Bob Bradley was appointed interim coach of US mens soccer team after its poor performance at 2006 FIFA World Cup. But it was only on 15th May 2007 that he was officially named the manager. And he certainly grabbed the opportunity with both hands, transforming the American team into a very competitive squad.
In the opening matches of the tournament, the US team were scheduled to face England and Slovenia. On one side Slovenia was a stable performer, and on the other side England had a star-studded lineup, and hence the competition was tough.
But the American players led by Carlos BOCANEGRA stood up to the challenge, with Jozy Altidore leading the attack, the other forwards as Robbie Findley, Herculez Gomez and Edson Buddle. Amongst all Americans in the playing squad, Jozy has been the highest goal scorer at this level with 9 goals.
In their first game against England, the US team certainly knew the opposition was tough. The match began with both teams eying a early goal to get in front. With effort from all, it was only Steven Gerrard who scored for England in the 4th minute, an effort which gave a lot of confidence to Fabio Capello, the manager of English team.
Ashley Cole, Wayne Rooney and others celebrate with Steven Gerrard after he scored a goal for England in the 4th minute. It was 17th International goal for the 30 year old Gerrard who has got 82 International caps against his name. Gerrard played his first International match against Ukraine in 2000.
After such an early goal from English and the advantage of experience, it was up to the Americans to do something extra-ordinary. Though the American team got a total of 4 shots on goal, it was the 40th minute when Clint Dempsey took a shot on goal, and the ball went straight to English goalkeeper Robert Green, who made a mess of it.
The English goal-keeper Robert Green mis-judging the ball, leading to an equalizer in a game between England and USA played on 12th June 2010 at Royal Bafokeng stadium in South Africa. The 30 year old Green played his first International game against Columbia in 2005. He also plays for West Ham United in English Premier League.
The English team could not compensate for the mishap even until the end, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Though the Americans fans were very happy to end in draw, the English fans were very disappointed.
The Americans fought their next game against Slovenia at Johannesburg on 18th June. Though Slovenia was number 25 in FIFA rankings as against USA at 14th, the Americans knew they could not effort to take this lightly.
The game began, and the first half turned out to be a shocker for Americans, with Valter BIRSA scoring in 13th minute and Zlatan LJUBIJANKIC scoring in the 42nd minute for the Solvenian team. The double doze was certainly hard to digest for Bob Bradley and his team, and the American fans were completely quiet.
The second half brought hope for Americans with mid-fielder Landon DONOVAN scoring in the 48th minute.
Landon DONOVAN takes a successful shot at the Slovenian goal, earning a valuable goal for this country.
The 28 year old DONOVAN has 43 International goals against his name, and has attained 124 International caps. He played his first International match against Mexico in 2000.
The next 30 minutes of play did not bring any benefit for American team, and the players were certainly desperate to attain an equalizer. Finally, in the 82nd minute, Michael BRADLEY, the son of coach Bob BRADLEY won the equalizer for his team.
Michael BRADLEY is elated after scoring the second goal for USA. The 22 year old energetic mid-fielder made his debut in May 2006 against Venezuela.
Till now, he has scored 8 International goals, and has 45 International caps to his name. He is also the son of current coach Bob BRADLEY.
The game finally ended in a draw, leaving Americans with 2 draws in a row, the first one against England and the second one against Slovenia.
On the points table in Group-C, with each team having played 2 matches, Slovenia is leading with 4 points, followed by USA and England at 2 points each. The next encounter of USA is against Algeria on 23rd June. If USA goes on to win this match, and Slovenia manages a tie with England, then USA will be through to the top 16.
On the other hand, if USA vs Algeria ends in a draw, and England defeats Slovenia, then England will be through to the next level along with Slovenia. Though these are all permutations and combinations, and the scene will become clear on 23rd June.
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