US coach say ‘we were robbed’

US coach Bob Bradley said his squad was robbed of a World Cup victory over Slovenia on Friday by Mali referee Koman Coulibaly wrongly ruling out a goal that saw the match finish in a 2-2 draw.

Coulibaly disallowed a header from Rangers midfielder Maurice Edu in the dying seconds that would have given the Americans a victory. Instead, the US squad recorded their second successive draw in Group C.

“I think it was a good goal,” Bradley said on Saturday. “The only things that could be called would be (Slovenia fouls leading to) penalty kicks for us.”

Coulibaly did not indicate exactly why he disallowed the goal to the US coach or his squad.

“You don’t expect an answer,” Bradley said. “Typically things on the field happen fast. This isn’t something referees would talk about a lot.

“You can speculate all you want about which guy. There was nothing there. It was a good goal. That’s that.”

Slovenia lead Group C on four points while the United States and England have two, and Algeria have one after drawing 0-0 with England on Friday.

The Americans face Algeria at Pretoria on Wednesday at the same time England and Slovenia meet in Port Elizabeth.

What could have been a sensational American triumph, their first ever in World Cup history in a game where they were trailing, instead became a draw that might cost the US team a place in the last 16.

“The team as a whole had a strong response to the disallowed goal,” Bradley said. “I end up feeling badly for the team and for our fans. A 3-2 comeback win giving us a chance of advancing would be something that would be special for everybody.

“It didn’t happen. We put it beind us. We understand that if we win our last game we can still win the group. We have moved forward.”

FIFA rules allow no appeals process. The US squad has not asked for any official comment from Coulibaly regarding his decision.

Asked if FIFA should force referees to explain their decisions as US sports leagues require, Bradley said football is simply a different sport than American counterparts.

“FIFA operates differently. Football is a different game,” Bradley said. “Some aspects of it are not made 100 percent clear. That seems to add to the discussion about the game. For us, we get used to that.

“You just move on and get ready for the next game. I don’t think about it more than that.”

One thing that has some people thinking about is what would happen if the Americans and England draw again and the English score twice to level the goals scored tie-breaker, forcing a drawing of lots to decide a spot between England and the US team in the last 16.

“I don’t think anyone really wants that to be honest,” US defender Jay DeMerit said. “It should never really come down to things like that. There is still a lot of soccer to be played between all four teams.

“We have to take care of business on our end and make sure it doesn’t come down to that.”