Remembering the last time U.S.-England faced off in the same group: The FIFA World Cup book excerpt

This is an excerpt from former Daily News editor Clemente Lisi’s book, “The FIFA World Cup: A History of the Planet’s Biggest Sporting Event.” It has been printed with the permission of Rowman & Littlefield. As the United States prepares to take on England at the upcoming World Cup, it was back in 2010 that the Americans ultimately got the best of the Three Lions to win the group in dramatic fashion and reach the knockout stage.

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England came into Group C with high hopes of winning it. After all, the Premier League was the world’s best and most lucrative domestic competition, but that did not automatically translate into success for the national team. Their three group-stage opponents, the United States, Algeria, and Slovenia, appeared more than manageable. So much so that the Sun, the London-based tabloid, went with the headline “easy” following the draw as the word spelled out England, Algeria, Slovenia, and Yanks. It would be anything but once the Three Lions arrived in South Africa.

England, coached by former Italian international Fabio Capello, featured Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard, two of the best attacking midfielders in the world. The English opened the tournament on June 12 against the United States at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenburg. The Americans had defeated England 1–0 back at the 1950 World Cup, but very few expected any sort of repeat of that grand upset this time around. As expected, England controlled the game from the start and was rewarded with a goal in the fourth minute. An unmarked Gerrard made a run into the box and beat goalkeeper Tim Howard with the outside of his right foot.

The Americans responded by leveling the score in the 40th minute when what appeared to be a harmless shot by Clint Dempsey, who played in England with Fulham, was mishandled by goalkeeper Robert Green. The 1–1 draw was a big result for the United States, while England walked away wondering what could have been. The United States followed that draw with another one. This time it was a hard-fought 2–2 against Slovenia, where the Americans could have secured all three points. U.S. fans were well represented in the stands among the 46,000 in attendance at Ellis Park after more than 130,000 of the 2.8 million World Cup tickets put up for sale had been purchased by Americans, the highest total of any country outside South Africa. What they witnessed was Slovenia jumping out to a 2–0 lead. “We all spoke about first of all believing that we could do it. That was the first thing that was said, and the second was that we need to score as early as we can,” U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan said. “We knew if we did that we’d have a chance to get back in the game.”

The second half was a new game. It was Donovan who tallied in the 48th minute after blasting the ball into the roof of the net from close range, a shot that caused goalkeeper Samir Handanović to flinch. The goal, from just six yards out, was the culmination of a play that saw Donovan dribble the ball freely along the right flank and into the box, before shooting it into the net from a tight angle for one of the most improbable-looking strikes in tournament history. “In the end, I decided to take a touch, aim high, and aim at his head. I don’t think he wanted to get hit from there,” Donovan said.

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Following a series of chances for the United States, the Americans scored in the 82nd minute on a toe poke from Michael Bradley, who was set up on the right side by Jozy Altidore. The U.S. comeback was complete, and the Americans looked to have salvaged a draw. But the inspired Americans scored what appeared to be the go-ahead goal five minutes from time, but Maurice Edu’s volley was disallowed by referee Koman Coulibaly of Mali. The blown call caused confusion as celebration turned to head-scratching. “Who knows what it was? I’m not sure how much English he spoke or if he spoke English,” Donovan said. “We asked him several times in a non-confrontational way. He just ignored us.”

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Speculation was that the Americans had been tugging the shirts of several Slovenian players in the box the moment the goal was scored. The shirt tugging — a common practice on set pieces and corner kicks — had been done by players on both sides. With no other conceivable reason, the call remained a mystery. The FIFA practice of using a diverse referee pool at the World Cup was admirable, but in this case Coulibaly’s only prior experience had been at the Africa Cup of Nations. A game of this magnitude was too much for him to deal with in the end.

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England would advance as the second-place side after a 1–0 win against Slovenia at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. A U.S. win in its final group match on June 23 against Algeria in Pretoria would qualify them to the last 16. The scoreless draw that was playing itself out between the United States and Algeria would see the Americans eliminated. After almost giving up another early goal, the Americans saw Dempsey’s goal disallowed for being offside in the 21st minute. Dempsey came close a second time in the 57th minute when his shot hit the post, then he pounced on the rebound before sending it wide.

The United States was rewarded with a goal — and a 1–0 win — that helped them win the group in dramatic style. In the game’s dying minutes, the Americans, in full desperation mode, lunged forward in search of a goal. After Howard made a save, he tossed the ball forward to Donovan in the midfield. Donovan, going at full speed, found Altidore in the box. Altidore then passed the ball over to Clint Dempsey, who attempted a shot. That’s when Algerian goalkeeper Raïs M’Bohli made a save, but the ball bounced off him and into the path of Donovan.

Whether you were one of the 36,000 in attendance that night or watching on television, it is a moment — a goal — that will live on in the memory of fans forever, and on YouTube for those who weren’t born yet. It’s the moment Donovan ran toward the ball at full speed, slotting it into the net with a powerful and precise right-footed shot. The goal set off celebrations on the field, in the stands, and in millions of American homes and bars. “My favorite memory from that goal was turning the corner and looking up and seeing first Stuart Holden’s face running toward the corner flag, followed by like 30 people — including staff and coaches and everyone — and just kind of meeting at the corner flag to celebrate,” Donovan recalled. “That was a really cool moment.”

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Donovan’s teammates recalled the last-gasp goal and celebration with fondness. “I remember running towards Landon and all of a sudden there were a pile of players on top of me. It was a great moment,” Holden said. “It really was unbelievable.”

“I didn’t run towards him because I had no energy left,” Howard added. “I was just exhausted. All I could do was hunch down on the ground at that moment. It was a relief.”

The United States won a World Cup group for the first time since 1930. More than a decade later, the goal remains an internet phenomenon. For the first time in America’s soccer history, one goal meant so much to a nation continuing to grow its love for the game. It seemed, for a moment anyway, that the United States was no different than Brazil. It was a collective moment where a nation could celebrate the success of its soccer team.