England goalkeeper Robert Green tees off at the Lost City course, in Sun City, on Sunday

Rustenburg: England was ready to celebrate Steven Gerrard, the captain of the national soccer team, when Robert Green, the goalkeeper, presented himself to be vilified instead. With his team leading the United States by 1-0 after Gerrard’s goal, Green handed a goal, and a 1-1 tie, to the Americans (as reported in Sunday’s Late City edition).

“It was a freak goal,” Gerrard said. “It could have happened to anybody.”

But Green will have to face the consequences. His mug shot will probably be on the cover of the unforgiving British tabloids Sunday, and he will be blamed for a disappointing tie against a scrappy and determined United States team.

In the 40th minute, Clint Dempsey received the ball in the center of England’s third of the field.

He spun right, taking Gerrard with him, then left, losing his defender and firing a left-footed shot that bounced twice and seemed to confuse Green. It hit him in the hand and trickled into the goal.

“It’s unfortunate for the goalkeeper,” England midfielder Frank Lampard said. “If they hadn’t scored that goal, there is no way I could see us losing that game.”

Even the Americans seemed sympathetic.

“You never want to see that happen to an opposing player,” Carlos Bocanegra, the United States captain, said.

“We feel bad it has to happen to one person, but we’re happy that we scored.”

The Americans were outshot by 16-11 and were saved several times in the second half by the stellar goalkeeping of Tim Howard.

He turned away dangerous shots from close range by Wayne Rooney, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Rooney again, in quick succession.

Howard’s performance only magnified Green’s gaffe and overshadowed his quick-witted tie-preserving save on the 20-year-old American striker Jozy Altidore in the 67th minute.

Altidore was able to get by Glen Johnson and Jamie Carragher on the left wing and rush the goal, shooting low and hard to Green’s right. He parried the ball into the post, and it bounced across the goal before it was cleared. After the game, Green was optimistic.

“At a younger point in my life, it would have affected me more,” the 30-year-old Green said.

“You turn around and pick the ball up out of the back of the net and say, ‘right, that’s happened, let’s move on.’ You don’t really kick yourself for the next 50 years.”

“The approach is not to let it affect you for however many more you play,” Green said. “That’s why you prepare mentally. It’s something where you’ve got to hold your head high, hang in there and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

The soccer-mad English have mixed feelings about the national team. They are alternately confident about its chances to contend for a title and resigned to the idea that they will be let down in the end. For misfortune to occur so early in the tournament is a bad sign.

While it was only the first goal conceded, in the first game, it cost England 2 points (the team earned only 1 for the tie) and left it on equal footing with the United States. Algeria and Slovenia, the other two Group C teams, will play Sunday.

“We have to get behind Rob Green,” Gerrard said.

“He’ll make a really important save for us somewhere down the line.”

If he gets the chance. Green, who had played only 10 times for England before Saturday, was a controversial selection to start over the more experienced David James, who has made 50 international appearances.

“I want to play in every game I can,” Green said. “I’m proud playing for the country, and I want to represent them as much as I can. I know I’m going to get flak for it, but so be it.”

“I have no excuses. It’s time to get on with it. That’s life.”

James, the veteran Portsmouth goalkeeper who served as a reserve, said it was time to rally around Green rather than start pushing for James to replace him because of one lapse moment.

“We need to get behind him,” said James, who himself earned the nickname “Calamity James” for mistakes in his career.

“There are 23 players and hopefully seven games. There will always be something you don’t expect. We got a draw out there. We haven’t lost.”