SOCCER

Tuesday was a monumental day in U.S. soccer history.  The game between United States and Algeria was an instant classic.  Here’s the story:  The United States controlled their own destiny going into the game — beat Algeria and they’re through to the next round.  They could also advance with an England/Slovenia tie, but winning was the way to go because England is a very strong team and since England was playing at the same time as the US, the players had no way of knowing if England was winning, losing or in a tie.  Well, England easily won their game, so it was up to the US to win to move to the next round.
The U.S./Algeria game was tied 0-0 throughout.  The U.S. even kicked a goal, but it was ruled off-sides (even though a replay clearly shows that it WASN’T off-sides and should have been a goal).  Then, mid-way through the second half, Clint Dempsey missed an easy put-back that would have given the U.S. the victory.  Unfortunately, time was ticking away, and U.S. fans were losing hope.  It looked as if they weren’t going to score a goal and would be going home.  All the United States soccer hype would quickly be extinguished.  Then, it hit the 90-minute mark, and the refs awarded 4-minutes of extra stoppage time.  These minutes are usually meaningless, but then an odd twist of fate happened.  Jozy Altidore burst down the field and passed for a shot on goal.  The goalie deflected it, but then U.S. captain and hero, Landon Donovan,  swarmed in from behind and put the ball in.  GOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!  It was purely a miracle — a miracle that keeps the U.S. in the Cup.  In fact, they won their group outright and will face Ghana in the first round of the Knockout Stage (meaning it’s all win or go-home now).  Ghana is a winnable game, and if they win, they would take on the winner of Uruguay and South Korea (also beatable teams).  The U.S. has a relatively easy path to the Final Four of the World Cup, which would be unprecedented in U.S. soccer.  This is beyond exciting!!!  United States 1, Algeria 0.

TENNIS

In Wimbledon, history is also being made.  A match between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut set the record for the longest match in tennis history.  Most matches last between 2 and 3 hours.  This match is at 10 hours — and it’s still going!!!!   In tennis, you have to win your final set by two games.  Well, they are currently tied at 59-59, and had to be postponed because of darkness.  The match will continue Thursday.  This is absolutely insane!  They’re just going and going and going and nobody can get ahead.  If you have a chance, watch some highlights from the match. These two players are giving it their all…sliding across the court, running at full speed. It’s incredible to see such determination and stamina.  It all continues Thursday, and who knows how long this thing will go on.