The Thunderbird — Spirit of the Storm

Before the roar of the modern stadiums, there was the beat of great wings. In the summer of 2002, as a young Landon Donovan sprinted toward destiny against Mexico, the air grew heavy with ozone. It was the Thunderbird, unseen but felt, whose rhythmic wingbeats coincided with the thumping of the American heart. When the ball met the net, a crack of thunder echoed across the Pacific, signaling that the sleeping giant of soccer had finally awakened to claim its place in the heavens.