USA! USA! USA!
by Lastrow on Jun 23, 2010 1:58 PM CDT
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PrintFacing the prospect of a draw with Algeria and thus the abyss that would be an early exit from the World Cup, Landon Donovan managed to put a Clint Dempsey rebound into the Algerian net and propel Team USA into the Round of 16 as the winners of Group C to boot.
I could talk about the numerous chances America's Team had throughout the match: Dempsey bouncing a shot off the post, Hercules Gomez not blasting it past the Algerian keeper, Jozy's numerous flubs.
I could even expound on how an elderly and visually-impaired D-Wade could have cost El Equipo de Todos (lit. "The Team of Us All", that's Univision's nickname for Team USA) everything but...
No.
This moment belongs to one of the greatest sporting moments I have witnessed, not just in the World Cup but throughout all sport. Yes there was Vince Young's unworldly performance against USC, Gibby's improbable blast off Eck back in '88, the Houston Rockets going back-to-back etc.
I have loved fútbol (soccer to some of you, football to others) all of my life, it is the sport I learned before I learned to walk. Being a native of México had a lot to do with this. Throughout the years, baseball, basketball and college football have take a large portion of the market share, but every 4 years, fútbol is king.
As has been extensively catalogued on these pages, I "live and die" with Mexico's National Team (El Tri) from the time World Cup qualifers start to such a time we find ourselves in now, the World Cup. Naturally, during qualifiers I root against the United States when they play my beloved Tri, but every other time I'm right there with Team USA.
Watching the USA-Algeria match today, my heart grew heavier with each passing minute as Team USA failed time and time again to get the ball past a stupidly grinning Algerian keeper. As stoppage time came and Algeria headed a dangerous ball towards U.S. keeper Tim Howard's goal, the flickering flame of hope waned...
Howard, arguably the U.S. best player, then sensed an opportunity and hurled the ball mightily towards a streaking Landon Donovan. I sensed something special was going to happen because this is exactly how he looked last year when he scored on a counterattack against Brazil in the Confederations Cup final.
They got down to the box, the ball ended up at the feet of Clint Dempsey and the hands of the Algerian keeper, who made a mighty save. The ball bounced right out off his hands and into the annals of history in the form of Landon Donovan's right foot.
Elation... Relief and Joy.
I may or may not have gotten a little-teary eyed at what I had just witnessed. I can say with certainty that this moment surpassed anything I've felt watching México at this World Cup. For me to say that...
What a country this is, where an Argentine (Andres Cantor) is calling the game on Spanish Radio and goes berserk calling Donovan's goal. So much so that he is unable to belt out his trademark "GOOOOLLLL!!!" because of the emotion of the moment.
What a country, where a Mexican fútbol/soccer/football chant, "Si se puede!" ("Yes We Can") is used to fuel an historical election, only to come full circle by being plastered on posterboard in support of Team USA (Photo by Phil Cole Getty Images) 
I don't know what this victory means for the future prospects of soccer in this country, and to be honest I don't particularly care.
Whether or not the sport ever gives baseball, basketball or American football a run for their money here in these United States is irrelevant, I'll watch fútbol either way.
Fútbol is king, and when it comes to watching your homeland (adopted or otherwise) at the World Cup, there is nothing like it. Here's a video of Landon's historic goal.
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BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
TOUCHGOAL!!!!
USA WINS FIFA!
That game was epic. They scored right as I completely lost hope. The narrative almost was, “USA cost advancement by two disallowed goals. Should FIFA do instant replay?”
But instead, we’ve got “USA wins group for first time in 80 years.” Brilliant.
I was with you until
You felt it was a better moment than Vince Young and the Natl Championship. To me, it isn’t in the same ballpark.
In the same league but...
I don’t think it’s a better moment than VY’s schooling of SC. Now, if either Mex or US wins the World Cup…
Same league???
Not even in the same hemisphere. VY scored a game winning touchdown against the best team in college football history (if they won) to win a national championship in the most dramatic fashion. The US beat an African country with nothing to play for to advance to the sweet sixteen, albeit in pretty kickass fashion.
I'm with Lastrow
That was one of the most magnificent sporting events I’ve ever witnessed.
You ain't hurt...
It was pretty awesome
It was a pretty amazing moment, but won’t crack top ten sports moments in my life. Honorable folks can differ though :-)
Clutch!
England was winning their match. It was a must win situation. USA had numerous shots on goal that just couldn’t find the back of the net. Algeria had a few hair raising runs at our goal that would have sealed our fate at anytime. Regulation tick tick ticking away…. Like me, who’s heart wasn’t in thier thoat in these final moments? 4th down and going for the coooorrrrner!!!! Donovan!!!!!!
me too
Never ask a man if he's from Texas. If he is, he'll tell you soon enough. If he's not, don't embarrass him.
Context
If this was a last second touchdown from VY to beat Kansas in 2004, then I’d agree with you: Great moment, exciting moment, but ultimately more of a “Phew” than a “Wow!”
But I think soccer is wrongly equated to football (lemon shaped one again) when it’s much more analogous to baseball in terms of the statistical dispersion of results. Especially because of the added threat of a tie (and what a tie would have meant for us in this situation), getting an outright win against a decent side (Algeria is ranked something like 30th in the world and we’re like 15th. This was no gimme) is much tougher than beating a decent team in football.
It’s more like playing one game against a good baseball team with the added stipulation that if you are tied after 9 innings you lose. Then imagine it’s 0-0 in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs and suddenly you get a double and an RBI single and win the game. And you win your division and go to the playoffs on that play. It was a big deal.
Also keep in mind that US soccer is not Texas football. We’re more like Texas basketball in terms of prestige and our recent ascent to semi-relevance.
Nothing to play for?
With one win, one loss, and one tie, Algeria would’ve had four points, and therefore would’ve advanced, no?
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
by burntorangehorn on Jun 23, 2010 9:05 PM CDT up reply actions
I agree
I yelled pretty loudly when Donovan scored. But when VY scored and we took the national title, I went absolutely nuts.
by TheElusiveShadow on Jun 26, 2010 11:38 AM CDT up reply actions
In order to compare this to VY's 4th down play
I think this would have to be US-Brazil in the World Cup finals.
But then again, it’s been 80 years since the USA has won its group, which makes it even more rare than Texas winning the NCAA championship. So maybe it is comparable.
Congratulations Though and Saludos
I do want to congratulate you though, and let you know that I have a tremendous appreciaiton for your rooting interest in the USA squad. I have worked in Mexico for 20 years, live in Mexico City now, and the vast majority of my friends are Mexicans and Mexican/Americans. Almost all of my Mexican/American friends have no rooting interest in the USA squad whatsoever – only the Tri.
BRILLIANT
Futbol can break you heart…thankful that it did not this time. GO USA…Good luck to El TRI.
Hooking em to a Another National Championship.
The world is not ready for Messi!
Say your prayers Mexico
by SneezyBeltran on Jun 24, 2010 12:13 AM CDT up reply actions
where is the mind bleach?
I need to erase that image from my head NOW.
Never ask a man if he's from Texas. If he is, he'll tell you soon enough. If he's not, don't embarrass him.
There is an eyebleach website, but I'm pretty sure its NSFW
Other Receiving Votes: Oklahoma
by pleaseplaykindle on Jun 24, 2010 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Tony Siragusa says Maradona is a complete fatass.
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
by burntorangehorn on Jun 24, 2010 7:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Good post
It’s not shown on your linked video but even a non-soccer fan such as myself has to appreciate Tim Howard’s outlet pass (right term?) out of our own goal to set the entire sequence. Must have thrown that pass 50 yards and hit him perfect in stride.
Goal indeed.
Yee-haw!!!
That was the infuriating thing about the FIFA feed
I am under the impression that all national broadcasts (including ESPN) are using the same FIFA feed, so this isn’t ESPN’s fault at all, but that was the one frustrating thing about that play — it wasn’t until an hour or so until after the match, as I was flipping back from what was probably 46-46 at Wimbleton at that time, that ESPN was able to show a replay which showed the outlet pass, since the live feed showed a close-up of the Algerian who just missed his shot rather than Howard’s pass. Howard had an even better one earlier in the match, hitting Donovan on the on the fly with a throw that landed at mid-field.
by Hopkins Horn on Jun 23, 2010 7:31 PM CDT up reply actions
This is why you should watch the game on Univision
I cant stand the stupid announcers for the USA, so I watch Univision. However, they also do a much better job with their camera angles, and relevant replays. I only know basic spanish, but it is still highly entertaining… the inflection of the announcers voice says all you need to know, and of course nothing is sports commentating is better than:
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLL!
^if the goal is for your team of course
In basic training, everyone went to church
Basically the choice in basic training is either church or extra cleaning of barracks. So I went to church. There was the protestant, the Catholic, and I think Jewish, Islam, and maybe a few others. I actually ended up choosing Hispanic protestant, and man, it was WAAAAY better than the one Sunday I went to regular protestant. Far more entertaining, and as with soccer, the inflection said everything one needed to know.
It would’ve been great to cap it off with:
DIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSS!!!
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
by burntorangehorn on Jun 23, 2010 10:26 PM CDT up reply actions
Agree 100%
The Brits ESPN was smart enough to hire this time around are solid. The guy who called the US game today got as emotional as you’re going to hear a Brit get when calling a football match.
That said, none of them come close to Uni’s Varsity, Pablo Ramirez and Jesus Bracamontes. Ramirez is a riot and his goal calls, though not as legendary as Cantor’s, are more varied and tailor made to each goal.
Angles
I thought all networks broadcasting the game shared a common feed (note the “FIFA” appear on the screen during transitions back from replays to live action). Otherwise who knows how many different cameras would have to be in each stadium. That’s why I’m not blaming ESPN for missing Howard’s pass.
I actually think ESPN is doing a solid job with the Cup — miles ahead of previous Cup coverage. The announcers no longer are speaking Soccer For Dummies.
That being said, I do have Univision on recall for the goal calls, especially for PKs…
by Hopkins Horn on Jun 23, 2010 10:34 PM CDT up reply actions
I will have to check on the angle tomorrow
But I think the camera is not quite as zoomed in as the espn feed. As to the specific instance of Howard throwing the ball to Donovan, I am pretty sure Univision did not cut to the other camera that was zoomed in on the Algerian players face.
As far as the future goes:
I couldnt have fathomed such a great grouping for the knockout stages. Versus Ghana, and then the winner of Uruguay/South Korea??? WOW.
Potential quarterfinal matchups
Germany-Argentina
Netherlands-Brazil
Spain-Italy
Uruguay-United States
One of these things is not like the other.
by Hopkins Horn on Jun 23, 2010 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Caught the game on ESPN3...
and was flipping back and forth between the English broadcast and the Arabic broadcast.
Definitely more entertaining with the Middle Eastern announcers, although they were clearly rooting for Algeria…they were still pretty excited when we scored at the end though :-)
On a side note...
I’ve been really impressed with ESPN3.com. Between the selection of events, the quality of the video, the signal, and the multitude of viewing options (PIP, custom Quad view, multiple language broadcasts, etc) it is quite impressive.
At one point I was simultaneously watching the Germany/Ghana game, the Australia/Serbia game, and the marathon Wimbledon match with no video skipping…
I've never lived...
…where I’ve had ESPN360/ESPN3 available. Grrr.
by Hopkins Horn on Jun 23, 2010 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions
Ill equate it...
… to Chris Burke’s homer vs. the Braves in the 16th inning. This was pretty special today.
Yes, good call...
but the ’Stros are one city with one fanbase. Team USA is representing an entire nation
How do the Rockets fit in with any of the other mentioned sports moments?
Michael Jordan was retired during these 2 years, hence the reason the Rockets won(worst period in NBA history, imo)…..sorry Greenspoint for insulting something from the city of Houston. I’m sure you’ll be offended
I beleive he was just talking about great moments in sports history
and you have to go throw in a jab at the Rockets championship seasons? Unnecessary
Well that's not a great moment in sports history....good post otherwise though
by SneezyBeltran on Jun 24, 2010 9:13 PM CDT up reply actions
On a personal level
I was recalling the sport moments I personally witnessed (through the telly) which left and indelible mark on my mind. Growing up in Houston, the back-to-back Rockets’ titles were pretty special to me.
great moments in sports history?
In the ‘93-’94 season, Olajuwon became the first and only player in NBA history to win the defensive player of the year, regular season MVP, & finals MVP in the same season. In the ‘94-’95 season, the Rockets became the first team in NBA history to beat 4 50-win teams in the playoffs (2 were 60-win teams), the first and only team to beat the top 4 teams in the NBA record-wise in a single playoff, the first and only team to overcome both 2-0 and 3-1 defecits to win a series, and the lowest-seeded team to ever win a championship (6 seed). Olajuwon also became only the second player in NBA history to win back to back NBA finals MVP awards, with the first being Jordan.
Worst BS ever..
I hate it when people always state that the only reason Rockets won their championships was because Jordan wasn’t playing. Bulls never really had an answer for Olajuwon!
He shoots...
and he scores! Every time someone brings up Jordan’s absence I make this very same point. When they Bulls and Rockets did play one another during this time, the Bulls had no answer, none for Hakeem. The Rockets at least had Vernon Maxwell who could at least keep MJ under 40 on a consistent basis
So you're basing this all off of one game?....
First of all, I will give you props for mentioning Mad Max, but let’s be real…..if the Rockets couldn’t get there, how would they have beaten the Bulls?
Nobody could hold Michael Jordan down in a finals
by SneezyBeltran on Jun 24, 2010 9:24 PM CDT up reply actions
This is all speculative...
Just like we can sit here for an eternity and discuss how different things might have been had Colt not gotten hurt, we can sit here and talk about the outcome of a Bulls-Rockets final back in the day.
I’m just going on how the Bulls with Jordan performed against Dream’s Rockets when they did meet up. Fate denied them meeting in the NBA Finals. Truth is we’ll never know how it would have played out.
I reject the whole asterik thing because it’s not the Rockets’ fault that MJ quit for 2 years. You can only do what is set before you.
Well nobody can question a Houstonian's allegiance to their city and its sports team
As one Houston fan put it, somebody had to win it. I guess we will just have to agree to disagree.
However, I do see your point in how that was a big point in your sports life. I remember watching the Cowboys dominate and win 3 Super Bowl’s(4 if it wasn’t for effin’ Barry Switzer’s dumbass!) and also watchin’ Jordan and the Bulls dominate during their 3-peats. I thought life was perfect after these teams won their titles and see how it woulda been pretty good to be a Rockets fan at the time.
Seriously, great post though!
by SneezyBeltran on Jun 25, 2010 5:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Record vs Jordan
At Hakeem’s prime, the Rockets were the only team with a winning record versus Jordan. As much of a mismatch Jordan would have over Maxwell, Elie and then Drexler, it was worse for the Bulls with Wil Perdue, Bill Cartwright and Stacey King.
Yes, you are right in the fact that Will Purdue, Bill Cartwright and Stacey King sucked.
As did Bill Wennington and Luc Longley…..no argument there, but outside of the city of Houston, most people would agree there’s a big asterisk that should be put beside their championships
by SneezyBeltran on Jun 24, 2010 9:37 PM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, it was crazy when winning those 6 championships....
The Bulls never had an answer for Olajuwon….right, and Grizzly Adams had a beard!
by SneezyBeltran on Jun 24, 2010 9:14 PM CDT up reply actions
The reason the Rockets won?
The Rockets were 5-1 against the Jordan-led Bulls during the Bulls’ first 3-peat & if Jordan doesn’t retire I’m betting the Bulls don’t significantly change a team that just won 3 consecutive titles. I’ll never say a Jordan-led Bulls team had no chance, but I also won’t let go unchallenged the assumption that the Bulls would naturally beat a team they were 1-5 against the previous three years.
Worse period in league history than right now?
The league is completely intolerable to watch. It’s about as interesting as cold spaghetti.
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
by burntorangehorn on Jun 24, 2010 7:29 PM CDT up reply actions
That goal was so special
that my entire city block went nuts. And to clarify, that’s a city block in Belgrade, Serbia where the USA has a public approval rating of approximately 14%.
Your Man In the Balkans
This is why
VY’s 4th and all can not touch this sporting moment.
Audio of Andres Cantor
Here is the link where you can here the audio call. It’s in Spanish, but the passion in his voice is magical.
by longhorn1997 on Jun 24, 2010 8:41 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs
Up next
So can the Americans defeat ghanaria, or will the Americans painfully piss away their opportunities against the irritating ghanarians.
Thanks for the post
I was starting to wonder if anyone here at BON was watching. (Hint: maybe we could have a live game thread? Not everyone is stuck in the office, you know.)
Anyway, I grew up in Corpus Christi back in the days when soccer was nothing in the USA. The soccer fans in Corpus were heavy into El Tri, so that became my team. (Seems to me back then they wore purple, but that could just be the drugs.) Nowadays, I suppose I have to root for USA first, but I still pull for Mexico.
Before you criticize someone, walk a mile in their shoes. If they get mad, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.
How about Kirk Gibson's big pinch-hit HR in the '88 series against the A's?
I think that’s the most dramatic and memorable World Series play I can remember, but I’m only 30.
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
by burntorangehorn on Jun 25, 2010 7:56 AM CDT reply actions
You damned abbreviators.
Translation: “my bad.”
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
by burntorangehorn on Jun 25, 2010 11:31 PM CDT up reply actions
He nicknamed..
Gibby’s improbable blast off Eck back in ’88
by vy til i die on Jun 25, 2010 10:49 AM CDT up reply actions
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