We all have our personal collections of “I remember where I was when…” sports moments, the results of that peculiar alchemy of memory and emotion and the sights and sounds of a familiar or unfamiliar place.

I remember where I was … when Pete Sampras barfed on the baseline and then survived Alex Corretja at the US Open (my grandmother’s bedroom), when David Wells threw a perfect game (warming up for a Little League game next to a transistor radio), when Larry Johnson’s four-point play sent the Garden into orbit (my parents’ living room), when Todd Pratt hit a home run to win the NLDS (just emerging at the top of the ramp to my section at Shea Stadium), when Albert Pujols hit a ball off Brad Lidge that’s still traveling to this day (sitting on a disgusting dorm-room futon), when Endy Chavez made the catch and Carlos Beltran struck out looking (Shea Stadium again, many rows behind first base), when LeBron chased down Iguodala and Kyrie drained the 3 (in a car on I-95). To name a few.

Add to that collection: where I was when Landon Donovan scored for the United States against Algeria in its final group-stage game of the World Cup (on that same futon, maybe, in an apartment in a flimsy building on 13th Street that noticeably shook every time a truck drove by). The year was 2010; it was daytime in New York, as the match happened many time zones away in South Africa. The USA was at that precise moment in third place in its group and needed a win to advance to the knockout rounds (England was atop the group — sound familiar?). It was 0-0 into stoppage time. Then Tim Howard sprang a break. Donovan sprinted onto a loose rebound and slotted it in the back of the net. The neighbors yelled. Car horns blared on the street below. A memory was stamped.

This afternoon’s World Cup clash between the USA and Iran (2 p.m., Fox) is set up to be just as memorable — if not more. After opening the tournament with draws against Wales (disappointing) and England (exhilarating), the US needs a win to reach the Round of 16.