U.S. tops Algeria 1-0, advances in World Cup

The U.S. beat Algeria 1-0 on a thrilling, last-minute goal to advance to the Round of 16 in the World Cup. Landon Donovan knifed the ball past the lunging Algerian goaltender in the 91st minute to cap a back-and-forth game in which the U.S. missed several scoring opportunities.

PHOTOS: Dramatic goal gives U.S. a berth in Round of 16

The thrilling win lifts the U.S. to the top of Group C after England defeated Slovenia today -- also 1-0. The United States and England tied with five points, though the Americans have the advantage in goals scored, 4-2.

The U.S. will play Saturday at 2:30 p.m. against the second-place team from Group D (Ghana, Germany, Serbia, Australia). Ghana leads the group with four points and faces Germany, which sits in second place with three points. Serbia (three points) takes on Australia (one point) in the other game. All four teams have a shot of advancing.

 

Click into our live blog below from the game to read about all the action and, of course, the game-winning strike from Donovan ... 

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UPDATE (9:30 a.m.): The U.S. starting lineup has been announced and it's obvious head coach Bob Bradley wants the quickest starting XI out there. Herculez Gomez will get the nod up top alongside Jozy Altidore instead of Edson Buddle.

Jonathan Bornstein will start at left back and move captain Carlos Bocanegra to the middle. Oguchi Onyewu has been benched.

Bradley will be crucified in the press and amongst U.S. supporters if the Bornstein move doesn't pay dividends. He's not exactly a fan favorite and didn't impress during a series of friendlies heading into the World Cup.

Altidore -- Gomez
Dempsey -- Edu -- Bradley -- Donovan
Bornstein -- Bocanegra -- DeMerit -- Cherundolo
Howard

If the U.S. wins, it qualifies for the Round of 16. If the teams draw, the result of the England-Slovenia game, which is going on simultaneously on ESPN2, will determine which two teams advance. A loss means the U.S. flies home a failure.

Entering the game, Slovenia (1-0-1) leads Group C with four points while the United States (0-0-2) sits in second place with two. England (0-0-2) follows with two points and Algeria (0-1-1) owns a point, but can still advance with a win and some help. The U.S. holds a 3-1 "goals scored" advantage over England, which could come in handy should the two teams finish tied in the standings.

If two teams tie in total points, the tiebreaker system is as follows: 1) goal differential 2) goals scored  3) head-to-head  4) Drawing of lots.

Team          pts        GD       GS

Slovenia      4           +1         3
USA             2           0          3
England       2           0          1
Algeria         1           -1         0

Be sure to share your thoughts and questions, either on the live blog or in the comments, below.

PHOTOS: Meet the Americans | World Cup highlights | U.S. 2, Slovenia 2 | U.S. 1, England 1

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