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Thoughts on U.S. v Slovenia

I hugged a stranger, awkwardly. Maurice Edu had just been on the other end of a free kick, and connected with a beautiful shot, but it was called offsides. What do you think?



While the above was transpiring, the packed house at the Shebeen went crazy. We had come back from a 2-0 deficit, and had done so with style and pure offensive force. We fought and fought and fought and did not give up. How refreshing to see this, in any sport. Everything for U.S. soccer was on the line.

They rose to the challenge. They looked good and fought hard today, and if we don't make it through, this is a good result for the program long-term. That's the thing about the World Cup. It has such a long history yet to come, and every match is important. The Guardian called it "the most thrilling match of the World Cup so far" - that means we've arrived on the international stage.

We drew, which means that we're still alive. We have 2 points in the group, and need England to not win today. Then they would get 4 points, and with Slovenia having 4 points, it means they are in a much better position than us. There's a whole series of math questions that are only valid at this moment as I type this, waiting for England and Algeria to kick off.

I am going to root for Algeria today. This is so off from what I've ever expected to do in my life, but I want us to go through so badly because I think we can do so if we stay sharp like we did today. On paper, we lost, but Edu's goal was beautiful, and I'm confident we can go forward if we can defeat Algeria soundly next Wednesday at 10:00. I'll be at the Shebeen, most definitely.

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