John Brooks, a player on the U.S national team, born to an American serviceman and a German mother, scored the late winner in the 86th minute of his country’s opening match against Ghanaon Monday night.
The decisive goal sealed the U.S. triumph over the Black Stars, who had beaten the American squad in two previous World Cups.
Brooks who had earlier predicted that he would score the late winner could hardly believe the feat he has achieved. He however described the game-winning goal as a literal dream come true.
According to him, “I told some teammates that I would score in the 80th minute and win the game and I did it in the 86th minute. The dream was two days ago, and it was also a header from a corner.”
The 21-year-old defender executed a perfectly timed header from a corner to grab the lead against perennial World Cup opponent Ghana. The game was Brooks’ first competitive match with the senior national team and his debut at the world’s most watched sports tournament.
The Berlin native had spent the entire first half of the match watching from the bench before he was brought in to replace Matt Besler, star defender who was struggling to shrug off a hamstring injury.
Jürgen Klinsmann the U.S. coach and former World Cup winning German striker, said “He played his first World Cup and scored in it. It was quite a special day for him.” The 6-ft. 4-in. center back has been playing for hometown club Hertha Berlin since the 2010–11 seasons.
Brooks first joined the ranks of the U.S. national team when he played with the under-20 outfit in a stinging loss to Paraguay in 2010.
The defender says the decision to play for the Stars and Stripes came naturally, even though he could just have joined the superstar-filled German squad thanks to his dual citizenship.
WhatsApp us