England 1 - 1 USA
After an unsurprisingly energetic start England took an early lead after Emile Heskey somewhat fortuitously put the Lions captain Steven Gerrard through on goal, which he duly finished, tapping the ball past a stranded, and absolutely furious Tim Howard for the games opener before the clock had even ticked over into the tenth minute.
It looked as if England might be about to deliver a killer blow to USA hopes when almost immediately after the restart, Glen Johnson ghosted in from the right, keeping the ball close to his feet as he penetrated diagonally into the box. His run was halted however by a wall of bodies, and the USA defense, clearly reluctant to be on the receiving end of another Howard tirade, cleared their lines.
Most of the remainder half was a tense, tight affair, with Jozy Altidore coming closest, his head making only the slightest connection with a Landon Donavon cross that skimmed past the far post. If the temperature of the match hadn't been high enough, however, it was about to double.
Clint Dempsey, of Fulham fame, gathered the ball five yards outside the box, spun right, and then back left, appearing to have no where to go. He fired off a hopeful, and somewhat mistimed shot off a single step, that looked as if it should have been a routine save for Lions keeper Robert Green. It proved anything but, however, as Green let the ball roll off his fingers, and past his desperate swipe, to nestle in the back of the net for the most unlikely of equalizers.
The controversial Jabulani World Cup ball, produced by Adidas, again came under fire, as USA goalie Tim Howard suggested that the error could have very well been down to the inconsistent flight and movement of the ball both in the air and off the surface of the pitch. Clint Dempsey admitted as much.
"The ball just moves all over the place," Dempsey said.
And Dempsey said it "skidded" on his shot.
A few players expressed sympathy for Green, including U.S. keeper Tim Howard. "This ball is really doing silly things," he said. "I feel bad for the guy."
The second half was another tight affair, but neither team was able to break the deadlock.
Heskey squandered a chance to restore England's lead by firing straight at Howard shortly after the break but it was the Americans who had the best opportunity to win the match.
Landon Donovan released Jozy Altidore whose close range strike was touched on to the post by Green.
US coach Bob Bradley admitted he was glad to get the opener out of the way after all the hype in the build-up.
"We showed some nerves at the start of the match and England made us pay but that forced us to get going," he said.
"It was a big game, a big night and we take away a lot of positives as we get ready for the next game against Slovenia."
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