GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAL!!!

Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes you work harder than the other team.

Other times the planets and stars align and there's no way you're going to lose. I happen to think this is what happened the United States yesterday in the World Cup. How else can you explain it?

It was the first time the US has shut out their opponent in the first half this World Cup, and the first time earning a clean sheet for the entire game in 19 games. It was the first time the US has earned points in their last group game in any World Cup. It was the first time since the very first World Cup that the US has won their group. It was the latest goal scored by any team at that point during this World Cup (later to be out done by an Italian goal in the 92nd minute). It was scored by the most veteran, most storied, and most successful player in US Soccer history.

Like the announcer said immediately following Landon Donovan's 91st minute goal, "You could not write a script like this."

Not only had the United States survived a shot off the crossbar in the 6th minute, but they had yet another goal taken away from them in the 20th minute. Fast forward past 70 minutes of gut wrenching near misses, persistent fouling of two American forwards, and near depression caused by the knowledge that unless the US scored, they were going home for the second World Cup in a row. Then everything changed in the span of about 15 seconds.

Tim Howard, the US goalkeeper, saved a shot from Algeria and immediately ran to the top of the penalty box and threw the ball to Donovan. He then raced down the field starting a 4 on 2 counter-attack. A pass out to Jozy Altidore spread the defense. Altidore then played the ball in to Clint Dempsey, who just got a foot to it before the Algerian goalkeeper could control it. The rebound rolled out slowly out to the six yard box, right in the middle of the field where it rested while time stood still.

Then magically, Jupiter caught up to Saturn and the rest of the planets and there appeared Donovan. As he said in his post game interview, "Can't miss from there." Donovan buried the ball into the left side of the net, and began celebrating. Much like the rest of the United States did at the very same time.

It was also reported that the internet reached a spike in usage immediately following Donovan's game winning, and group winning goal. CBS reported that the Akamai Net Usage Index, which measures internet usage, showed that the numbers spiked at 11.2 million people using the internet in the minutes following the goal. The second highest usage ever, less than a million short of the first day of the World Cup. But almost 3 million more than Barack Obama being voted president.

Donovan also said in his post game interview, "We embody what Americans are about." when speaking about the disallowed goal earlier in the match. "We can moan about it or we can get on with it.... We're alive baby." said Donovan. The determination and effort shown by the United States team will be exactly what they need to stay alive.

The United States team have their shortest time between games so far in the World Cup, playing Saturday against Ghana. Ghana placed second in Group D, after losing to Germany in their last game. If the US advance, they will play the winner of South Korea and Uruguay on the following Friday, July 2nd.

Lastly, I leave you with the goal commentary done by one of the most famous soccer announcers of all time. I might not be able to understand anything in this clip other than Landon Donovan, Altidore, and Estados Unidos, but there is the one word that is understood across all languages:

GOOOOOOOOOOOAAAL!!!

United States vs. Slovenia

I grew up playing soccer. I've played soccer as much as possible since I was about 4 years old. I've coached soccer. I've officiated soccer. I've played every position you can play in soccer. I've started. I've come off the bench. I've been to the World Cup before.

I've never in my entire life seen a game that was decided by the officials as much as todays game was with the United States and Slovenia.

When I was growing up, just like every other player in the world, I was taught that the ref doesn't control the game. The ref shouldn't determine the outcome. That I should play above the ref. All of these were said to me at one point or another by almost every coach I ever encountered in any sport I've ever played.

Yet today I'm stuck with the fact that the ref determined the outcome of a World Cup match.

There's no way around it. There's no changing that fact.

Going into halftime, the USA was down 2-0 and as I conversed with friends, we were all of the same mind. Its gut check time. Its time to pull your head out of your ass and play with pride. Its time to step up and say, "We're the United States. We came to play. You can't stop us."

A very short 3 minutes later, we scored. Landon Donavon, the all-time leading scorer in US Soccer history, drilled a shot directly over the Slovenian goalies head and into the top netting. Suddenly the USA was back in it, and had momentum oozing from their cleats.

The entire game changed with that goal. You could argue that it changed coming out of halftime, but if Donavon doesn't score that goal you have no idea how the rest of the half goes. When he broke through on the right side, looked at the top of the box for a teammate who wasn't there, then looked at the goalie... you knew.

Nearly 40 minutes and a couple heart attacks later, the equalizer.

In the 82nd minute, a long ball was headed down by Jozy Altidore and then Michael Bradley, Coach Bob Bradley's son, flicked the ball just past the goalie's outstretched hands.

At this point, the game was on very thin ice. It was a 10 minute scramble to the finish line. At this point, this was the best game of the World Cup so far in my opinion.

Then it got interesting. After the officiating had been merely frustrating for the first 85 minutes, it became downright awful on one play that would have changed the outcome of the match.

Landon Donavon plays a free kick into the box from the right side. Maurice Edu makes a great run, breaks through the bear hugs of the Slovenian defense, and connects on the cross, putting a volley into the back of the net to take the lead... Except that it was called back for a foul committed by the US attackers. The problem with this?

THERE WAS NO FOUL!!

Replays have been shown countless times across the world, and I've yet to find one person who agrees with the call. If anything, there should have been three other fouls called against Slovenia in the box, which would have given the US a PK, or allow the goal with an advantage call. Bradley was bear hugged from behind, Altidore was wrapped up on his run, and Dempsey was basically form tackled to the ground. Yet none of this was called. Instead the ref made a call that has yet to be explained, and won't be explained.

FIFA has come out and said that there will be "No Comment" about the call, and that the ref will not explain the call either. Millions of soccer fans across the world are left scratching their head, and the US fans are left wanting justice.

If this were Columbia in 1994, the ref might be stabbed in a bar. That's how bad the call was.

That's all I'm saying.

Conference Expansion Part 5: The Pac-16?

We've now had yet another conference claim that they want to expand. The Pac-10 has entered the expansion race, and have done so by taking the largest step yet.

The Pac-10 is trying to become the Pac-16 by saying that they would offer Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Colorado (with the possibility of Colorado being replaced by Baylor) a spot in the Pac-10. Adding 6 teams is the largest rumor to date surrounding the conference expansion talks.

And adding 6 teams would be the metaphorical "other shoe dropping" in the race to a super conference.

Going above 16 teams seems to scare everybody involved, but having 16 teams seems to be the foreseeable future for conference expansion. I first mentioned having 16 teams in my first ever post back in April. How close was I to the Pac-10's ideas of expansion? I had 5 of their 6 targeted teams included in the "Super West" conference.

So what happens to the rest of the Big 12? That's a little tricky.

Big 12 officials have reportedly given Missouri and Nebraska until Friday to decide if they want to stay in the Big 12, or move north to join the Big 10. You can bet that every Pac-10 official is waiting for that announcement. If those two schools leave for higher ground, expect a HUGE fallout in Big 12 country. I mean HUGE.

So big, that within hours I'd expect to see the Pac-10 make their offers official. Don't be surprised if the SEC follows suit and makes some offers of their own, probably along the lines of what we reported last month. Although the SEC seems content with their current format, and don't seem to be in much of a rush to expand, you can be that if the Big 12 is going to collapse, the SEC wouldn't mind picking up a couple pieces here and there.

So what about the other Big 12 schools? Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Baylor haven't been mentioned at all in expansion talks except Baylor being a possible replacement for Colorado. I think the Big 10 would step in and work with at least 2 of those teams, probably Kansas and Kansas State because they can reach a new market. Iowa State makes logical sense, but since when did anybody follow logic?

They follow money. Which is where this whole situation arose from.

You can almost blame all this conference expansion talk on the SEC and ESPN for signing the largest television contract for college sports ever. Each SEC school this year received $17.3 million in shared television revenue, which blows any other conference out of the water easily. If the Pac-16 forms, then you can expect numbers to reach the $20 million per school level, causing the SEC to either sit in contempt, or make a move.

As the Orlando Sentinel said, "Worst-case scenario, the Pac-10 pulls this off and the SEC still has the last four national titles and billions to count."

Yeah, I'll take that any day.

Celtics/Lakers NBA Finals

The NBA Finals start Thursday night. Did you even know that? Probably not. You might have known that it was playoff time, since the NBA Playoffs have covered 3 TV networks, and lasted since before Moses brought down stone tablets. And even after all the LeBron talk, the Durant hype, the Suns' black-eyes, the Magic's countdown of belly flop for 3, climb back up for 2, and belly flop again, we have what history tells us we should have had, and maybe the best option possible.

Another NBA Finals with the Celtics and the Lakers. The NBA's two most storied franchises. The two teams that have faced each other in the finals more than they've faced any other teams. Teams that could have their own Hall-of-Fames. Teams that have played each other in the finals in almost every decade for 50 years.

Here's my prediction first and foremost: Celtics in 6.

The Lakers have made Kobe into a superstar by making him the centerpiece in a revolving door of supporters. Shaq, Robert Horry, Pau Gausol (twice), Lamar Odom, and even former-rival Ron Artest have all been picked from other teams to come play with Kobe and become the next Jordan-Pippen-esque combo from Phil Jackson.

The Celtics have had Paul Pierce as their centerpiece, then in one fell swoop picked up Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to join the ranks, making the Boston trio a three-headed bean-town icon. Then they went and picked up ever nearly washed up star from other teams to join the ranks, like Rasheed Wallace and Nate Washington (who went from starter for the Knicks, to benched in Boston).

Two teams, with big name stars, and lots of history. Names like Kareem, Magic, Bird, and McHale. It's the East Coast vs. the West Coast. Old-fashioned defense and tough physical play vs. Jack Nicholson sitting next to the visitors bench to talk trash.

It should be a fun series to watch. I'm gonna start cooking some wings. You bring the beer.