Landon Donovan, whose grandmother hails from County Kerry, has put America through to the playoffs stage of the World Cup with a dramatic last minute strike that send the American team through to meet Ghana in the knock-out stage of the World Cup in South Africa.
 
The man of the match found the net one minute into injury time after the Algerian goalkeeper parried a shot back onto the striker’s golden boots.
 
And IrishCentral.com can reveal O’Donovan’s Irish heritage. His mother is called Donna Kenney Cash, and has family in County Kerry, while his dad’s name is Tim Donovan, another traditional Irish name.
 
The hero is one of the States’ best strikers and has had a successful club career with several clubs including LA Galaxy.
 
He currently lives in Manhattan Beach, California, and plays golf in his spare time.