With the United States needing a goal to secure a spot in the World Cup, it somehow made sense that it was Clint Dempsey who came closest to scoring it. The width of the goalpost was all the separated Dempsey from scoring a record-breaking goal when his country needed it most.
In some other universe, Dempsey’s left-footed shot skips off the wet grass, goalkeeper Adrian Foncette doesn’t get a hand on it and the ball nestles into the side netting. At the same time, Dempsey passes Landon Donovan on the USMNT’s all-time scoring list, and the USA advances to its eighth straight World Cup.