World Cup: Algeria vs USA
By Michael Vass | June 23, 2010
Talk about heart-pounding suspense. Talk about a game that goes to the wire. Talk about the USA.
The second half began on an even stronger note than what we saw in the first. The USA took command of the ball for the entire half. Algeria lost all the opportunities they had been given in the first half. And then it got worse for Algeria.
The pressure was on. England had a goal versus Slovenia. Without a win the USA was going home. The fact that Clint Dempsey had scored a perfectly good goal, that was again discounted by referees still stung Team USa.
Algeria, as the second half wore on, played a highly defensive game. They looked to hold off the USA and counter-attack, hoping to find a gap to exploit as the USA needed the win far more than they did. It was a plan that read good on paper, and less so on the pitch.
The USA made 5 more shots on goal. Clint Dempsey had an excellent chance at a wide open net, that he miss struck wide. Jozy Altidore and subsitute Striker Bu came together to try to claim a rebound off of Algerian goalie only to have him collapse on the ball. It was excrutiating. The tension was huge.
Time was the real competition to the USA. That and the oddity of referees. They missed seeing an OBVIOUS RED card attack against Clint Dempsey in the Algerian penalty box. Literally a fist swung at Dempsey, striking him in the lip and producing a cut. Missed and without action. Later in the game, Michael Beasley was called for a hand ball in the Algerian penalty box on a play where the ball struck his chest and the advantage was clearly his.
For all the odd officiating, USA played on. They controlled the ball for some 70% of the second half. They were on the attack almost the entire 45 minutes of regulation play. The hunger for the go ahead goal was immense.
But regulation time ended. With it seemed to go the hopes of America. It looked like the final Group C tally would be England at the top with Slovenia advancing due to the stolen goal made by Edu from their match versus the US, and the stolen goal made by Dempsey against Algeria. But that changed.
At 90:45 Landon Donovan was the key man for Team USA again. After a weak attempt by #10 Rafik Saïfi to score, Tim Howard made a critical throw to Landon Donovan in the midfield. Donovan passed the ball to Jozy Altidore at the edge of the Algerian penalty box. Jozy passed the ball to Clint Dempsey, who was charging directly to the goal with Algerian #9 Abdelkader Ghezzal in towe step for step. Goalie #23 Raïs M’Bohli made the save as both Dempsey and the Algerian bowled over him. The ball was loose as M’Bohli hopped forward off of all 4. But before he could reach the ball, with an Algerian defender approaching, Landon Donovan sprang forward with a kick straight to the far corner of the back of the net.
That was all that it took. Team USA had done it. With the style and nail-biting panache that is the definition of a come from behind team. Not only did America win the match, the win place Team USA at the top of Group C over England.
For all the naysayers, those with doubt, there is only the facts. For the bookies and oddsmakers there is surprise. Yes England and the USA advance, but with USA on top. Not even bad officiating could stop this outcome, try as they did.
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