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U.S. team needs fast start in must-win game vs. Algeria

A year ago the United States needed a miracle in South Africa, a three-goal win over Egypt and a three-goal loss by Italy to Brazil, to advance to the semifinals of the Confederations Cup.

U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard has become all too accustomed to giving up the first goal in games. (Hassan Amar/AP)
U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard has become all too accustomed to giving up the first goal in games. (Hassan Amar/AP)Read more

A year ago the United States needed a miracle in South Africa, a three-goal win over Egypt and a three-goal loss by Italy to Brazil, to advance to the semifinals of the Confederations Cup.

This year a simple one-goal win will eliminate the need for divine intervention.

A win over Algeria this morning in the teams' final first-round Group C game and the U.S. team marches on to the World Cup's second round, England and Slovenia be damned. A tie with the Desert Foxes, who unfortunately do not have someone named Rommel on their roster, and that England-Slovenia game, which will be played at the same time as U.S.-Algeria, becomes the game of the year.

"I think we've been training for this for 6 months, when we found out the draw [last December]," said American goalkeeper Tim Howard. "We've been saying all along that we felt it was going to take three games to get through. A win the other day [over Slovenia] would have seen us through, but it's not like we're disappointed because we knew that if we played well throughout three games that we would get through the group."

One thing the U.S. team cannot do is get off to what has become its traditional start to international games: falling behind in the game's first 10 minutes.

"We prepare the same way every game so it's hard to put your finger on one single thing," said defender Jay DeMerit. "Warmups have been fine, our attitude going out of the tunnel has been fine. We tend to use those types of things as more of a fuel to our fire."

A quick review of the U.S. team's body of World Cup work:

First the United States fell behind England, 1-0, in the game's fourth minute, then pulled out a 1-1 tie on a non-Gold Glove play by English keeper Rob Green.

Then there was the 2-0 first-half deficit to the Slovenians and their Christmas-tree uniforms, ending in a 2-2 tie after a dominating second-half performance.

And the referee from Mali taketh away what the goalkeeper from West Ham United giveth up.

That adds up to 0-0-2, two points, three goals scored, three allowed. The same record and point total as England, but with a two-goals-scored advantage.

And Algeria, with one point in three games, is as alive as the Americans are. A win and it could move to the second round, depending on that England-Slovenia match. And yes, a tie in that game and a win by Algeria sends the United States and England home early. (Don't forget, Slovenia still leads the group with four points thanks to its 1-0 win over Algeria.)

Algeria reached the World Cup through a miracle of its own. It lost its final African group-qualifying game in Egypt, after the team bus was attacked on the streets of Cairo.

Then in a special one-game, winner-taker-all playoff played in Khartoum, Sudan, the Foxes won 1-0, making them the 32nd team to qualify for South Africa.

Like all of the teams in this World Cup, its best players are sprinkled among teams in Europe, led by defender Madjid Bougherra, of Rangers in Glasgow, and Nadir Belhadj, who played with Portsmouth in the Premier League last season.

"It will be interesting to see how [Algeria] approaches the game," said Landon Donovan, who has been one of the best players through the first round of games. "They have no choice but to win. There are scenarios where we could tie and advance so their approach to the game would most likely be an aggressive approach to get a goal and win the game. On their day, they're a very good team."

And while the United States and Algeria slug it out in Pretoria, the English and Slovenians will be kicking it in Port Elizabeth.

The English players and coach Fabio Capello owe a huge debt of thanks to the brilliant antics of the French team, because their sideshow has been almost as hilarious, from the John Terry-led players' revolt about telling Capello who to play, to Capello's divulging his lineup only 2 hours before kickoff.

And that's without the WAGs being around; they were told to stay away until the second round begins.

So it's down to a must-win game for U.S. soccer. Win, and there will be another few days shivering in the Southern Hemisphere winter with much to celebrate; lose, and it's a long flight home and another 4 years of playing in obscurity.