by Scuba Steve Wed Dec 01, 2010 7:15 am
It would be too easy to pick one of the countless moments that I have had to live through via the television ('94, '98, '02, '06, '10 WC or many MLS matches). And there have been plenty of games that I have been to live which have been very special moments.
The one that stands out for me most recently though was the final World Cup qualifier last October. We had already clinched our spot in the World Cup, but we still had a chance to finish ahead of Mexico. Unfortunately, the day before the game, Charlie Davies, one of our two starting strikers, was injured in a car crash. It was a highly emotional night all the way around, but I met my brother up at the stadium for the game, and since we waited so long to get tickets, we ending up sitting alongside the Costa Rican supporters.
Despite having the better of the chances in the first half, we went into the break down two goals, thanks to two wonderful efforts from Bryan Ruiz (
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But we never gave up in the second half, when it seemed like we would lose the game, and Mexico would top the group. But a scrappy goal from my favorite player, Michael Bradley pulled one back for us with 25 minutes to go.
Despite the effort, it just seemed like it wasn't in the cards for us that night though. Chance after chance went begging, and a second goal just didn't seem to be in the cards. But in the 94th minute, Landon Donovan won a corner, that the much maligned Robbie Rogers sent in, and the much maligned Jonathan Bornstein headed home to even the score at 2. It didn't mean much for us in terms of qualification, but given everything that had happened, it was a wonderful moment.
