WHAT WAS THAT?

Your guess is as good as ours. On paper, the United States men's national team defeated the Netherlands, the No. 6 team in the world, 4-3. In Amsterdam, no less.

Which means the Americans are better than the Dutch, right? And since the Netherlands finished third in the 2014 World Cup, that means....

OK, hold on. 

It was a crazy game. Defenders on both teams treated the ball like it was in improvised explosive device, avoiding it at all costs. No, the Americans did not bunker in the face of a superior opponent. But neither did they defend with any sort of resolve.

The Americans wasted multiple chances in the opening 20 minutes, generating groans and outstretched arms in workplaces and bars across the country. When Klass-Jan Huntelaar evaded U.S. central defenders John Brooks and Ventura Alvarado and got on the end of a Memphis Depay cross in the 27th minute, it looked like the Dutch were going to take that 1-0 lead and run away and hide.

But no!

In the 33rd minute, American striker Aron Johannsson passed to Fabian Johnson who lofted a delightful pass to an onrushing Gyasi Zardes in the left channel who flicked a right-footed shot past Netherlands goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen.

United States 1, Netherlands 1. 

That scoreline would hold up through intermission, but not because of defensive enterprise on other side. Neither team seemed intent on stopping the other. Was there a FIFA-like handshake agreement before the match?

Four minutes into the second half Huntelaar scored on another header, this one delivered by Gregory Van Der Wiel, a strike that was barely discouraged by a discombobulated American backline. 

Before you could say "Netherlands 2, United States 1," Depay scored a goal of his own to make it a 3-1 scoreline.

Over the next 20 minutes or so both coaches—the Netherlands' Guus Hiddink and Jurgen Klinsmann—made a series of substitutions that may or may not have impacted the action on the pitch. Neither team bothered to defend or finish its chances during this spell, so it all balanced out. 

But in the 70th minute, with the Dutch seemingly downshifting to see the game out, American fullback DeAndre Yedlin pushed down the right flank and found a wide open Brooks, who slotted a wide-open shot into the back of the net. 

Suddenly it was a one-goal game. 

And then, in the 89th minute, Reading FC midfielder took a shot that deflected off a Dutch defender and looped into goal. U.S. 3, Netherlands, 3.

Holy shit snacks.

While the crowd, and presumably the Dutch national team, wrestled with the concept of tying the United States, at home, Jordan Morris pushed ahead and set up star-crossed striker Bobby Wood with a gilded chance in stoppage time. Wood, who up until now has always found a way to flub his chances for the Yanks, put his shot away cleanly and gave the Americans an improbable 4-3 road win over the sixth-ranked team in the world.

Thoughts?

Should American fans be encouraged by this result or was it such a crazy contest that we should all exhale and wait to see what happens against Germany in five days?

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John Godfrey is the founder and editor in chief of American Soccer Now. He tweets about soccer here.