U.S. 2, SLOVENIA 2

(06-19) 04:00 PDT Johannesburg --

finally, some controversy. Finally, some drama. Finally, a knock-down, drag-out brawl of a World Cup game.

All it took Friday afternoon to bring South Africa 2010 bursting to life was a U.S. team with a never-say-die attitude and a referee from Mali who saw something no one else did.

The result was a 2-2 tie between the United States and Slovenia in a match that the American players and coaches forever will argue should have ended 3-2 in their favor.

The dispute came late in the game.

Four minutes from the end of the pulsating encounter, with a fired-up U.S. team having come from two goals down to tie the score, Maurice Edu sprinted through a scrum of players to redirect Landon Donovan's free kick into the back of the Slovenian net.

Coming just four minutes after Michael Bradley had saved the day and possibly his father's job as U.S. coach by tying the game, the apparent goal seemed perfectly legitimate.

But as Edu was turning away to celebrate, referee Koman Coulibaly waved off the goal. He had seen a foul, apparently, even though no infraction was obvious apart from the usual holding and grabbing - most of it by Slovenians - and the goal was disallowed.

According to Donovan, several players asked Coulibaly to explain the call, which was reported by FIFA's official play-by-play as a foul on Edu.

"He just ignored us, or he didn't understand," Donovan said, noting that Coulibaly's first language is French.

Perhaps Coulibaly, working his first World Cup game, never will explain himself. By the rules, he doesn't have to speak to the media on game days, and his next availability isn't until Monday.

Thanks to England's 0-0 tie with Algeria, the United States still can advance to the second round with a victory Wednesday over Algeria. To do so, the team will have to start better than it did Friday. By halftime, it was trailing by two goals, having yielded one to Valter Birsa on a long-range shot in the 13th minute and another to Zlatan Ljubijanik three minutes before the half ended.

No one was more enthused coming out of halftime than Donovan, and he changed the match in the 48th minute. Taking a pass down the right flank from Steve Cherundolo, he homed in on goal and then fired the ball up and over goalkeeper Samir Handanovic to make it 2-1.

"I decided to aim at his head and I don't think he wanted to get hit," Donovan said of Handanovic, who flinched and turned away as the close-range shot came at him.

With spirits lifted, the United States continued to attack. For a while, it seemed as if Slovenia could withstand the pressure, but, with eight minutes remaining, it cracked. A Donovan free kick, a header by Jozy Altidore and a finish by Bradley made it 2-2 and set up the dramatic finale.

Reaction to the referee's decisive call came from all over.

Esteemed English Premier League coach David Moyes told the BBC that, not only was there no foul on the part of the U.S. players, from his vantage point, but there were probably two overlooked penalties committed by Slovenian defenders. "Shocking decision," Moyes said.

Enraged U.S. fans defaced Coulibaly's Wikipedia page. Sports journalists worldwide probed his credentials for evidence of incompetence.

Eric Wynalda, one of the most prolific goal-scorers in U.S. history, went as far as calling for an investigation into Coulibaly, who has officiated the African Cup of Nations five times.

The final word belongs to Bob Bradley, the U.S. coach.

"At the end of the day," Bradley said, "the tie keeps us alive, and that's the most important thing."

The Associated Press and Washington Post contributed to this report.

This article appeared on page B - 1 of the San Francisco Chronicle