When Alex Morgan headed home Heather O'Reilly's cross, the Internet nearly crumbled under the weight of American ecstasy.
Famous fans from all walks of life had been watching the epic women's Olympic soccer game between the United States and Canada, and they took to Twitter to express their joy (or pain in some cases) after Morgan scored a winner for the ages.
Young Boston Red Sox star Will Middlebrooks, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash were some of the professional athletes who were amazed by what they saw. Comedian Seth Myers led the contingent of entertainers, which also included rappers Sam Adams and Asher Roth, who weren't shy about saying they are fans of U.S. women's soccer.
The 4-3 victory put the U.S. women's national team in a position it had been eyeing for over a year. The Americans have a chance to avenge last year's loss to Japan in the final of the FIFA Women's World Cup. They can also claim their third straight Olympic gold medal by beating the reigning world champion.
But reaching the gold medal game required feats of strength and courage that will long live in American sports lore. Morgan, Megan Rapinoe, Abby Wambach and Canada's Christine Sinclair created a new generation of fans with their standout performances.
Some fans, including singer/songwriter Brendan James, have followed the "Girls of Summer" for some time, while others may be new to the bandwagon. But that's what the Olympics are all about.
See what some of them had to say below.
Have a question for Marcus Kwesi O'Mard? Send it to him via Twitter at @NESNsoccer, NESN Soccer's Facebook page or send it here. He will pick a few questions to answer every week for his mailbag.
Photo via Twitter/@FreeBeerMovemnt
