Making it to the World Cup had long been a dream of American defender Jimmy Conrad’s, and at the age of 29, he finally got his chance. U.S. coach Bruce Arena named Jimmy to the 2006 World Cup squad. Unfortunately, he spent the first game watching from the bench. It wasn’t until deep into the second game, when the U.S. was down a man and fighting for survival against the powerful Italians, that Jimmy was called in. Hear how he went from riding the bench to holding the line in one of the most epic matches in U.S. soccer history.

CREDITS: We Came to Win is hosted by Nando Vila. This episode was produced by

Emma Morgenstern, Ngofeen Mputubwele, and Emily Ulbricht, with help from Anna Foley and Jasmine Romero. Our senior producer is Matthew Nelson. Our editors are Caitlin Kenney, Devon Taylor, and Jessica Weisberg. This episode was scored, sound designed, and mixed by Bobby Lord. Check out more Gimlet podcasts at gimletmedia.com.