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Keeper has 16 saves but U.S. eliminated with loss to Belgium World Cup They captured the eyes and hearts of a suddenly awakened soccer nation, who gathered in unprecedented numbers to watch the world’s game. But the end of the ride came at the exact same point as four years ago: with an overtime loss in the World Cup’s Round of 16. Kevin De Bruyne finally beat goa l keeper Ti m Howard in the third minute of extra time, Romelu Luk a k u scored 12 minutes later to give Belgium a two-goal lead, and the Red Devils hung on for a 2-1 victory Tuesday. “It’s heartbreaking,” Howard said. “I don’t think we could have given it more.” Before exiting, the U.S. showed the spunk that captured America’s attention. Julian Green, at 19 the youngest player on the U.S. roster, stuck out his right foot to volley in
Man of the Match
THEMBA HADEBE (AP)
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U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard had 16 saves but was scored on twice in extra time.
Michael Bradley’s pass over the defense in the 107th minute, two minutes after entering the game. They nearly tied it up in the 114th, when Clint Dempsey peeled off the ball and was stopped point-blank by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois after
being fed by Bradley on a free kick. But it wasn’t enough, and U.S. players fell to the field at the final whistle in their all-white uniforms like so many crumpled tissues. “You get to this point and these games are always about a play here
and play there,” Bradley said. The Americans advanced from a difficult first-round group that included Germany, Portugal and Ghana to reach the knockout rounds of consecutive World Cups for the first time. Four years ago, they were eliminated in South Africa by Ghana 1-0 on a goal in the third minute of overtime. The crowd of 51,227 at Arena Fonte Nova appeared to be about one third pro-U.S., with 10 percent backing the Belgians and the rest neutral. Back home, millions watched across the United States in offices, homes and public gatherings, including D.C.’s Freedom Plaza. Howard, playing the finest game of his career, stopped a dozen shots with his legs and arms to keep the Americans even through regulation and force an additional 30 minutes. He wound up with 16 saves. Chris Wondolowski had a chance to win it in stoppage time when Jermaine Jones flicked the ball to him at the top of the 6-yard box, but with Courtois coming out Wondolowski put the ball over the crossbar. “The dream falls short, but this is an incredible group,” Howard said, “and we’ll never forget this night.” RONALD BLUM (AP)
Three Keys to the Match The late flurry wasn’t enough. Down 2-0 in extra time, the U.S. fought like a wounded animal to stay alive in the World Cup before going out in heartbreaking fashion to Belgium. Here are some talking points. MICHAEL CUNNIFF (E XPRESS) “Without the ball, you can’t win.” This simple, yet profound, observation by the legendary Dutch player and manager Johan Cruyff forms the basis of how great teams play soccer. It would have been nice for Cruyff to repeat it to Coach Jurgen Klinsmann and Co. Tuesday night. The Americans were too content to let Belgium have the ball, and they gave it away cheaply when they did get it back. Instead of taking the game to Belgium, the U.S. tried to ride out the red tide. Much of the credit goes to Belgium for keeping the U.S. under pressure. But in order for the team to make the leap to the top tier of world soccer, the U.S. has to be as good with the ball as it is tenacious without it.
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Tim Howard, U.S. Goalkeeper What more can you say about him? Howard capped off a flawless World Cup with a performance for the ages. Commanding his box imperiously, he was a wall for 92 minutes, fending off wave after wave of attacks until his resistance was finally broken by Kevin De Bruyne. If Howard, 35, never plays in another World Cup, he’ll have gone out with a bang. (M.C.)
Lukaku the super sub. Romelu Lukaku burst onto the scene in the Premier League in 2012-13. Playing at West Bromwich Albion on loan from Chelsea, Lukaku scored 17 goals in 35 games — including 15 appearances off the bench, where he used his strength and speed to overpower tired defendLukaku ers. He did exactly that against the U.S., shrugging off Matt Besler like he wasn’t there in the buildup to the first goal, and hitting the Americans with a suckerpunch on the counter for the second.
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The future is bright. Did you miss Julian Green’s consolation goal? Didn’t see the way he timed his run to perfection to get on the end of a vintage Michael Bradley chip? Don’t worry, you’ll likely get plenty of chances to see that in the next four years. Bradley (26 years old), Green (19 ), fullback DeAndre Yedlin (20) and American hero John Brooks (21) are among the dozen or so players on the 2014 World Cup roster who will expect to play a big role in qualifying for the next cycle. Many were surprised when Green and Yedlin were picked for the roster, while over-30 veterans Landon Donovan and Clarence Goodson were left out, but Klinsmann’s faith in youth will pay dividends in the long run.
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MANU FERNANDEZ (AP)
Howard Can’t Stop ’Em All Lionel Messi celebrates with Angel di Maria after the game-winning goal.
Argentina Scores in Extra Time World Cup Angel Di Maria scored deep into extra time Tuesday to give Argentina a 1-0 win over Switzerland and a spot in the World Cup quarterfinals. With a penalty shootout looming, Lionel Messi made a surging run toward the Swiss area in the 118th minute and laid the ball off to Di Maria on the right. The winger struck a left-foot shot past diving goalkeeper Diego Benaglio, prompting the Argentine bench to jump out on the field to celebrate the goal. Sw iss subst itute Blerim Dzemaili nearly equalized right before the end but his header hit the post, and the rebound bounced off his knee and wide of the goal. The result at Sao Paulo’s Itaquerao Stadium continued Argentina’s record of scraping by with narrow wins at this World Cup. Di Maria said the Argentines knew from the start that there was a good chance that the game would go into extra time, like three of the six previous second-round matches. “We know that this could happen to us, but we gave our souls out there on the pitch, we fought with our lives for each ball and we ended up as the winners,” Di Maria said. K ARL RIT TER (AP)
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