Kaiserslautern, Germany ? They lumbered from end to end, desperate to stop the blue surge of Italian players and salvage their World Cup.

Two American players had been ejected. What could have been the winning goal was disallowed.

And in the end, with players dropping to the field in exhaustion, the United States managed a wild 1-1 tie Saturday night that gave the Americans their first-ever World Cup point in Europe and a chance to advance to the tournament’s second round.

They’ll need a win and some help, but the Americans are still players on the World Cup stage.

“This team is alive, and that’s where we wanted to be,” goalkeeper Kasey Keller said. “It was a total team effort, and those guys bled today for our country and our team.”

He wasn’t exaggerating.

Forward Brian McBride had three stitches on one cheek from a vicious elbow. Jimmy Conrad had cotton stuffed up his nose. A bandage covered where Landon Donovan received intravenous fluid.

“A roller-coaster,” Clint Dempsey called it.

USA goalkeeper Kasy Keller makes a save on a shot by Italy's Alessandro Del Piero. The teams tied, 1-1, Saturday in Kaiserslautern, Germany. Also in Group E, Ghana topped the Czech Repulic, 2-0.

Harshly criticized for lackluster and nervous play in their opener, the Americans came out strong, winning the ball and living in Italy’s half of the field.

But then Alberto Gilardino got behind the U.S. defense and headed Andrea Pirlo’s free kick past Keller in the 22nd minute. The Americans tied the score in the 27th when Italy defender Cristian Zaccardo knocked Bobby Convey’s free kick into the net as he tried to clear the ball before it reached McBride.

Then Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda began flashing red cards at a pace seldom seen in World Cup play.

First it was Italy’s Daniele De Rossi, just a minute after the Americans tied it. After the game he apologized for an elbow that split McBride’s left cheek. But after playing with a man advantage for 17 minutes, it was the Americans who were seeing red.

USA'S Pablo Mastroeni, left, is shown the red card by referee Jorge Larrionda.

First midfielder Pablo Mastroeni was sent to the locker room in the 45th minute for a tackle on Pirlo. Coming out of the locker room 10 against 10, it took just two minutes of the second half for defender Eddie Pope to get his second yellow card of the game for a tackle in which he got the ball first, then took down Gilardino.

“I think the ref ruined the game for us because we looked like the better team, and we wanted to win,” captain Claudio Reyna said. “Even with nine men, we pushed at the right times.”

But they were also on their heels – Keller saved the Americans with a pair of point-blank stops on Alessandro Del Piero in the final 20 minutes.

When the whistle blew, the American team went to a corner of the field to salute their fans.

“We gave everything, but it was difficult after the second red card,” Reyna said. “We gave everything at the end to get a point.”

Entering the day, it appeared the Americans would need a win. But in an earlier game, Ghana upset the Czechs, 2-0. The result complicated a group that after the first games seemed clear.

Italy (1-0-1) leads Group E with four points, one ahead of the Czechs and Ghana (both 1-1) and three ahead of the Americans (0-1-1).

For the United States to reach the round of 16, it must win, coupled with an Italian victory over the Czechs. Or Italy would have to tie the Czechs along with a U.S. victory by at least four goals – and maybe more.

“It’s very simple, we have to win,” Reyna said. “We have a super chance now.”