Closing thoughts after Wednesday’s amazing night in South Africa
– That was a rare "I was there" moment in U.S. Soccer, or an "I remember where I was when …" moment. Michael Bradley’s goal last week was probably another. Before that? I’d say John O’Brien’s stunner in the early moments against
– The margin between big success and horrible failure is ridiculously thin. If anything happens along the route to Landon Donovan’s goal, everything looks so much different right now. This team stinks. It’s a poorly constructed side that went winless at World Cup 2010. Not a single win against a relative tame group! Bob Bradley loses his job, for sure. And everybody looks at these players, individually, in terms of what they couldn’t accomplish.
As it is, this is the team that went undefeated in the first round! Landon Donovan is a beloved hero and … hey … wait a minute! This really is like that damn Nike commercial! Just like it. Write the future, indeed.
– Do you realize this is the first World Cup match since 2002 that the
– As I said on Facebook immediately after the game: People who don’t like soccer enjoy making fun of the passionate goal celebrations. They don’t understand how folks can get so bed-wetting excited about one little goal. Well, today, I think a lot more people understand.
– No one needs to get ahead of themselves here, but the path to the semis is wide, wide open. That doesn’t mean the
– Finally, I think "Landycakes" – a really silly nickname branded on Donovan by people who don’t know any better – is officially dead. Donovan bashers have now seen the man go grande in the English Premier League and score twice at the World Cup amid some bright play all the way around. If that’s not enough for the Donovan downers, well, I don’t know what will be.
