Long after the result itself has become something of a memory test, the 15,000 spectators who were in Boston's Foxboro Stadium in the early hours of Wednesday morning may recall the Republic of Ireland's 1-1 draw with the United States - for all the wrong reasons.
For well over two hours they stood in torrential rain and galeforce winds with only the sky for cover in a monumental illustration of the endurance of some football enthusiasts.
And even when a 71st-minute power failure forced the teams back into the dressing-rooms for 20 minutes, a few of the more macho minded, in a demonstration of bravado, stripped to the waist to bare almost all to the elements.
Maybe the rationale was that they couldn't get any wetter, but the effect for many of us was to vindicate the judgment of the other 29,000 who purchased tickets in advance but failed to show up on this wild and wicked night.
Afterwards, many blamed the Mexican referee, Armando Archundia for taking the players back onto the pitch for the last 19 minutes of the marathon.
Others - and we were in the majority - were more critical of Archundia and his team of Mexican officials for his decision to allow Ante Razov's 68th-minute equaliser to stand. Dominic Foley had put Ireland into the lead in the 31st minute. Razov and fellow American Ben Olsen were at least a yard offside before Razov, almost sheepishly, put the ball past Alan Kelly from close in.
There was an even more alarming illustration of the foibles of refereeing on this side of the Atlantic when the home team went in search of a winner after play resumed.
Fortunately, Razov, a good five yards behind the last defender when the ball was played to him, missed. After the match, Mick McCarthy, banished to the dressing-room for disputing a decision when Ireland last played in this competition four years ago, bit his tongue.
Bruce Arena, the American manager, at first sought to fudge the debate but later admitted that the goal was offside. "It looked that way on the television replay," he said.
Arena rested all 11 of the players who had started last Saturday's game against South Africa. But he was forced into a hasty revision of plans in the second half, and Claudio Reyna, Cobi Jones and Earnie Stewart were all called off the bench.
McCarthy admitted that the US had made the better start and Ireland's goal had come against the run of play. "But after that we played some good football and were quite comfortable until it was all undone when the linesman somehow managed to keep his flag down for Razov's goal."
McCarthy was quick to point out the performances of players like Stephen McPhail, Foley and Matt Holland in putting down benchmarks for the upcoming World Cup campaign.
McPhail, whose deft overhead kick opened up the home defence for Foley's score, departed injured in the 37th minute. McCarthy admitted afterwards that the midfielder wasn't altogether happy to be withdrawn.
"He felt that he should have been allowed to go on and whinged about it. It was a bad blow for us at that particular stage of the game but I believe I am the custodian of other people's players when they come away with us and I will not allow them to take unnecessary risks in those kind of situations."
Commenting on his second goal in the space of 48 hours, Foley said: "I raced back to get onside just before Stephen put the ball through. After turning past the defender, the net suddenly opened up for me and I just went for it.
"These have been the best days of my career but I'm not being carried away. I've still got a long way to go to match other players in the side, but at least I've made a good start."
The growing influence of the newcomers in the team may in time mark out the bothers of Boston as a watershed in the tortuous evolution of this squad.
Tuesday's Teams
United States: Friedel, Hejduk, Berhalter, Brown, Vanney, O'Brien (Reyna 59), Ralston (Stewart 46), Olsen (Sanneh 75), Kirovski, Kreis (Jones 65), Razov. Goal: Razov 68.
Republic of Ireland: A Kelly, Carr, Breen, Babb, Phelan, Farrelly (Kennedy 71), McPhail (McAteer 37), Holland, Kilbane, Doherty (N Quinn 71), Foley (B Quinn 88). Goal: Foley 30.
