It's fashionable to bash soccer in this country. We mostly hate it. Don't get it. Stick our noses in the air. We're soccer snobs. And most Americans only hate soccer because much of the rest of the world likes it. Well, if you didn't like the penalty kick orgasm that was the United States' victory over Brazil on Sunday, you are not only soccer phobic, you don't have a freaking pulse. You're the walking dead.

That was, so far, the best moment in sports in the past year. It was better than watching LeBron James get punk'd or the World Series or even the Green Bay-Pittsburgh Super Bowl. In fact, I've covered about 15 Super Bowls, and this game was more exciting than some 90 percent of the ones I've seen.

There is no grand statement here about how soccer will take more of a foothold now thanks to the excitement of what the U.S. women are doing. We've heard that before, and it never happened. But that's not the point.

What we're seeing now is just enjoyable, brilliant sport -- athletes at the top of their game, taking on the world, and winning with both skill and heart. It's what we want our athletes to do, and they're doing it fearlessly and breathlessly.

The U.S. performance is knocking the wind out of everyone who watches. If you're not seeing this, you're missing a gem. You're missing something that's been better than any sporting event we've seen in America this year.