- Brooks scored in 2014 World Cup
- Claims goal still gives him "goosebumps"
- Still has his eyes on USMNT selection
WHAT HAPPENED? Brooks, who has 45 caps for the United States but hasn't featured for his national side since September 2021, had a World Cup to remember nine years ago. In what was his only appearance at that tournament, the centre-back came on as a second-half substitute in the USMNT's group opener against Ghana. He popped up to score a dramatic 86th-minute winner - scenes which he admits still move him to this day.
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WHAT THEY SAID: “Just thinking about it gives me goosebumps. You can’t even put it into words,” Brooks told Hoffenheim's official website. “Somehow the guy from the flank found my head. I’ll never forget that moment. I didn’t know what to do after that [with the celebration]. I was stunned and just overjoyed.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Despite a disastrous Achilles injury to future defensive stalwart Miles Robinson, fellow veteran Tim Ream stepped up to the plate and largely impressed in Qatar. The Fulham star played every minute as the USMNT were eliminated in the last-16 by the Netherlands. But given Ream's recently fractured arm, a path may open for Brooks to end his year-and-a-half away from the national side. The defender appears determined to do so, adding with a laugh: “I think if I perform well here I can still be an option for the national team. I’m not that old yet!"
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IN THREE PHOTOS:
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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BROOKS? Before the USMNT's upcoming Nations League fixtures, though, the veteran defender will aim to finish the season strongly with Hoffenheim, whose next opponents are Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga on Saturday.