If you never knew what it’s like to go from despair to elation, you could have found out by watching this morning’s U.S.A. versus Algeria soccer game, our team’s third of the World Cup.

With England running ahead of Slovenia in a match being played simultaneously, team U.S.A. was threatened with elimination from the tournament unless they could produce a goal and win. The U.S. did score a goal in the first half, but the referees wrongly disallowed it with a bad offsides call. As the final seconds ticked away, it seemed that a 0-0 tie would mean the end of America’s involvement in South Africa 2010.