World Cup: U.S. Advances to Round of 16

Apologies for not posting a game thread for the US - Algeria game; I was crashing through a bunch of work after several days off so that I could watch the game without distractions.

Anyway: RESULT! The US put their supporters through 90 minutes of agony in the form of missed goals and occasional defensive lapses before Landon Donovan came through with the goal on the rebound from a Dempsey shot in extra time. I'm surprised that west coast readers didn't hear me shrieking like a banshee from my basement. It was all the more satisfying because Clint Dempsey had a perfectly good goal ruled out on an incorrect offside call in the first half, and the US was missing more from close range than a myopic one-armed rat catcher. The US went from starting to think about what they were going to buy from the duty free on the way home to being group winners at the death of the match.

The best part of this result of the US winning Group C is that they will next play the second place team in Group D; it's unclear until later this afternoon whether that will be Germany or Ghana, who are second and first in the group and late in a goal-less first half as I type this.

So, the next US game is Saturday 2.30 EDT / 11.30 PDT. Go USA!