Is Dakota Niedermeier one of the next great U.S. goalkeepers?
That remains to be seen, but the online soccer community is buzzing about the 16-year-old's performance for D.C. United in Thursday's SUM U-17 Cup in Houston.
Niedermeier saved five consecutive penalty kicks – yes, five – as D.C. United got past Real Salt Lake 5-4 after a 0-0 tie in the final of the tournament that featured Under-17 teams from all 16 Major League Soccer clubs.
To complete his incredible day, Niedermeier also scored the winning penalty kick.
"That was once in a lifetime," said Niedermeier, who allowed just one goal in 314 minutes at the event.
If so, you could win a weeklong trip to South Africa and play a match in a World Cup stadium.
The contest for organized youth teams from the ages of 8 to 14 is based on the Diski, which is the official 2010 World Cup dance – who knew there was such a thing? The Diski is a sequence of moves based on soccer tricks.
The top prize in the contest, the trip to South Africa, is in March, not during the World Cup. Teams must submit 1-minute videos of them doing the Diski dance to enter. For more details and rules, visit www.learntodiski.com.
So you think your youth soccer team can dance?