Clint Dempsey feels badly that England goalkeeper Robert Green is being harshly criticized for letting in his goal in the United States' 1-1 tie with England.
``It's tough man,'' Dempsey said Tuesday. ``I mean, you're under such a microscope. And it's easy for people on the outside to really go after someone. Only like people who've been in those situations, been in those tough games really know what that's like. So that's part of what comes with the territory. So you've just to pick yourself up and keep on going.''
U.S. goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann, while elated that Dempsey scored Saturday, had mixed feelings. Hahnemann, the starter for Wolverhampton Wanderers, anticipated the reaction for Green, who plays for West Ham.
``You know what he's going to be going through back in England,'' Hahnemann added. ``They are pretty ruthless over there. So I knew he was going to take all the heat for it, no matter what. But that's the life of a goalkeeper ... there's no second chances really. Forwards, they miss 12 shots in a game and one goes in, and they're the man of the match, hero of the game. Sometimes you could look at it and say it's not quite fair for us.''
First choice goalkeeper Tim Howard should be fit for Friday's game against Slovenia.
Howard needed a painkiller injection to play the second half of the England game after Emile Heskey's boot landed in his ribs.
The U.S. Soccer Federation said Howard is expected to be available.
Slovenia opened Sunday with a 1-0 victory over Algeria. The U.S., usually a World Cup underdog, is likely to be a favorite in this matchup.
``It will be interesting to see how this game shapes up because with a win, Slovenia are qualified, so it's hard to know whether they're going to go all out and try to win or if they're going to be happy trying to get a point. We'll have to assess that,'' Landon Donovan said. ``In all likelihood, if we lose we're out of the tournament. That's the reality of the situation. As much as people put in the England game, this becomes a lot more important in that way.''
