Redstate Sports

By Pejman Yousefzadeh Posted in Soccer — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »

Victory is theirs:

On any day in any setting against any opponent, U.S. national team midfielder Benny Feilhaber's goal would have been hailed for its brilliance -- a volley from 22 yards that blazed into the left side of the net in a blink of an eye. "Maybe it's one-in-a-thousand that you score that goal," teammate Landon Donovan calculated.

But when you consider the opponent (Mexico) and the environment (a sellout crowd of mostly Mexican fans at Soldier Field), the stakes (a regional championship known as Gold Cup) and the reward (a berth in a global event), Feilhaber's hefty swing of his right foot that produced a 2-1 victory will perhaps take on mythical status in this ever intensifying rivalry.

U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra called it "a special goal for a special game."

Special indeed. Congratulations to the American team. And let's hope that it enjoys more such successes--the better to place soccer on the map for Americans and to place American soccer on the map for the rest of the world.