I don’t know about you, but I’m spent.

As I’m sure every single one of you did as you watched the United States’ dramatic (Dramatic? More like absolutely UNREAL) victory over Algeria this morning, I experienced the entire spectrum of human emotions in the shortest span of time possible. I’ll be the first to admit that as the game entered stoppage time still scoreless, I began to mentally prepare myself for the U.S. to be eliminated from the World Cup at the group stage. That’s not to say that I didn’t still believe the Americans coud pull out a last-gasp victory, but I knew that I needed at the very least to somewhat steady myself for the possibly devastating disappointment. I even turned to a co-worker (and I’m not proud of this) and said my famous last words: “I can’t believe the U.S. isn’t going to advance from this group.”

Then, it happened. The moment thousands of soon-to-be American parents officially decided their soon-to-be-born American babies would be named Landon.

Looking back at it, the moment seemed to arrive from nothing in a bizarre sort of way. One second the ball was in Tim Howard’s hands and there was 100+ yards between the ball and the goal, and the next the U.S. was on an improbable odd-man break. As Landon Donovan charged down the field with the ball at his feet, there was a slow yet frantic realization as I began to count the players involved in the play. One, two, three, four Americans. One, two Algerians. A four-on-two break. Is this it?

The rest of the play unfolded in slow motion. Donovan laid the ball to Altidore with space on the right wing. Altidore did well to find Dempsey steaming toward the near post. The former Revolution star got to the ball first but saw his close-range effort blocked by the goalkeeper. At that moment, just for a brief, brief moment, it appeared as if the chance had gone.

But the ball was still sitting in the middle of the box and the keeper was out of position. As Donovan burst into the picture, the worries and the jitters and the nervousness and the heartbreak all melted away into an emotion I can only assume is pure, unbridled joy. When the ball hit the back of the net, I’m pretty sure everyone at CBS Scene erupted. They must’ve. But I wouldn’t know, because I was in my own little world trying to contemplate what had just happened.

What’s truly bizarre about the game-winning goal and the emotion that followed is that my unbridled joy lasted just a few seconds. In the aftermath of the goal, it was replaced by one overriding feeling - absolute, utter exhaustion.

I was so tense from the first 90 minutes that when the eventual game-winner in stoppage time finally allowed me to stop holding my breath, my body just shut down. Even as I write this I get the feeling I could take a quick nap if provided with a cool spot to rest my eyes. In fact, I just yawned. No lie. Typically I get so hyped after big wins like that, I can’t sit still for a couple hours. Not so today. Today I’m just drained.

And you know what? I can’t wait to do it again on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. By virtue of the U.S. topping the group, they could play any of the four teams left in Group D (Ghana, Germany, Serbia and Australia). A meeting with either Germany or Ghana would perhaps be most intriguing, as they represent the last two nations to eliminate the U.S. from World Cup play (Germany in the quarterfinals in 2002, Ghana in the group stage in 2006).

I want to know where you were this morning when Donovan scored what is quite possibly the most important goal in U.S. Soccer history. How did you react? How about those around you? Who would you most like to see the U.S. play on Saturday afternoon in the Round of 16?