Friday, June 18

Thank You England - Part II

Well, sometimes they say you need a little luck. If that is the case I don't know how much more the US can get. In one of the most lackluster performances of the tournament to that point, the US came out extremely flat, and of course gave up yet another early goal in the first 15 minutes. Down 2-0 at the interval, it looked like the US was out, Slovenia was going to clinch and England would have clear sailing. Then a miracle happened, they woke up. Sure, the controversial call at the close of the match left many disappointed, but given the US in 33 previous two-goal deficit situations had only produced one win and two draws, a tie and continued life was a blessing in itself.

England continued to provide more fortune for the Americans when they took the field and played a full 90 minutes similar to the US first-half effort - flat and emotionless. I was shocked to see Algeria play better against the English than the US had just six days prior, which is somewhat worrisome, considering they are now still alive and will be playing with utmost urgency come next week's match against the US. The sad thing about this game is that the Brits I was watching the game with were 10 times more entertaining than what the English showed on the field.

This time, the gift from the English came indirectly, but with the BP oil endlessly spewing into the Gulf of Mexico just a few hundred miles from here in Tampa, I guess they owe us a little something.

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