SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Canada played to expectation up until halftime. After that the game belonged to the upstart Americans. Brett Thompson scored a try in the 68th minute and Chris Wyles got a successful conversion to lead the United States to a 38-35 comeback win over Canada on Saturday in a Pacific Nations Cup mens rugby match at Bonney Field. It was the first time the U.S. had beaten Canada since 2009. Canada, which led by 10 at halftime, tried in desperation to get a try in the last two minutes of the contest, but the U.S. defence met them at every turn. "I think we were doing well up until then, but then we started playing poorly," said Canadas coach Kiernan Crowley. "We didnt make any tackles and you cant afford to do that and we cant afford to give away the amount of penalties that we gave away. It was just a pretty poor performance by us." Harry Jones led Canada with two tries, while Aaron Carpenter, James Pritchard and Ciaran Hearn each scored one. Pritchard added four conversions. Blaine Scully led the Americans with two tries. Danny Barrett, Wyles and Thompson scored the others. The U.S. made three conversions and Wyles had four off of penalties. The U.S. jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first half with a penalty kick from Wyles, and he added another moments later to make it 6-0 when Canadian scrum half Phil Mack was issued a yellow card. But Canada came back to lead 7-6 on a try from Jones and a conversion from Pritchard. Canada scored twice before the end of the first half and led with a 28-18 margin. Carpenter drove over the line with a powerful pick-and-go to bring the game to 18-14 before Pritchard dove on a DTH van der Merwe chip kick for Canadas second score before halftime. "They were scoring off our mistakes," said U.S. centre Folau Niua. "They attacked us really well on turnovers. But what I like is that we didnt panic. Our captain gave us a few words and that was to play together." Canada picked up where it left off, striking early on Jones second try of the night for a 35-18 lead at the 43rd minute of the second half. The Americans mounted their comeback by scoring the next 10 points before retaking the lead. Both teams played with intensity around the goal-line in the last two minutes of the match. But it was the U.S. defence that conquered the moment, which ended with Scully recovering a turnover and Niua kicking the ball out of play to end Canadas effort. "We werent clinical enough, its as simple as that," said Pritchard. "We gave away too much ball, werent strong in the tackle areas and our tackling was weak. There was a second-place finish in the PNC up-for-grabs and there were times throughout the game that we could have put them away and in front of their home crowd they fought back." Attendance at Bonney Field was sold out at 7,804 spectators. 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Kozun was hurt during Friday nights home game against the Red Wings and did not make the return trip to Detroit for Saturdays game.PITTSFORD, N.Y. -- Rory McIlroys chip for birdie on No. 18 dropped into the hole, and he dropped to a crouch with a fierce fist pump. Confident, intense, he looked like the defending champion at a major, the guy who won the PGA Championship by a record eight strokes last year. Ever since McIlroy found himself in danger of missing the cut midway through his round Friday, that player may have finally returned. McIlroy shot a 3-under 67 in tougher conditions Saturday to lift himself to the edge of contention. He was tied for seventh, six strokes behind leader Jim Furyk, heading into the final round. "It was good to feel the sort of rush again," he said. If he can feel it again Sunday, perhaps this will be the week that snaps him out of a seasons worth of doldrums. Through 11 holes of his second round, McIlroy was 4 over for the tournament. The cut wound up at 3 over. Since then, he has played 25 holes in 7 under. McIlroy was at 1 under for the tournament when he stepped up to the 17th tee Saturday. The final two holes have been the toughest to birdie at Oak Hill this week, but he did it at both, sinking a long putt on No. 17. "I probably made up at least 3, 3 1/2 shots on those last two holes," McIlroy said. "Making a birdie on 17 is like an eagle," he added, "and thhen to follow it up with another on the last is even better.dddddddddddd" Coming into the day, he did what he always does when he finds himself in a similar situation: He reminisced about Quail Hollow in 2010. McIlroy was two shots over the cut line with three holes to play in the second round when he made an eagle to stick around for the weekend. Then he shot 66-62 over the last two days for his first PGA Tour victory. "It gives me a bit of confidence knowing that Ive been in that position before and Ive been able to win," McIlroy said. "I know this is a major championship and its a bit different, but I felt good enough about my game that I could go out there and post a good one today and at least give myself a chance going into tomorrow." He has yet to win in 2013 and shot just one round below 70 in his first three majors of the year. Two days after he appeared headed toward missing the cut at the second straight major, he has an outside chance at winning his third. "To play like that on this golf course and do what I needed to do yesterday just to make the cut, and then to go out and play the way I did today, its been a good stretch of holes," McIlroy said. "Ive got another 18 to play, and hopefully I can just keep playing the way I am." ' ' '