Was Clint Dempsey's Goal The Fastest Ever In A World Cup? [VIDEO]

By Monday afternoon -- and just the fifth day of play -- the World Cup had already had some pretty great moments, including Robin Van Persie's goal off a flying header in the first half of the Netherlands' 5-1 upset of Spain on Friday.

But the American national team offered its own impressive contribution on Monday night when Clint Demsey scored a goal against Ghana just 31 seconds into the squads' Brazil opener. Click play below to watch the stunning goal for yourself:

It was a moment no one could have anticipated. Whether you're a diehard Yank or a hater from wherever you hail, it's hard to deny that this was a result for the ages.

And it seemed like it would in fact be one for the history books, according to a TV commentator for ESPN working the play-by-play for the Monday night showdown.

"I might be challenged on this, but I think that was the faster goal ever, ever, ever in a World Cup," the talking head said shortly after the goal was made.

It turns out that the commentator was wrong, however, as 31 seconds into a World Cup game actually makes Dempsey's goal the fifth-fastest goal in World Cup history, according to a history compiled by Yahoo! Sports last month.

The fastest goal came in just 11 seconds, a record that may be as difficult to break as Cal Ripken Jr.'s 2,632-game streak without sitting one out for the Baltimore Orioles Major League Baseball team.

That goal was made by South Korea in a 2002 Cup match against Turkey.