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What was your favorite moment of the World Cup?

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With the 2010 World Cup in the rear view mirror and 2014 on the horizon, we're left to reminisce about what happened in South Africa. 

The month long tournament gave us many moments to celebrate that will remain with us for many years to come. From the rise of Germany, the fall of Italy and the Reign of Spain, each of the 32 teams gave us something special. With that in mind, we ask the question, what was your favorite moment of the World Cup?  

Was it Donovan's goal over Algeria, The magic of Diego Forlan and Uruguay or Spain's first ever World Cup triumph or something completely different?

Feel free to discuss in the comment section below.

Comments

  1. My favorite moment was the realization that my 8YO son was recording EVERY SINGLE GAME on the dvr and watching EVERY SINGLE SECOND of every match.

    The world cup ended too soon for hm, and he was excited to watch the USWNT play Sweden yesterday; today he watched two more games (U20 cup).

    I’m a youth soccer coach. I’m an American. And I LOVE SOCCER.

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  2. The second half of every US match…but specifically Donovan vs. Algeria…one of my all-time favorite sports moments

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  3. I was at the Algeria game….that Donovan goal and subsequent celebration was quite possibly the craziest thing I have ever witnessed in my life….just unreal.

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  4. In addition to the on-field actions: Reading a whole string of comments about the world cup, and barely a sour note among them. For all its problems, for all the second guessing of coaches and players: man, I love soccer!

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  5. i gotta say i had the same thing happening to me. people asking me what a yellow card means, and what the likley hood of the us advancing. it was awesome…… hopefully we dont have to wait another 4 years for the people in this country to pay attention to our national team

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  6. 1. Landon’s goal against Algeria

    2. Edu’s goal against Slovenia, before I realized the ref screwed up and disallowed it.

    3. The 3rd place match. That’s how a final should go. All action, laying it all out there with the star players delivering.

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  7. As much as I loved Landon’s goal(s) (and Bradley’s, that was an amazing put-in) I have to say my favorite moment was watching Ghana crash out the way they did, which I considered karmic payback for the horrible way they conducted themselves in the last 20-30 minutes of the game vs. USA

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  8. Non USA moments:

    Paraguay misses penalty

    Spain misses penalty minuts later

    Pedro hits post, ball rolls out to Villa whose shot hits the same post, bounces to the other post and then finally goes in.

    The whole thing was almost a comedy.

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  9. Besides LD’s miracle goal and all good things US. I will always remember the Germans putting on a clinic at the hands of the mouthy and classless Argentines (Messi and a few others excluded). To watch Maradonna’s face and “coaching” after each German goal was classic. Also Brazil’s despair after losing to orangy orange.

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  10. You took the words right out of my mouth, MikeyG. You needed to watch the full game to fully understand the magnitude of that achievement. The final score did not do any justice to that game. It’s by far one of my best memories from our participation at WC2010.

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  11. 1) Looking at the group standings realizing for the next four years we get to take the piss out of the overrated, overpaid wankers from Engerlund.
    2) The irony of Robben realizing his only non-flop of his entire career probably cost his country the title.
    3) The knowledge that a headbutt to the chest is a red card, but a Kung Fu kick is only a yellow. Ricardo Clark, Pablo M., are you taking notes?
    4) the best team winning

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  12. I was at a wedding ceremony in a park under the Brooklyn Bridge for most of the Ghana/Uruguay match, but my son and I managed to duck out just after the “I do’s” and find a bar. We got there just before the Suarez hand ball. It was so much fun seeing all that drama unfold in a crowded setting. I’d go with Landon’s goal against Algeria first, and then the Ghana/Uruguay denouement. Bradley’s goal was also awesome. The U.S. wasn’t the best team, but they certainly provided some of the best moments.

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  13. Wolf Blitzer on CNN an hour ago telling CNN viewers that he is now into soccer

    Donovan Algeria Goal

    Donovan Slovenia Goal

    Bradley Goal

    Ghana/Uruguay

    & the fact that we are still talking about these moments has me a bit teary eyed now

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  14. 1- Algeria game. I spent the entire second half certain we would not score and realizing that I had not planned for this and was trying to come up with things to do to fill then void and not feel so dammed god awful and then in the middle of all that Landon scored and the bar I was in, where everyone else appeared to be doing exactly what I was doing, experienced that stillness that you get in the second or two after you’ve seen two cars hit each other,that total hush and then the bar, and everyone in it, went insane.

    2- The end of the Uruguay-Ghana game. As soon as Suarez got the red, I don’t know why but I was 1000% certain Gyan would miss that penalty and when he did I knew Ghana would lose in OT especially if they went to penalties

    3- Anything Forlan did in the knockout rounds. He immortalized himself with his “Get on my back and I’ll carry you through!” performance. And he did it with such class and grace. No whining and no acting. It’s hard to believe there is any more respected player at the moment.

    4- Donovan’s roofer in the Slovenian game. I thought the goalkeeper was in fear for his life. I knew then we would come back.

    5- DeJong’s ode to kung fu fighting. I simply did not believe that anyone would do that in a World Cup final for no really good reason. It was just so surreal that any pro would be that stupid and he got away with it too! This was closely followed by Dempsey’s insane elbow to the head of that Slovenian player in the first 5 seconds or so of that game.

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  15. Donovan’s goal against Algeria is easily the greatest moment of my soccer viewing career. 100 times better than Bornstein’s header in the 93rd minute against Costa Rica last October.

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  16. Hearing that Juergen Klinsmann was named as the next US Soccer coach! Oops, sorry premonitioning of that future moment.

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  17. Finding the video on Youtube of people across the countries reaction to Donovan’s goal against Algeria. Realizing the country had shifted and was watching! Still gives me goosebumps.

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  18. I am welling up just reading all of these great memories here…

    I was not able to see the 2nd half of the USA – Slovenia game because of an important business meeting. I knew the USA was down 2-0 and figured well the boys just didn’t have it and went into the meeting pretty despondent. However, at about 11:15 AM Eastern Time my cell phone starts ringing. This was a big no no as I was supposed to turn it off for the meeting and I forgot. I quickly apologized and turned it off but glanced to see the call was coming from my wife. I knew she was watching the game so I had this feeling that the USA had done something magical but I couldn’t here her message and know what happened for another 45 minutes. The meeting dragged on for what felt like an eternity. When it ended I politely bolted out of the building and listened to the most passionate, happy, ecstatic, glorious message ever from my wife telling me the USA had done the unthinkable and came back to tie the Slovenians. I fell in love with my gal all over again and will cherish her message and the USA-Slovenia game forever!

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  19. Unfortunately, I heard the whistle after Donovan had sent the Free Kick in, but before Edu hit it into the net, so I knew it wasn’t a goal. I was actually screaming at my friends that the goal was disallowed since they were celebrating. I was so pissed the rest of the day, that the only thing I can compare it to (sports-wise) was my Cubs choking in the 2003 NLCS.

    My Favorite moment(s) Donovan’s goal vs Algeria and Bradley’s goal vs Slovenia (which I was crying after too). Also, I was in a bar for the US/Ghana game and after we got the PK and converted it, the whole bar started chanting, “USA! USA! USA!” That was awesome.

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  20. I would say final 20 minutes of Slovankia/Italy or Tshabalalalalalala’s goal. Greece/Nigeria was pretty good too. Same with Ghana/Germany.

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  21. “Crying guy”. Classic!

    Somewhere i read/heard that the “crying guy” was found and interviewed…on espn?

    anyone heard of that?

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  22. Donovan’s goal was incomparable, but the USA supporter crying in the stands after Bradley equalized against Slovenia was pretty special.

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  23. It took me at least two minutes to realize the goal had been called back. We were still on a high from Bradley’s goal, so we just completely lost it on Edu’s. I’ll post the video we have of it at some point. It cuts off before we realized it didn’t count, but the jubilation was unreal.

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  24. It took me at least two minutes to realize the goal had been called back. We were still on a high from Bradley’s goal, so we just completely lost it on Edu’s. I’ll post the video we have of it at some point. It cuts off before we realized it didn’t count, but the jubilation was unreal.

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  25. Donovan’s goal against Algeria. My friends and I would have cried in our seats if we had not gotten the win. It was the most amazing cathartic feeling ever when that goal happened. We lost our minds in the stadium. I hugged 20 random people. I don’t even remember the ball going in the net, and I was stone-cold sober. I will never, ever forget that experience as long as I will.

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