Grant Wahl noted that when John O'Brien scored against Portugal, St. Phil began to cry. My fellow Brooklynite William Smith, reports in Wahl's latest column that he has holding his daughter and became very emotional. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/inside_game/grant_wahl/news/2002/12/20/soccer_mailbag/ I reacted by immediately hyperventilating. My wife and I were watching the game in our bedroom, and I jumped up, pointed at the TV., and all that came out was "Ahahahahahah! Baahahahah!" I was waiting for the goal to be called back. Not that I thought it was not a correct goal, but that I just KNEW the ref would call it back. It was not! "AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" I then called some friends watching in Washington. All that came out was "AHAHAHAAH!!! BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" My wife took the phone, carefully explained that I was having a heart attack, and wondered why she had to choose another soccer fan as a husband. What was your reaction??
I had talked a non-soccer fan friend into coming to a bar with me to watch it. I had given all kinds of disclaimers (there might not be anyone there, we are probably going to get killed, etc). Of course, the place was packed and we barely got a table despite showing up an hour before the game. When JOB scored, the whole place exploded, I hugged my friend, I hugged a stranger at the next booth, and when the initial hysteria had faded a bit, the whole place broke out the U-S-A chant. It was a tremendous feeling.
I was sitting at home that morning, waiting for the match...then about a minute before the match, my wife (she is Italian) calls me on the cellular phone from her job, talking all sorts of smack "Let's see if you guys can stay within 5 goals...remember that Italy destroyed Ecuador...We've already had a better WC than USA will have..."etc She's really letting me have it... Then I hear her coworkers in the background mocking me "USA! USA! USA!..." So she passes the phone to a coworker...match kicks off... If you remeber the very very beginning of the match Portugal had the ball for the first 2 minutes, we never touched it...so the guy is like.."So you guys gonna ever get the ball? This is pathetic...Can you guys even beat Saudi Arabia?..." Then Hejduk kicks it off of Rui Costa and ball goes out...Friedel kicks off...foul on McBride..Stew takes the free...out for corner..stew takes corner...GOAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I go ape$hit...drop the cell phone run around the house...after a minute or so...i pick the phone back up...the wife is back on...."Well at least you wont get shut out she says".... So i hang up and watch the match... Costa's own- goal comes up later...again another little scream/freak out session/dance around the house...I manage to find the phone, and call her back up.... "How about them apples!?" I yell...she has no words... I hang up again...and then 6 minutes later, McBride heads in Sanneh's cross and I lost it...I was still going nut's about 3 minutes later, and didnt even realize that Beto had gotten one back...I tried calling her back, this time no answer When she walked in the door that night, first she had to see my big a$$ USA flag hanging from the terrace...and after she saw my still smug face...she walked straight into the kitche and made herself dinner...she never said a word the rest of the night
Shock. Complete and utter shock. I couldn't scream at 5 in the morning, so I just kind of ran around a bit. I didn't call anybody until the third goal But I do admit that I thought, OK, now we've made them mad. I think the other shoe always drops, so I refused to allow myself to get really excited until we went up two.
To be honest, I can't remember. It's all a blur. I do know I was extremely happy. By the time McBride scored, I was glassy-eyed with delirious bliss. I seem to remember fists being straight up in the air, and something about running around the room. I was watching on my TiVo, so I was just a little bit behind live time (a few minutes), so I called my then-fiancee and just yelled 'goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooool!' into the phone after one of 'em. Not sure which!
If you want a good read...go to the "other" soccer board and read the full USA-Portugal match thread...unfortunately the bigsoccer thread has been lost, but that one is just as good... Since it's not "kosher" to post that link here, If you want to read it PM and I'll send you that link...12 pages of a great read
i was at my friends house in boston and we were screaming and jumping up and down. when i left to go back to my own house, i drove through the portuguese section of cambridge with my flag draped over the roof of my car and i just kept beeping on my way down the street. greatest feeling ever!
My sister-in-law was visiting, and she woke up a little bit before the game and came down to watch it. ESPN was showing the very end of their replay of the first Hurricanes-Red Wings game, which the Canes won, so I started my tape and caught the overtime. When JOB scored, I did the silent scream...mouth open, exhaling tons of air, making a hissing noise. My sister-in-law was laughing...I'm sure out of joy. She couldn't possibly be laughing at me. I did the gator after the McBride goal. I thought so, too. But as the half progressed, we kept creating good chances, better than the Portuguese. One thing that really struck me was how sloppy and slow their backline was. After McBride scored, I remember thinking, OK, we've won. SoKo sucks, and they beat Poland. So we ought to win this group. That would put us up against the #2 team in Mexico's group, probably Mexico. So that means we'll probably make the quarterfinals. Beto's goal brought me back to planet Earth.
I remember a little spilt coffee and my bagel hitting the floor as I jumped up out of my chair (at home) and I'm sure there was some dancing as well. I had a big sh!t-eatin' grin the rest of the way until Beto scored and then Agoos scored (doh!) and I began to pray that we would hold on for the tie and get a point!
I stumbled out of bed and on the coach right when JOB scored the goal. I rubbed my eyes and watched the rest of the game in sleepy shock. After the game, I called my dad and yelled WE WON WE WON WE WON WE WON Damn, that was a great World Cup.
Well, I have stated this once before on the boards. But I had gotten a couple of friends who lived in different cities geeked up about soccer, who are normally fans of sport, but not soccer in particular. On the day of the match I belive that I was sleeping in between the earlier match and the US match. WEll, my friggin alarm clock doesn't go off, for god knows what reason. I am awoken five minutes into the game by my friend from Austin yelling Goallllllllll USA.......... I then realized that the game had started. Turned on the TV. Sat down. And scratched all the gook out of my eyes. When I saw the score, I told my friend (acting) that it was a hell of a goal. Even though I didn't see it. They then showed a replay and I said this was sweet. We then watched the entire match on the phone. Got to love the free cell phone service at the wee hour of the night. So my first reaction to the O'Brien goal was, crap my phone is ringing. My second reaction was to lie and say that it was exactly what I thought the US would do. Upon seeing the reply, I just sat there in awe.
Ah the memories...... Screaming my lungs out, into a pillow, in the middle of the night. The dog must have thought I was trying to eat the thing. O'Brien's goal, and all our celebrations, can be best described by the three words which epitomize the beautiful game. Tension and Release.
I don't rememberthat much about the first goal --- jsut a mixture of shock and happiness. There was more of that on the own goal. The feeling after the McBride goal, when I realized that we would likely win the game, and might do so by posting a 5-0ish shellacking, was just otherworldly. It was strange b/c i never really expected something like that. Maybe in 2014 or something, but not 2002. The goal I really went apes**t over was the mathis goal against SK. I was absolutely jumping up and down b/c I thought it might be enough to win, and it indicated that we didn't just have a single good day against a napping Portuguese team. The SK tie honestly may have been the most impressive result we had in the tournament. Thinbk about it. We tied a semi-finalist at home in a game that would have clinched a spot in the round of 16 for them.
According to my friend, who had called me to remind me the game was on, I made a sound like "aaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH" when O'Brien scored. Sachin
Beginning of the game - "Please God, keep the goal difference down". JOB goal - Reacted like I was hit with a 2 by 4. Pure astonishment. Own goal - Another shock. Thinking now about a tie. McBride goal - Pure elation. Running around the apartment. Finally thinking about a win.
I was at the game, and the ten seats to my right were empty... I ran back and forth about five times yelling my head off, then jumped into the row behind me and gave another fan a bear hug (much to her husband's irritation, I think). I then did a little jig. Life was good. Repeat two more times.
JOB's Goal I was in a movie theater which was part of a Planet Hollywood in Sydney, Australia. There were people from all over the world there, and the games were all on primetime TV. In the front row of the theater there were some Portugal fans wearing their colors yelling at a news broadcast on the big screen before the game. When the news broadcast showed some news involving the US, the Portugal fans booed saying that Americans don't know anything about football! They were speaking French and I could understand what they were saying including the curses during the Star Spangled Banner. When JOB scored, I covered the huge grin on my face. I didn't want to celebrate this bump in the road of what would most definitely be a come from behind win or draw by Portugal. I think only the Portugal fans were more shocked than I. By the third goal I remember some dude in front of me say, what is happening? The Portugal fans left the theater before me and I tried not to grin too wide as I left the Planet Hollywood passing them on the way out.
By that time in the morning, I already began to have a hangover.... I thought we got a lucky break, and the game was not over. A lot of things could still happen.
I was watching the game with my two sons (13-10). When JOB scored we all were high fivin' in pure astonishment. When LD scored off of the deflection I was in shock that the US was up 2-0. After McBride headed in the third goal I jumped up and muttered "Oh My God, I can't believe this". The boys both looked at me with a strange (Dad is freakin' us out) look and said, "Dad are you alright, relax it's just a game." I sat and for the next few minutes with tears running down my face wondering if I will EVER forget this moment. The phone began to ring from friends and family who had the same reaction as I. The boys still bust my chops about my reaction but I don't think I will ever forget the way I felt that morning. Just remembering the day gives me chills!
I remember predicting to a friend at work that the US would: beat Portugal, tie SK and beat Poland, taking first place and facing and eliminating Mexico in the second round. I didn't predict anything beyond that. Well, I didn't do too bad in that dept. I was thrilled when job scored. I knew the US were capable of doing it, but who knows whether the scenario you see is going to pan out? I remember thinking "they're going to do it, oh my God, I can't believe I was right!" Watching my team's opening game (Brazil) was a lot more tense because we had to come from behind and missed plenty of chances. The big thrill for me in that game was watching Ronaldo score. Against the US it was just a great thrill through and through... knowing they were going to play to their potential.
I went over to my brother's house to watch it with him...he's not really a big soccer fan but he said that he "had a feeling" about the match and invited me over to watch it with him. He's got a two year old, so we had to be quiet so we wouldn't wake my sister-in-law and my neice. When JOB scored, I had to get off the couch and run around and I yelled "Oh my God!!!" really loud and then I had to quiet down. Then I realized how early it was in the match, and was praying to God for the US to hold on, while also wondering when Portugal was going to storm back and win the game.
There were about 10 people at our house. Half of us were upstairs, half downstairs. Eggs and hashbrown breakfast was being prepared upstairs. The goal occurs before b'fast was ready. I was downstairs doing this little jig, others were jumping up and down, others just screaming. Then everyone downstairs ran upstairs to celebrate with the others. At that point, it was "at least we're avoiding total embarrassment," mixed with "I hope this doesn't wake up Portugal." The second goal was more of the same, except I thought "I don't care what happened to England two years ago. We're at least taking a point now". I started eating after that. Then here comes Sanneh overlapping on the right. At this point my friend decides to be sarcastic, "Oh great, here comes another wonderful cross from Tony Sanneh." In fact, it was 3-0! I just twirled away from the couch and started laughing. Incredulous would be the right word to describe the siutation. I then asked my friend "Who sucks?" He replied by giggling out "Tony Sanneh!!!" After the game, I went outside running around and screaming. We decided to stop after about a minute of this to make sure some idiot didn't decide to call the police (people running around screaming at 5:45 in the morning is not a usual occurrence in my neighborhood.) It was the earliest I ever had a beer. I was the only person in our house that didn't have to go to work or was too tired so I was able to watch the Ireland/Germany match. Little did I know that Keane's late equalizer would be the last goal Kahn let in until the final.