This came about 35 minutes after Steven Gerrard's beautiful goal which was really the gift of Emile Heskey's brilliant tip. When that goal came in the 4th minutes I thought for sure we were in for a pounding.
But the US came right back and kept good possession of the ball through the first half, made some good chances. Tim Howard came up with some excellent saves to keep England from pulling further ahead.
In the second half, England started dominating sometime after the 70th minute and we were lucky to escape with a point.
I absolutely do not understand what it is with US managers who don't use the first substitution until after the 75th minute. I like that Bradley put Edson Buddle in for Robbie Findley, indicating that he was interested in the win, not just holding on for the draw. Of course, Fabio Capello answered by substituting Peter Crouch for Heskey. Both managers wanted the win.
I think Buddle should have started. After scoring twice in the first half against Australia he should have been in from the beginning. Herculez Gomez, instead of being on the sideline in the 94th minute to come in as a sub (the final whistle blew before he got in the game), should have then been used as a sub to shake things up late in the second half.
But how the hell does Bradley not even use his third substitute? Especially with 2 other players on the pitch carrying yellow cards. This is the kind of crap Bruce Arena used to do that drove me nuts. I have rarely seen an effective substitution made after the 80th minute or so. It's just not enough time to get the feel of the game and make an impact.
Still, I'll take the point, but remain dreadfully nervous about Slovenia, who may prove more difficult than most fans anticipate. A loss to Slovenia will make it very difficult to get out the group. It would likely mean the number of goals we score against Algeria is crucial.
I'm thinking at this point that the USA and England both finish with 7 points and it comes down to goal difference.
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