<a href="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/donovan.jpg"><img class="alignright size-full wp-image-742" title="donovan" src="http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/06/donovan.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="419" /></a>It was over…it was all over. The Americans were done. Fielding the most experienced and talented team in their history, they should have been going home early. Needing a win to advance out of group play and into the round of 16, the USA looked like they were headed for another disappointing draw and a plane ride home.

For 90 minutes the U.S. national team peppered the Algerian goalie with chance after chance, putting 7 shots on goal and having one disallowed on another bogus call. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoxbEK-FxXU " target="_blank">Here’s the clip</a> (in German). Then in the 1st minute of extra time, following a <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/34158?cc=5901&amp;ver=us" target="_blank">Tim Howard</a> save, his Everton teammate <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/19107?cc=5901&amp;ver=us" target="_blank">Landon Donovan</a> started the counter. He pressed the right side of the pitch, laid the ball to <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/75589?cc=5901&amp;ver=us" target="_blank">Jozy Altidore</a> whose cross found <a href="http://soccernet.espn.go.com/player/_/id/39928?cc=5901&amp;ver=us" target="_blank">Clint Dempsey’s</a> foot, then bounced off the keeper. Donovan was waiting, stalking the play from behind and put the ball in the back of the net for the most improbable and memorable goal in the World Cup to date. The leading scorer in U.S. history, Donovan emphatically solidified his spot as the country’s greatest player as well.

It was another late goal in a year of late goals for the cardiac kids. During the World Cup and qualifying, the U.S. has twice as many goals in the last five minutes than any other team in the world. The Yanks claimed the top spot in the group with 5 points and advance to the round of 16 with England (5 points as well, but less goals than the U.S.), who bested Slovenia 1-0 to earn second in group C.

It makes you proud to be an American, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTHxkIfnxTA&amp;feature=related" target="_blank">fuck yeah</a>!