U.S. Survives a Test of Time

So, Brandi Chastain was asked down inside the dank gray interrogation chamber beneath Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, what do you know about Andres Escobar?

Chastain is a starting defender for the United States’ Women’s World Cup team and, as such, had a pretty good idea this was not the best way to begin a postmatch interview.

Escobar was the unfortunate Colombian defender who accidentally kicked the ball into his own net against the United States during the 1994 World Cup--a goal that cost Colombia the match and, eventually, Escobar his life. Shortly after his return to Bogota, Escobar was gunned down by angry Colombian supporters, reportedly chanting “Autogol!”--Spanish for “own goal”--with each pull of the trigger.

Chastain was a fan in the Rose Bowl stands that fateful day during the summer of ’94.

“I was there when that happened in L.A.,” Chastain said. “That was devastating for him and his country and, unfortunately, his family.”

Chastain was asked if she thought about Escobar after she slid the ball into her own net in the fifth minute of Thursday’s Women’s World Cup quarterfinal match, giving Germany a 1-0 lead over a shellshocked Team USA.

“No, I didn’t,” Chastain claimed. “I knew in my heart that that goal wasn’t going to cost us the game. . . . I never had a doubt that we wouldn’t come back and score a couple goals.”

But who’d have fathomed it would be Chastain with the eventual equalizer, lunging in front of German goalkeeper Silke Rottenberg to bang a loose ball off the post and into the net, pulling the United States even again, 2-2, en route to a 3-2 victory?

For a few incredible moments, Chastain struggled to believe it herself. She looked at the ball resting against the webbing, then sprinted a few delirious steps before stretching out on the grass in front of the German penalty area and laid on her back, looking up at the heavens and thanking the gods of soccer for such a rarefied second chance.

Later, in the mixed zone, she thanked a few other people too.

“Thank God for Tony’s trust in me,” Chastain said of U.S. Coach Tony DiCicco, “and my teammates’ respect for what I’ve done over the years. They gave me the confidence to go out on the field and be the player that I can be and contribute to this team.”

An own goal in the World Cup. The worst nightmare a soccer player can have. Similar miscues on the world stage have torn apart teams, turned entire countries against players, ruined careers and, in the extreme case of Escobar, destroyed lives.

“In Brandi’s defense,” DiCicco said, “I’ve seen big-time players--I mean, big-time players--make that mistake, and they’re mentally out of the game. They just could not play any more. It’s a credit to Brandi that she came back and kept playing and scored that goal.”

It was, to be honest, quite a mistake. German midfielder Maren Meinert had sent a seemingly innocuous through-ball down the right flank, a long dribbler beyond the reach of forward Birgit Prinz. Chastain stepped in front of Prinz to shepherd the ball to either the end line or into the safe hands of U.S. goalkeeper Briana Scurry, but a quick burst by Prinz appeared to unnerve Chastain.

Scurry called for the ball, but Chastain didn’t hear her above the roar of the crowd until, as the defender put it, “it was too late.”

Without looking up, Chastain played the ball back to Scurry--or where Scurry had been a few seconds earlier.

Problem: Scurry wasn’t there anymore, having pushed up to ready herself to scoop up the bounding ball.

“I hit it,” Chastain said, “and the ball seemed to go in slow motion. It just trickled into the goal.

“I wanted to reach out and grab it with my hand. I couldn’t believe I had done that.”

Nor could 55,000 stunned spectators, who, according to Chastain, had been part of the problem.

“I just wish that I had heard [Scurry] say ‘Keeper!’ before I did,” Chastain said. “But I couldn’t hear her at first. By the time I did, I was hitting the ball, and it was too late.”

Scurry and Chastain didn’t exchange words after the play, although Scurry fired her teammate a what-in-the-world glare that was worth more than a thousand expletives.

“I was shocked,” Scurry said. “That’s never happened before. We’ve had one own goal in my five years with the team. We picked a fine time for the second.”

Scurry’s immediate reaction: “Oh, great.”

Chastain’s immediate reaction: “Now we’ve got to score two goals.”

Germany held a 2-1 lead for only four minutes of the second half, before the United States won a corner kick and Mia Hamm launched a lob toward the far post and German defender Steffi Jones made the mistake off trying to chest the ball down instead of heading it clear.

Chastain was there, eyes as big as moons, jumping on the ball and whipping it past Rottenberg.

“Ecstasy,” was the emotion Chastain said she was feeling as she flaked out on the grass. “Joy. It was like lifting a two-ton ape off my back. It was the biggest goal of my life.”

Chastain stayed there, on her back, for a few luxurious moments. It felt good to be down there. Rock bottom hadn’t been all that long ago.