crowd to erupt into cheers. The US comeback was complete, and the Americans looked to have salvaged a draw. Not so fast. The inspired Americans scored the go-ahead goal in the 85th minute, but Maurice Edu’s volley was disallowed by Malian referee Koman Coulibaly for apparently no reason.
The blown call caused confusion as celebration turned to head-scratching on the field and in the stands. When Coulibaly blew the final whistle, he was surrounded by American players looking for an answer. The referee remained tight-lipped as the players surrounded him. “Who knows what it was? I’m not sure how much English he spoke or if he spoke English. We asked him several times in a non-confrontational way. He just ignored us,” said Donovan. Bradley refused to go into the details of the blown call. FIFA bestowed upon its referees ultimate power and the ability not to answer their critics for whatever calls they made on the field. For most American fans, the practice was horrific. For a country just getting interested in the game, it didn’t sit well with many that a call could be made with no obvious explanation. The speculation was that the Americans had been tugging the shirts of the Slovenian players in the box the moment the goal was scored. However, the shirt-tugging – a common practice on set pieces and corner kicks – had been done by players on both sides. With no conceivable offside, the call remained a mystery. American fans watching in record numbers on ESPN were outraged. What Americans hated more than anything was injustice, and it had clearly occurred against the US team. For fans used to sports with instant replay, the call was baffling. The FIFA practice of using a diverse referee pool at the World Cup was admirable, but in this case Coulibaly’s only prior experience was the African Nations Cup, hardly enough to qualify him to officiate a World Cup match. A game of this magnitude had been too much for him to deal with in the end. “The duty of the referee is not to explain a call. The job of the referee on the field is to implement the laws of the game,” said Jose Maria Garcia-Aranda, a former match official and head of FIFA’s refereeing department.
FIFA eventually pulled the plug on Coulibaly and sent him home early, as it often did with referees who made blunders. The American players took the call in stride and, with two points after two games, were still in the hunt for a spot in the final 16. “I’ve heard a few things. Honestly, I think that on that set piece, most of what took place was that Slovenian players were holding our players. The one thing I’ve heard was that one player from Slovenia had his arms around [my son] Michael. Michael was trying to break loose from being held, and the foul was called. I don’t know if that’s accurate, but that’s one version,” said Bradley. In some ways, the missed call was good for the United States. The team got even more attention back home (TV ratings were proof of that), and the play became fodder for sports-talk radio shows across the county. For the first time ever, Americans cared about the fortunes of their national team. But Bradley was focused on his players’ fighting spirit. “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. 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,” he said.
The thrilling 2-2 game put the United States’ destiny in its own hands. A win in its final group match on June 23 against Algeria in Pretoria would automatically earn the Americans a spot in the knockout round. With Algeria’s shocking 0-0 draw against England in the other Group C match amid a shower of boos from fans, the Americans entered the final game in second place tied with the English on two points but ahead on goals scored (three for the United States and one for England). The United States could also draw against Algeria if England lost to Slovenia. The two draws by England prompted a crisis meeting. Capello eased his alcohol ban, and the players were allowed to relax with a beer during the private meeting meant to raise the players’ spirits ahead of their crucial third game. Defender John Terry said afterwards that the purpose of the team meeting was for the players to vent their anger and frustrations. Terry said the players watched the Algeria game over again to “see where went wrong – which is probably the whole 90 minutes.”
The Americans played Algeria in Pretoria, with the majority of the 35,827 fans in attendance Americans. The most notable attendee was former president Bill Clinton, who was using the trip as a chance to hobnob with Blatter in an effort to get the 2022 World Cup to the United States. What Clinton saw would turn out to be one of the most exciting games of the tournament, replete with drama and a riveting finale. The Americans may not have given up an early goal like they had in their previous two matches, but without a reason to react it seemed like the offense had no motivation to score. In reality, the United States was on the brink of elimination at halftime. Deadlocked 0-0 against Algeria, the English were leading 1-0 on a goal from Jermaine Defoe after just 23 minutes in Port Elizabeth. The English would win their game; the Americans would continue to struggle. The Americans had squandered several chances and the frustration was starting to mount. Altidore and Dempsey came close on several occasions, but the ball just did not want to find its way into the net. As the clock struck the 90th minute, the Americans were in third place and looked to be going home early. With the game in stoppage time, Howard cleared the ball to Altidore as the Americans launched one final attack. Altidore crossed the ball into the box and an onrushing Donovan side-footed it into the net for the most dramatic of goals. Donovan celebrated by running toward the corner kick flag as his teammates, both on the field and bench, piled on top of him in jubilation. The game was over. The Americans had won Group C, with England coming in second, and were headed to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2002. Donovan became a hero overnight and America had a new soccer icon. The never-say-die Americans had done it once again. “They never quit,” exclaimed Bradley.
***
The Americans played Ghana on June 26 before 34,976 fans. Although the South Africans in the crowd were pulling for their Ghanaian brothers, US fans made up a good chunk of the crowd at Royal Bafokeng Stadium that evening. With millions watching back in the United States, the Americans, for the first time perhaps, felt the pressure of the tournament weighing on them. With noticeability came responsibility, and Bradley’s men were hoping not to give up an early goal as they had in the first two group matches. Howard was again in the net, with Altidore and striker Robbie Findley up top looking for their first goals of the tournament. Donovan and Dempsey were the force in midfield, aided by Ricardo Clark. Onyewu was relegated to the bench in favor of Jonathan Bornstein, while Michael Bradley was hoping to produce similar heroics as the Slovenia match. For the Americans, the outcome was not what they had hoped. Ghana powered ahead and gave the Americans a tough game. It was a rematch of a group-stage game won by Ghana in 2006, and the Americans were out for revenge. The loss in Germany four years earlier had eliminated the United States, and the Americans did not want a repeat of history. In the end, Ghana was victorious 2-1 following an overtime goal by Asamoah Gyan in the 93rd minute. The United States went down early after Boeteng put Ghana on the board after just five minutes when Clark lost the ball in the midfield. Phe Americans, as usual, fought back and Donovan equalized from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute. The Americans had a chance to put the game away, but the attack came up short after Ghana’s goalkeeper Richard Kingson had a stellar outing. After the game, Gulati lamented the elimination, saying going to the quarterfinals would have raised the profile of the sport back home. “You look at the way the draw worked out and you start dreaming,” he said.
Despite the loss, the American public had embraced the team in record numbers. The TV audience for the Saturday match between the United States and Ghana was 19.4 million, higher than all but two games at the 2009 World Series and all but Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals. In the game’s immediate aftermath, Gulati was noncommittal about renewing Bradley’s contract. In August, however, Bradley’s contract was renewed for another four-year cycle, although many of the team’s veterans, like Donovan, bemoaned the missed chance to go further into the tournament. “There is no guarantee that we’ll ever have another opportunity like this ever again in our lifetimes,” said Donovan.
Recent Comments