The England coach: Fabio Capello was giving guidance during the game

Fabio Capello last night refused to give gaffe-prone goalkeeper Robert Green a vote of confidence.

The England manager praised his response to the error which gave the USA a draw, but stopped short of guaranteeing him a place against Algeria in Cape Town on Friday.

Ledley King will miss that match, after suffering an adductor muscle injury that resulted in his substitution at half-time.

“I will speak with Green, and after that I will decide," said Capello. “He made one mistake, but in the second half he made some good saves.

“We have to accept that goalkeepers make mistakes. That is football. The ball moves a lot. But the mistake was a mistake.

“I do not regret making a late decision on my goalkeeper. Green played well in our last match at Wembley. I saw the fighting spirit of England tonight, the spirit of the team.”

Tim Howard maintained the convention of the goalkeepers’ union when he leapt to Green’s defence.

“The balls here do some silly things, and we are the ones who will suffer,” he said. “I feel sympathy for him, but to be a goalkeeper you need to have broad shoulders.”

Capello also revealed he substituted James Milner after half an hour because he was worried the Aston Villa midfield players would pick up a second booking.