JOHANNESBURG — The moment referee Koman Coulibaly of Mali waved off Maurice Edu's goal in the 85th minute, which would have given the USA a win against Slovenia, there was disbelief, then outrage.
No one except Coulibaly, presumably, knew on whom the foul was called on and what the transgression was. The U.S. players pleaded and protested. "He couldn't, or wouldn't, explain," midfielder Landon Donovan said.
The Americans would have to live with a 2-2 draw Friday, a result that would allow them to live another day. England helped the Americans' cause in Friday's late game with its stunning scoreless draw with Algeria.
The USA will advance to the knockout round if the Americans defeat Algeria on Wednesday. A USA draw and an England loss to Slovenia on Wednesday would allow the Americans to go to the next round. They also could advance if they tie and England ties as long as the USA maintains its two-goal scoring edge.
Slovenia (1-1-0) leads Group C with four points, followed by the USA (0-0-2) and England (0-0-2), who have two points each. The top two in each four-team group advance to the knockout round.
Fourth-place Algeria, making its first World Cup appearance in 24 years, is considered the weakest team in the group and has yet to score a goal in its first two games.
When the game ended, U.S. players, coaches and officials said that their cellphones had exploded with text messages from friends and family who had the benefit of replay.
U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said the federation will ask for an explanation of the foul, but added, "They're not required to tell us."
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The Americans had come back from a 2-0 deficit at halftime in one of the most dramatic games in the tournament thus far. Though it was the greatest comeback in U.S. World Cup history, the focus afterwards was on a goal that wasn't.
"What I heard was that there were three fouls in the box, all against Slovenian players," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said.
The play began with a Donovan free kick to an onrushing Edu. Replays showed several U.S. players wrapped in bear hugs as the play unfolded.
Couilibaly, 40, who ironically was born on the Fourth of July and was refereeing his first World Cup game, began to signal the foul just before Edu struck the ball.
"To be honest, I don't really know what the call was," Edu said. "I didn't see anything wrong."
In a sport in which much is left up to interpretation, officials aren't required to explain their decisions. "Well, I'm a big enough boy to know that's never going to happen," said goalkeeper Tim Howard, when asked if officials should be held more accountable.
Afterwards, there was frustration. "I'm a little gutted to be honest," Donovan said moments after the game. "I don't know how they stole that last goal from us."
But largely, from the team's perspective, there was resignation. "In the midst of the game it's rare a ref at that moment will give you an answer," Bradley said. "At the moment you are frustrated, but that's the way the game works sometimes, so you move on."
Slovenia, the smallest of the 32 nations in the tournament, took the lead in the 13th minute when Valter Birsa buried a goal as Howard stood frozen. "I lost sight of it," Howard said. "The pace he hit it with, it was a very good finish." Then Zlatan Ljubijankic scored on a counterattack in the 42nd.
With the USA 45 minutes away from likely elimination from the tournament, Donovan took matters into his own feet.
Three minutes into the second half, Donovan streaked down the right side and neared the right side of the keeper's box. He thought about passing, then decided to "aim high and aim at his head." As he unleashed a shot full of fury, Samir Handanovic flinched.
"I don't think he wanted to get hit there," said Donovan, who was named Man of the Match. With the goal, the USA was back in the game.
In the 82nd, midfielder Michael Bradley provided an early Father's Day present when he right-footed a shot past Handoanovic for the equalizer. On the play, Altidore knocked a header in the middle of the penalty area as Bradley rushed in. "Jozy did a great job of getting into position to knock it down in a space where I was running," Bradley said.
As the USA enters its final group game, plenty of concerns remain, none of which involve a ref from Mali. Starting forward Robbie Findley got a yellow card in the 40th minute for a hand ball in Slovenia's penalty area, an automatic suspension for the Algeria match because he also was cautioned against England.
And once again, the USA was nearly derailed by a slow start. Donovan credited the team's "American spirit" and added that "not too many teams could have done what we did."
But can they continue to count on such comebacks as the tournament progresses?
"We seem to play better from behind and that's gotta change," Howard said.
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