Any time she caught a teammate's eye, Abby Wambach held up one finger. It had nothing to do with the shrinking numbers on the clock. “I kept saying, ‘All it takes is one chance. It takes one second to score a goal,'” Wambach said. Regulation. Overtime. Stoppage time. Penalty kicks. Through it all, the Americans never lost faith they'd pull it out. Did they ever. The Americans advanced to the semifinals with one of the most riveting victories in the history of the World Cup — men's or women's — beating old foe Brazil 5-3 in penalty kicks after a 2-2 tie. When Ali Krieger hammered the last penalty into the bottom left corner of the net, the Americans let loose with a raucous celebration that soon spread back to the United States. Highlights of the game even got time on the Jumbotron at Yankee Stadium. “There's something to be said about this team. This American attitude of pulling everything together and bringing out the best performance in each other is contagious,” said US coach Pia Sundhage, a Swede. For Brazil, it is yet another disappointment at a major tournament. And this one is sure to sting more than any others because Marta had it won for the Brazilians, scoring her second goal of the game in the second minute of overtime for the 2-1 lead. Wambach scored in the 122nd minute — about 90 seconds before the Americans were to make their earliest exit ever from the tournament they've won twice – and Hope Solo continued her mastery of the Brazilians in the penalty shootout by batting down an attempt by Daiane.
