I figure an instant reaction to this amazing 1-0 victory would be appropriate.  I’ve never seen a team work as hard on the offensive side yet fail to get that last touch in the net.  I could go back and probably criticize certain players, but as a whole I thought the U.S. played a tremendous game.  Jozy Altidore was all over the field, making runs, fielding crosses, creating opportunities for others.  Although Clint Dempsey didn’t have his best game, his determination amid a series of elbows to the face and takedowns was an inspiration to the entire team.  To add to that, Dempsey’s disallowed goal, which by the way was seen to be another questionable call at best, should have given the U.S. the lead in the first half.  Defensively, the team did what it needed to.  Algeria did have a few solid goal scoring chances, but Tim Howard and company held strong and kept the ball on Algeria’s end for most of the game.

Michael Bradley played like a leader today.  The way he dominated the midfield shows just how strong of a player he is going to be.  Bradley constantly disrupted the Algerian attack and offensively was the catalyst for most of the charge. 

This praise would not be complete without talking about the hero of the match, Landon Donovan.  Donovan was quiet for much of the game with the exception of some well-placed set pieces.  However, in the 91st minute when it seemed that all was lost for the Americans, Donovan followed an Altidore shot and a Dempsey tip and drilled the ball into the back of the net for the winning goal.  Very fitting for America’s best player to save the team from another World Cup collaspe.

Words cannot really express how intense and emotional the game was today.  The turn from hopelessness to jubilation was something soccer fans will remember for a long time.  In one of the most important games in U.S. soccer history, the Americans gave us a show and in the end proved that soccer might be here to stay.