GOOOAAAL!

Donovan's Injury Time Goal Sent USA Fans From South Africa to the White House Into A Frenzy

There are times when I love my borderline comical inability to predict an outcome right before the end of a game.

I mean, for ever thousand or so "Holy cow we can pull this off!" predictions that I end up being horribly wrong about (I used to be so ecstatic about my fortune telling job prospects), there occurs events such as those which just transpired on the ol' pitch.

Oh yeah. Say it with me people, "Group Champions."

I was but 3 minutes and 15 seconds away or so from an impassioned post about how, well, for lack of better phrasing, we must be cursed. How the soccer gods were conspiring against and laughing at U.S.A. soccer, and how we had once again been doomed by suspiciously one-sided "faulty officiating."

That was till Donovan rocketed the U.S.A. team from barely eliminated to the one seed of Group C. That was till one kick changed the fate of a team who appeared to have all the odds stacked against them. That was till I realized how happy I am knowing that no matter how good of a fan I may be, I'll probably never be any good at sports betting.

If you'd ask me at that moment, I woulda swore the backspace button had a cushion on it given how good slamming it down and deleting that post felt.

Now I'm not going to go proclaiming us as the next greatest soccer team in the world (especially given my stellar prediction record). I'm not even going to spend a ton of time writing about this (too late). I'm just glad U.S.A. Soccer reminded me of why I love rooting for the underdog so much. Because even after I saw slow starts, shots hitting the post, marginally missed opportunities and ,to say the least, shoddy refereeing, I saw a team, our team, come up big when it mattered most.

I can't wait to be the higher seed in the next round, even though it'll be no surprise when they still refer to us as the underdogs.

Think they'll be surprised to learn that's just how we'd want it?