Boy, that was fun, wasn’t it?

Not the 86 minutes of sheer terror. That wasn’t fun. Neither was Jozy Altidore going down with injury, or Matt Besler coming out at halftime, or Asamoah Gyan causing all kinds of problems for the already-suspect United States Men’s National Team back line, or the perpetual turnovers going forward or the shambolic performance by the USMNT’s best player and lynchpin Michael Bradley, or the mistakes that led to the inevitable-seeming equalizer, or the abject sense of existential despair that accompanied the thought of, “Not again. Not to Ghana, please. Not again.” 

But the 86th minute corner from Graham Zusi, right over the head of American centerback Geoff Cameron, right to the head of flying German-American substitute centerback John Anthony Brooks, Jr., into the net for the winning goal right when all hope seemed lost? That was fun.

And the sight of Brooks wheeling away more in sheer disbelief than celebration, collapsing to the ground in shock, embraced by Icelandic-American Aron Johannsson, and the absolute insanity of American fans in the stadium and all over the USA and all over the world after it happened? That was fun.

That was more than fun. To paraphrase ESPN commentator Ian Darke for the umpteenth time, that was incredible. You could not write a script like that. 

That win was the greatest payoff an American fan could have asked for. Sure, the USMNT was abjectly terrible from the minute Altidore went off – the 23rd if you were wondering – and hardly had a sight of goal after Clint Dempsey put the team up after only 34 seconds. Bradley will have to be much better going forward, and coach Jurgen Klinsmann will be hard at work figuring out what changes the USMNT will need to make without Altidore. But, despite all the reasons the U.S. had for dropping the win, they gutted it out, and that, more than anything, is encouraging.

The last-gasp winner (or equalizer) has become something of a trademark for the USMNT over the years. Think, for example, of Landon Donovan’s goal over Algeria in the 91st minute during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. Set pieces, too, are an American cornerstone. So many goals have come off corners and free kicks over the years, dating back to Eric Wynalda’s 28-yard free kick against Switzerland in 1994, and well before that. Klinsmann promised a new style of play for the USMNT, playing more proactively and with more attacking prowess, and, to an extent, that has been the case. But I’m glad to see the US hasn’t forgotten it’s roots – downward headers from set pieces.

The USMNT didn’t look great this match, but still, cling to hope. Bradley won’t continue to be that terrible. Whoever Altidore’s replacement is next match will be more prepared to take on his role than Johannsson was on Monday, although Johannsson was far from terrible. In fact, his passes were a revelation, and he looked calmer and more creative than nearly every other player on the field. 

So let’s do it all again on Sunday against Portugal. This time, though, maybe skip the 86 minutes of sheer terror.