Greg Lalas
This was a massive result. But not for the reasons people might think. History will not put this game on par with the US’ win over Colombia in 1994 or over Portugal in 2002. But that very fact is what makes it massive. The US team has progressed over the past 20 years to the point that a draw with England in the group stage of the World Cup is not an earth-shattering stop-the-presses watershed moment. It is simply a good—if a tad lucky—result against a superior team.
Jonah Freedman
Let's stop overanalyzing how lucky the US got from Robert Green's mega-gaffe. The US got what was perhaps their best-case scenario, particularly after surrendering the early goal. I don't care what the specifics of the game were. A point against the toughest team in your group is an excellent result in the World Cup. Case closed. England had chances to win the game, and the Americans kept that from happening, and to a man, showed well for themselves. Let's hope they don't linger on this result and they get back to work.
David Agrell
Well, that was a fantastic start for the United States. Owning a point ahead of matches against Algeria and Slovenia gives the Yanks something to build on and gives them belief. Let's be honest -- that was not the best England performance, by a long shot, but the US held their own and showed decent -- especially in the second half. With that over-hyped game out of the way, the US should focus on what needs to be fixed/improved here on out. If they're going to rely on attacking on the break, they need more confidence doing that, and that falls on the midfield. I though Robbie Findley got himself into good positions on Friday, but he wasn't getting the service. They also need to hold on to possession better. Bring on Slovenia!
Nick Firchau
The lasting single impression from the US-England draw is -- no mystery here -- Robert Green's gaffe, which the UK's Daily Mirror cheekily dubbed "The Hand of Clod." But for the Americans, the calm and composure shown after Steven Gerrard's early goal was a marked difference from where the US team was four years ago. The wheels absolutely fell off after Jan Koller's sobering early goal put the Czech Republic on their way to a 3-0 win in the 2006 opener, but Bob Bradley's team somehow showed the muscle and might to regroup this time around. The ideal result? No. But under the circumstances, the confidence gained from that display should give the team a valuable rallying cry in South Africa.
Simon Borg
Tim Howard entered American soccer lore forever. Emile Heskey's bruising slide left a mark on Howard's ribs in the 29th minute. When the USA needed a steady hand to guide it in a shaky first half, the US 'keeper played with pain and stayed in the game. After a cortisone shot at halftime, he returned to make more saves. Anywhere around the world Howard's mug is splashed across the back pages.
Howard's “Man of the Match” heroics were key, but the USA can count their lucky stars in Rustenburg. England missed players (see Gareth Barry), missed chances, missed Wayne Rooney (invisible) and missed saving one easy shot on their goal. Although the US could have stolen the game toward the end, Bob Bradley and his squad take the point and run back to Irene County Lodge. Sure, American soccer could have used a transcendental moment to come out of today's epic overhyped match, but it just wasn't to be. Perhaps it's awaiting us later in the tournament.
Fidencio Enriquez
Maybe England should consider nationalizing a goalkeeper, because obviously none of the ones they have are working out. Robert Green’s huge mistake paved the way for an important US draw, one that gave them the confidence to stand up to England in the second half and now sets them up for what should be two relatively easier games.
Speaking of goalkeepers, I thought that Nigeria’s Vincent Enyeama had the best showing of any player today as he single-handedly denied Argentina from walking away with a ton of goals.
But that was until Tim Howard showed up. The US keeper not only kept the Yanks in the game, he did so with bruised ribs. That’s what I call heart and leadership. Hats off to you, Mr. Howard.
