[USA-ENGLAND]  It will go down as one of the worst goalkeeping blunders in World Cup history. The USA was England's equal for much of the match but had England goalie Robert Green to thank for the gift goal that allowed the USA to earn a 1-1 tie with England in their World Cup match in Rustenburg.

What we liked ...

-- The U.S. central defenders Jay DeMerit and Oguchi Onyewu came up big, shutting down Wayne Rooney. They prevented the England star from getting a decent chance, frustrating him so much that Rooney spent the last part of the game in midfield.

-- The goal Clint Dempsey scored was surely the luckiest of his career, but that shouldn't overshadow the fact he make a nifty move to elude Steven Gerrard, taking several touches, spinning around the England captain and hitting a dipping shot that bounced before it got to Green.

-- Having survived a nasty collision with Emile Heskey in the first half, Tim Howard shone in the second half with several excellent saves.

-- The reaction from the USA was excellent after falling behind. A bit nervous at the start, the Americans grew in confidence as they game went on. While England had its chances late in the game, the Americans never looked to be desperate straits.

What we didn't like ...

-- The USA did exactly what Bob Bradley cautioned against and let England score a goal -- a goal so easy that it seemed to lull the English into believing it would win in a cakewalk. That's exactly how Gerrard scored after the U.S. markers lost their players in the middle of midfield off Glen Johnson's throw-in.

-- Gerrard's goal extended the USA's recent record of conceding early goals at the World Cup. In 1998,  Andreas Moeller scored after eight minutes for Germany in Paris. Four years ago, Jan Koller scored for the Czech Republic after only five minutes.

-- Against a slow and nervous England defense, the USA could have done better with its possession in the first half. The Americans didn't have a threatening shot on goal and had England goalie Robert Green to thank for letting Clint Dempsey's shot slip past him and into the goal.

June 12 in Rustenburg
USA 1 England 1. Goal: Dempsey 40; Gerrard 4.
USA -- Howard, Cherundolo, Onyewu, DeMerit, Bocanegra, Donovan, Clark, Bradley, Dempsey, Altidore (Holden, 86), Findley (Buddle, 77).
England -- Green, Johnson, Terry, King (Carragher, 46), A.Cole, Lennon, Gerrard, Lampard, Milner (Wright-Phillips, 31), Rooney, Heskey (Crouch, 79).
Yellow Card: USA -- Cherundolo 39, DeMerit 47, Findley 74; England -- Milner 26, Carragher 59, Gerrard 61. 
Referee: Carlos Simon (Brazil).