People's World Cup: ESPN Zone Explosive for USA's Winning Goal

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

ESPN Zone Explosive for USA's Winning Goal

USA fans at ESPN Zone in Anaheim celebrated in relief as "Man of the Match" Landon Donovan scored a late-winning goal June 23 in Pretoria. Algeria-supporters were nowhere to be seen at this Downtown Disney location. The sports bar and restaurant had absolutely no downtime as soccer enthusiasts showed up before 7 a.m. to claim a place in the two-story building. Anyone arriving at the start of the game could forget sitting down.

USA's Dempsey made the first big attempt to score about 20 minutes into the game, but it resulted in an offsides call, which in turn caused uproar that the goal was taken away from them again. One Yanks team player was hurt in the 25th minute. Algeria athlete Lacen was yellow-carded as USA's Altidore went down. A late yellow card awaited USA player Beasley in the 89th minute. Donovan managed to change the scoreboard to 1-0 USA with a tie-breaking goal in the 90th minute of the match. As the Group C winners have officially advanced to the knockout rounds, the African nation has stepped out of the tournament.

USA fans cheering on The Yanks

American reaction to USA's winning goal (shaky camera, but one gets the picture)

Rudy, from Claremont, was rooting for team USA and said the game was "a little brutal for 90 minutes [yet] all worthwhile." Nancy, from Orange County, thought the game was "hard to watch...but it was worthwhile in the end." When asked whether he wanted the USA to win the World Cup, Steven, from La Habra, replied, "That's the plan."

USA Fans Rudy, Nancy and Steven comment after the match

USA-supporter Robert Pedace, from Rancho Cucamonga, said the game was "really nerveracking...next time they shouldn't scare us like that and score in the last minute." Ricky Galdo is confident that the USA will win the tournament in his brave statement: "they shut the world up today." Ruben Mendez believes The Yanks will go far, saying, "We never give up, we play 100 percent and that's how we do...it's always been in history, read the books!"

Robert Pedace, Ricky Galdo and Ruben Mendez are overjoyed with USA's win

ESPN Zone will continue to be a top sports destination, having multiple TVs and breakfast for the early games. If one is seeking a large place without hopes of finding a seat, then the "Zone" is perfect for their World Cup viewing needs. All sports, from tennis to basketball, are broadcasted on ESPN for the "zoners" to catch all of the action.