diversion: late score seals the win

believe it or not, not everyone is talking about it

You know the setting … late in the high stakes match a guy on the visiting team scores in a most improbable fashion just a few ticks of the clock before the game ends. His club’s fans marvel, while the home fans grumble, or shuffle out in silence. Great sporting events can do that. Of course I am talking about Brad Evans’ first international goal for the US men’s national soccer team Friday night, scored during stoppage time against Jamaica to give the US a win they’d seemingly wrapped up earlier, only to surrender a tying goal very late in regulation time.

Not everyone is talking about it because almost no one could find it on television late Friday night. A CONCACAF qualifying match for the 2014 World Cup, yet it was largely absent from American teevee! I happened to be following along with match reports while bouncing around the ‘net, so saw the late US lead at 1-0, then the heartbreaking tie at 1 in the 89th minute, then the very improbable goal by Evans to give the US the lead 2 minutes into 4 minutes of extra time. The US now sits pretty, with two home games coming up that should secure their position in The World’s Greatest Tournament next year.

For those of you who thought I was talking about the French guy hitting this shot against The King with 23.99 seconds gone on the shot clock, here is a bonus link from Slate last year about the steady Spurs and the (gasp) hypocrisy of American sports fans. Everyone is talking about that goal, of course.

© Sandy Mattingly 2013