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"It seemed like the entire nation was proud of Team USA's World Cup performance, and so was President Obama.\nOn Wednesday, Obama called the U.S. Men's National Team's (USMNT) captain Clint Dempsey and goalkeeper Tim Howard to congratulate them on a job well done.\nSee also: 'Things Tim Howard Could Save' Meme Saves the Internet\nAccording to a statement released by the White House Press Secretary, Obama congratulated the two USMNT veterans for their performance, but also for \"carrying themselves in a way that made the country proud\" off the pitch. Obama further noted how that the whole team's performance was \"captivating\" and finished the call by asking both men to relay his thanks and appreciation to head coach Jurgen Klinsmann.\n\nPres Obama talks w USA soccer goalie Tim Howard and team captain Clint Dempsey pic.twitter.com/415DqvQvBp\n\u2014 petesouza (@petesouza) July 2, 2014\n\nThe U.S. Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel also called Howard on Wednesday to similarly thank him for his extraordinary defense of Team USA's goal in Tuesday's match against Belgium. Throughout the match, gifs and memes were created of Howard \u2014 some calling him the \"real\" U.S. Department of Defense.\n\nPresident Obama watches w WH staff the USA-Belgium World Cup soccer game pic.twitter.com/AnjFC1pBI4\n\u2014 petesouza (@petesouza) July 1, 2014\n\nObama watched the USA-Belgium match on Tuesday with his White House Staff. Belgium ultimately bested the U.S., eliminating Team USA from the World Cup. \nBONUS: Cats Playing Soccer Is What You Need, America\n\nHave something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.\n      window._msla=window.loadScriptAsync||function(src,id){if(document.getElementById(id))return;var js=document.createElement('script');js.id=id;js.src=src;document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0].parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);};\n_msla(\"//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js\",\"twitter_jssdk\");"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2014/07/02/obama-dempsey-howard-world-cup/>