There's nothing like writing something that will be dated in only four hours, but a thought crossed my mind this morning that I would to share.

I'm wondering what will be the best possible outcome for today's USA-Brazil Confederations Cup final. Now, I know that some of you are thinking, "What do you mean 'best possible outcome'? The best possible outcome is an American victory, of course!"

And you're right, although that's not really what I mean. Of course as fans, we don't care how a victory comes; be it a 1-0 snoozefest, a 4-3 barn-burner, an extra time stunner, or a penalty shootout win. We just want the win and the trophy, no matter how it comes and now matter what it takes to get there. For us, the type of victory doesn't matter.

But my pondering has more to do with the possible long term ramifications of an American victory today; specifically, I'm wondering if some types of win will go farther than others in putting soccer more into the mainstream.

A dominating and total throttling would score the team more points with the skeptical European observers, but would it make a dent here in the States? I suppose if enough well-respected soccer minds were to label a US win as such, the non-soccer journos would have to take it at their word. If that's the case, any of the ignorant that choose to write pieces on the match and the American victory would be with a dominating victory at the base. That would be good for soccer if only because we live in a nation of bandwagon jumpers; all of those that flock to whatever winner is the flavor dujour, might join the cause, throwing their fandom behind a team that deserves more attention. While some of those fair-weather fans would inevitably fall off during the tough times (and there are bound to be some), at least a few would have caught the bug enough to stick around.

That's obviously an unlikely scenario. The chances of the American dominating the Brazilians are slim to none; if the Yanks are to win, it's probably going to be thanks to a tight, hard fought battle that comes down to end.

And if that is the case, what better way to catch the attention of a largely disinterested American public than through the dreaded penalty shootout? While you and would be in significant danger of keeling over clutching our chests if is does go to spot kicks, the drama and tension of one would immediately gain national attention. An American victory today will be remembered, by fans and some of the unconverted alike, for a very long time; but nothing stands the test of time and reaches the heights of "iconic" status like a game decided in a that sports "sudden-death" fashion. Multiple overtimes and extra innings, especially when a championship is on the line, bring with them a sense that the game is more than just a sporting competition. That's what a US penalty shootout victory might mean. It's heady stuff.

As a selfish fan first and foremost, I want a victory today. I won't care how it's achieved. Own goal, bad penalty, horrible defending by the Brazilians: If it leads to the scoreboard showing more goals for the United States than it does for Brazil, I will be a happy man. More than happy. Ecstatic.

But as a good soldier in the battle to make soccer relevant in the US, I wonder if it might not be better to have this one come out in the most dramatic way possible. Soccer needs more than just a USMNT win over the number one ranked team to get some real mainstream attention. It needs "one for the ages".

Bad for my heart, good for American soccer.

Hopefully, I've not treaded on any "jinx" territory here; I've been stopping after every sentence to knock on wood, and I have my pre-game lucky routine planned out. I kindly ask those in charge of the fortunes of my team to forgive my talking about a win before it happens.