Dramatic U.S. win unleashes flood of emotions

All of them might not have known who Landon Donovan was before yesterday, but that didn't stop fans across the nation from celebrating one of the biggest victories in United States soccer history.

Donovan's deciding goal at the World Cup in South Africa united die-hard soccer supporters and casual observers, leaving all of them shouting, singing and sobbing tears of joy in bars, restaurants and office cubicles from coast to coast. One of them, Carl Witkowski, said he has cried only three times in his life.

"When I got married, when I saw my son was born," said Witkowski, who wore his blue No. 17 Jozy Altidore jersey while watching the match at the Highbury Pub in Milwaukee. "And today."

The 1-0 victory over Algeria saved the Americans from elimination and set up Saturday's second-round game against Ghana.

Walter Bahr, who played on the 1950 U.S. World Cup team that beat England, 1-0, watched at his home in Boalsburg, Pa. Bahr is the father of former pro soccer players and NFL kickers Matt and Chris Bahr.

"I thought it was one of those games where they couldn't buy a goal," Bahr said. "They certainly had enough opportunities - a little here and a little there - and they just couldn't put it in the net."

Then Donovan finally rifled a rebound into the back of the net in stoppage time.

"That was terrific," Bahr said.

It led to an explosion of joy at places like the Highbury, a soccer-themed bar in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood.

"If you imagine an atom bomb dropping, imagine 30 of them going off at once in the 100-foot radius," Alan Bykowski said. "Except they're atom bombs of joy!"

Witkowski said this game was about more than just sports for him.

"We have a team that plays with heart, and really is the best representative of our country," he said. "They embody the American spirit. Who expected us to win in 1776?"