If I say the name "Koman Coulibaly," what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

The embattled World Cup referee has come under fire from all sides for his call in the 86th minute of the U.S.-Slovenia match that cost the Americans a potential 3-2 win that would have put them in the driver's seat in Group C.

Instead, it is the Slovenians who are atop the group—registering the only win among the four teams.

Since then, Coulibaly has been on the receiving end of a full-scale attack levied by bloggers, sports writers, radio talk shows, and other news and social media outlets that normally wouldn't give the time of day to the World Cup or Team USA.

They say any publicity is good publicity. If that's true, then U.S. Soccer should be thanking their lucky stars for Koman Coulibaly.

The Soccergate Controversy, for better or worse, has lit a fire under the people of the United States. Combine that with the heavy press the event has garnered, and the fire has flamed into a blazing inferno of intense passion.

People in the United States are actually paying attention to soccer, and Americans actually want the U.S. to win the World Cup!

Because the game ended in a tie, the match between the U.S. and Algeria is a must-win for Team USA if they are going to advance in the tournament.

The U.S.-England match was one of the most watched games in U.S. World Cup history, but that mark will most likely be obliterated as people all over the country root for Clint Dempsey, Maurice Edu, Landon Donovan, and the rest of Team USA against Algeria on Wednesday.

I don't know how long this will last, but soccer matters in the United States right now—perhaps more than ever before.

Because of the horrible misfortune of Team USA, tens of millions more Americans now actually give a damn about what happens to the U.S. in the World Cup.

For that, we can all thank Koman Coulibaly—even if it is with tongue in cheek.

Maybe President Obama will even invite him to the White House. Nah.

Follow Mike on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MikeMacOnBR