KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- For nearly 91 agonizing minutes, the 2,000-plus fans crammed into the Power & Light District in downtown Kansas City waited with bated breath.
As chance after chance passed the US National Team by, the nervous energy pulsing through the crowd steadily ballooned. By the time the 60th minute rolled around, the jersey and flag-clad supporters began chanting, “U-S-A,” seemingly willing their side on to the next opportunity.
WATCH:RECAP: USA 1, ALG 0
While time slowly trickled away and all seemed lost, Landon Donovan finally found the ball and his ensuing goal sent everyone into convulsions of joy and relief and the US into the round of 16.
Phillip Gomez and two friends were still breathless minutes after the dramatic victory went in the books and put the Americans to the top of Group C, granting them a rematch with Ghana on Saturday.
“Dude, my heart is just racing,” Gomez said. “So many chances, but we just couldn’t get it in the goal. We pulled it off, and that’s all that matters.”
It was certainly all that mattered to the hundreds of fans who jumped up and down wildly and embraced each other after narrowly avoiding elimination.
Even the Wizards players joined the masses on Wednesday morning, sharing in the festivities that included a packed courtyard and a yet another boisterous watch party hosted by the American Outlaws at Johnny’s Tavern.
Team captain Davy Arnaud said the game and the last-minute finish amounted to one of the most intense games he has ever witnessed.
“Credit those guys,” Arnaud said. “They kept grinding and kept pushing. In the end, they got what they deserved. It was unbelievable.”
The support in Kansas City was unbelievable as well. As each minute passed, more and more supporters gathered, each praying that the national team wouldn’t suffer a premature exit at the hands of another questionable decision by a referee.
Matthew Marcus, waving an American flag in addition to a getup that included a patriotic top hat, said he fell in love with the team during last summer’s Confederations Cup and considered his support a matter of national pride.
“This is the Unites States on the biggest stage in international sports, period,” Marcus said. “I’m going to be right there supporting them.”
And while Marcus furiously waved his flag and others celebrated incredulously, Arnaud said the victory and the ensuing scene in downtown Kansas City represented a shift in the momentum for the game in America.
“Scenes like this,” Arnaud said, “are going on all around the country. It’s amazing for US soccer. What it’s doing, you can’t describe in words because people see the passion and that’s going to carry over.”
That passion may not have manifested itself had the US not advanced. But with their first group title in the modern era and millions of Americans uniting behind the cause, Gomez said mainstream America can’t help but take notice of a team that, like the crowds behind it, refuse to give up hope.
“I knew we had to win this game to market soccer,” Gomez said. “Because we did, I think we are going to see it on the news, and the country is going to find out [that] this is an environment you can’t get anywhere else.”
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