Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Most of the time, fans will get mad at their team for missing a penalty kick. This is especially true if the game is on the line in a highly competitive contests like a World Cup Final. That was not the case on Tuesday in Columbus.
Let me set the scene. The U.S. Men’s National Team was winning 2-0 against Mexico heading into stoppage time, and USMNT earned a penalty kick. Clint Dempsey stepped up to take it and ended up missing, but fans love him even more for the miss. In the end, USMNT clinched their seventh-straight World Cup bid.
Dempsey said post-game that he was fatigued and didn’t miss on purpose. In the immediate moment, it looked like he missed on purpose. Maybe he did, but it did not look like an obvious miss. While we will debate for days whether or not Dempsey missed on purpose, USMNT fans will love him even more. He preserved the historic “Dos A Cero” scoreline.
If he made it, then the United States wouldn’t have beaten Mexico 2-0 for the fourth time at Columbus. Additionally, USMNT fans would have had to learn how to say three in Spanish.
Unlike in most cases, Dempsey’s missed penalty had fans cheering instead of jeering. Whether or not Dempsey intentionally missed it or not, USMNT fans and the team had one heck of a party on Tuesday night in Columbus.
“Dos A Cero” lives on yet again as USMNT are now officially heading to Brazil.
Follow Phil Naegely on Facebook, Twitter @PnaegelyRS and Google.
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