Thumbs Up – Abby Wambach’s Goal as Called by Gus Johnson
There’s nothing quite like the thrill of the World Cup, either men’s or women’s tournament. The number 1 sport in the world is on the international stage as countries fight to lift the coveted trophy. This past weekend, as you may have heard, the USA Women’s National Team pulled off a stunning comeback victory against highly talented Brazil.
Playing down one woman for 50+ minutes and down 2-1 in the final minutes of the second half of overtime, the USA team needed a last minute savior to keep their hopes and dreams alive. And, they received just that as Megan Rapinoe played a perfect left-footed cross which just missed the outstretched hands of the Brazilian goalkeeper and connected with the head of Abby Wambach, a clinical and perfect header to tie the game at 2-2 and force the game to penalty kicks which the USA eventually won.
In such a dramatic victory, when you watch the clip and replays you can’t help but get goosebumps as you hear the sound of the ball hit the back of the net and the whole stadium erupts in applause. The only way to make this moment even more dramatic is with the help of THEE Great Gus Johnson. He actually wasn’t there to call the game; however, someone had the great idea to overlay one of his NCAA basketball game winning calls on the replay. I’ve add the original call as well for comparison.
The edited Gus Johnson’s version of the goal:
The original call and commentary by Ian Drake and Julie Foudy:
