So close and yet so far: US vs Brazil

Early goals are so important. The US has had this problem for most of the games they have lost this year: Costa Rica, twice to Brazil. The turning point in a game that was close to being one of the biggest upsets of all time was Luis Fabiano's goal less than a minute into the second half. You give Brazil another 44 minutes and you are asking for it. A little overconfidence? Maybe. It's a hard lesson to learn but remember this.... 3-0 versus Egypt and 2-0 versus number 1 Spain. Losing 2-3 to Brazil in the final isn't so bad. They played with spirit, courage, grit, and goals. Two of them. This is a star-studded Brazilian side that boasts Luis Fabiano, Kaka, Robinho, Dani Alves, Luizao, Elano, Julio Cesar.

In fact, the US should probably have lost by more. A 5-2 would not have been surprising. A 4-2 would have been true if that goal counted that Howard miraculously saved. The ball went in. Replay shows it did. No doubts there.

So what do we take away from this experience? Close down in the early minutes of a game or a second half. Be smart in defense and don't give up unnecessary fouls that can lead to dangerous set pieces. No red cards, please. Bradley's absence today could have made a difference with some of the passes Kljestan and Clark wasted. His eye for goal may have changed things too. Sticking Torres and/or Adu could have brought something else to the game. At that point why not try your aces?

Still, a historic tournament. Now we regroup, re-energize with a deeper pool of players: Ching, Edu, Jermaine Jones, Cherundolo, Hejduk. I'd like to see Edu-Bradely in the midfield. There's still plenty of time before South Africa 2010. We must still qualify. Now we have the experience to do well into the tournament, getting those wins necessary to advance and playing smart to dismantle a top team's offense. Fabiano's goal early in the second half undermined the US's style of play. It opened up the game for Brazil since the US had to look for an insurance goal. Hunkering down and hoping/praying to stay up on the scoreboard isn't quite enough. Possession in the midfield, Michael Bradley's strength, is what was missing in the second half.

But we played great anyway.

Player ratings:
Howard....7
Onyewu....6.5
Bocanegra...6
DeMerrit....6
Spector....6.5
Dempsey...7.5
Donovan...8
Feilhaber...5.5
Clark...5
Altidore...5.5
Davies...6
Subs: Kljestan (4.5), Bornstein (4.5), Casey (n/a)

MLS 2009 Attendance stats weeks 14 & 15

International summer + summer travel by yours truly = less frequent attendance stats. Sorry, kids.

Things are interesting, though. People show up to games even though their national side is obviously playing internationally. I can't say I blame them. I would love to go see a game live after watching a good game by the USA. I did this way back in '98 after a world cup game. I attended the superclasico Emelec-Barcelona of Guayaquil. Score was 2-1 after penalties. Kaviedes scored.

I think stats will look much more interesting once Goldenballs comes back after July 15. Thing is, that's probably when the next major update will happen. Meantime, updated plots are on the right column.

USA!!!!

There's no fate but what we make: USA defeats Spain

Pure magic. USA wins in the Confederations Cup semifinal, beats Spain, the number 1 team in the world, and advances to its first international final outside of the Gold Cup. This is for all the naysayers, doubters, non-believers... and I count myself in. If Dempsey redeemed himself (in the eyes of many) then Jozy today proved why he is the future of soccer in this country. The game was full of class, composure, speed, gritty defense, great goal-keeping and also a bit of luck. (Yes, I'm guilty of not watching the game live, courtesy of a research trip to Boulder, Colorado.)

Crank up those vuvuzelas. And this is the team we were doubting after the Brazil match? Where's the Rossi hate now? Doesn't he wish he could be on this US team? There were so many positives today and not enough praises for what could be an historic moment in US soccer history. Never mind what happens on Sunday. The win today cements the US Soccer Federation and the American game in general as a new force in the world scene. There is a long way to go still, yes. But somehow a US presence in the latter stages on the World Cup within the next decade are no longer the stuff of dreams.

Cheers, boys. Thanks for making us dream. Thanks for earning our game the respect it deserves. This is an incredible triumph, regardless of what the outcome may be on Sunday.

Player ratings:
Howard....9.5
Bocanegra....8
DeMerrit....8
Onyewu...7.5
Spector....8
Clark...6.5
Donovan....8.5
Dempsey....9
Bradley....6
Davies...6.5
Altidore....9
Subs: Feilahber (6.5), Casey (6), Bornstein (6)

PS: That was not a red for Bradley. Refs are being a bit dubious in this tournament with the US. He will be missed in the final.
And now the goals:

Redemption: US vs Egypt

Nobody likes to play the numbers game. Usually when you play it it doesn't go your way and you are left saying, "well, we almost had it but..." Not today. The score was USA 3 - Egypt 0. Wait, wasn't this the same Egypt that beat Italy in the last game and that almost tied Brazil in the first game? Wasn't this the same USA that got humiliated in the second half by Italy and that got outclassed and out played by Brazil? Yes and no.

Yes, Egypt had an amazing game against Brazil putting their chances away and conceding a late goal to a Kaka penalty. Yes, they blanked Italy and the Azurri were stunned by the African champs 1-0. But not today. Injuries count, yes, but you have to keep your composure in international football or you will get burned.

And what about USA? They played a great game against Italy until Clark was sent off. They held their own until the spaces in midfield opened up for two sensational long range shots from the "Rossi" boys. Things may have been different with Clark on the pitch. Against Brazil the US came out muted and got burned with an early goal (same thing happened against Costa Rica and Honduras). Brazil went up by 2 goals by halftime and Kljestan took the US down to 10 men with another silly foul. Brazil 3 - USA 0. But not today. No red cards. No silly fouls. That made the biggest difference. That plus heart, desire, teamwork, and yes, a bit of luck.

Redemption? Yes. Many out there have been calling for Bradley (the coach) to step down. Others say the US is just not that good. Many of us were somewhere in between. Hoping for the American spirit to shine through and show why the sport has evolved so much in our country. Today Jozy showed why he can cause problems for the other team, why Landon Donovan is an amazing player, why Michael Bradley belongs with the big boys, why Onyewu and Spector are constants in the back, why we have speedy forwards like Davies aching to show off, and why Dempsey is a world class player. He coughed up a lot of balls and was miscued in a lot of plays. But Bob Bradley was correct when he said that the reason he kept him a starter was because he alone has moments of brilliance that no one else can bring. And wow, that was such a moment of brilliance. It's up there with Pele's header in 1970 against Italy and Romario's versus Sweden in 1994. Yes, I know those are two amazing players but consider this.... The situation was important, the result was extraordinary, and the finish impeccable.

And in the end Italy lost to Brazil by the same score, 3-0. That was the magic number the US needed and that's what they got. Up next is Spain, and if you're gonna go down you, you should do it against the best. That's why we have dreams, no?

Player ratings:
Guzan...7
Spector...7.5
Onyewu...7.5
DeMerrit....7
Bornstein....6
Dempsey....8
Donovan....9
Clark....6.5
Bradley....7.5
Altidore....6
Davies....6.5
Subs: Feilahber (6), Casey (4)

Red card USA: National team almost out of Confederations Cup

Red cards, red cards, red cards. A 3-0 loss against a classy, albeit not awesome Brazil. What went wrong? Everything. If the game against Italy was a steal (not a red card for Clark, no reds for two Italian offenses) and a dignified game for most of the squad, then today's game made us look more like New Zealand or Canada in the last Confederations Cup. DeMerrit and Bornstein were often beaten whilst Spector (he should keep the job) and Onyewu held their own. I'm not sure why B. Bradley would start Beasley and Kljestan in favor of Feilhaber, Torres or even Adu. He had his reasons, and although I thought Beasley had a chance to redeem himself, he once again showed why his place with the nats may be expiring.

I'm also questioning players' ability to show off for European teams. Besides Landon Donovan and Oguchi Onyewu I don't think the rest of the group merits a second look. Let's hope the Egypt game goes better for our national team. Pride alone is at stake. No red cards please. For once, as much as it pains me, I have to side with Trecker.

Player ratings:
Howard....5
Spector....4.5
Onyewu....5
DeMerrit....4
Bornstein....4
Beasley...3
Kljestan....2
Donovan...5
Dempsey...5
Altidore...4
subs: Feilhaber (6), Casey (5)

A hole in the middle: Italy 3 - US 1

I won't get into too much description of the game. For that you can go here or here. Instead, I want to focus on the central midfield and what went wrong. First, that was not a red card on Clark's challenge during the first half. If anything, a Benny Feilhaber foul in the second half merited it much more. Second, there was at least one foul that deserved a red if Clark's was deemed so offensive.. An elbow to Donovan's face that only got a yellow.

Donovan comes up big again and delivers a scintillating penalty. But the upset was not to be. An inspired supersub (and US born) Giusseppe Rossi ties it up from a distance with a splendid shot that outmatches Howard. This started with a careless play by Feilhaber. The second goal by de Rossi was also a long shot. What do these two goals have in common? They were generated by poor passing in the middle of the pitch. That's where Ricardo Clark (red card) would have been. That's where Mastroeni and Christ Armas used to shine and Edu would work wonders. I'm not saying Italy couldn't have won anyway but we have to take into account that the US defense, despite a few misskicks, was pretty stout except for these long-range shots.

Yes, let's remember that Italy are the world champs and that they have the luxury of having players like Luca Toni and Rossi on the bench. And the road does not become any easier. Up next is mighty Brazil. The "caraninha" fought hard for a 4-3 win against Egypt in a game that the "pharaohs" played extremely well and perhaps deserved better. So what happens with Clark's omission on Thursday? This will be a very difficult decision for Bob Bradley. He needs someone to partner up with Michael Bradley in the middle of the pitch to break up plays from the opposing team. Torres, Kljestan and even Beasley are options here. I would slide Beasley into the middle in favor of Kljestan or Torres due to his experience. Feilhaber is an option too but his skills are more creative and offensive. The same goes for Kljestan. Finally, there's the Torres option. The Pachuca man has shown effective ball-possessing technique. This is key when facing a squad like Brazil.

Aside from the devastating hole in the midfield due to a huge misscall by the ref, I thought team USA played courageously and with a certain amount of attitude.

Player ratings:
Howard...6
Spector...6
DeMerrit...5
Onyewu...4
Bornstein...5.5
Clark...3
Bradley...5
Feilhaber...5
Dempsey...5
Donovan...7
Altidore...6
Subs: Kljestan (5), Davies (4), Beasley (5)

Confederations Cup: Prelude to South Africa

Get your DVRs/Tivos ready. It's the best of the best (sort of) international teams on the planet facing off in South Africa for the FIFA confederations cup. This competition pits all the winners from all the confederations against one another plus the world champs and the host country. All complete squads. All new stadiums. Games will show on ESPN2, Galavision.... and the US is participating.

Group 1
Italia: Pirlo, Rossi (American-born), Cannavaro, Gilardino, Zambrotta, Iquinta are some of the highlights from the Italian squad. Lippi is once more the coach after Donadoni crashed out of the Euros last year. Expect gritty, defensive-minded soccer from the world champs. A rematch of World Cup 1970 and 1994 finals against Brazil in group play (next Sunday) should be fun to watch.

Brazil: Kaka, Robinho, Pato, Julio Cesar, Luis Fabiano are all in the mix. Ronaldinho is out for this one. The selecao is looking for more silverware after a disappointing Olympics last summer. This squad only seldom fails to entertain.

USA: The biggest test for the US before the World Cup (assuming they make it). What better than putting them with Italy and Brazil? Getting out of this group would be amazing. They fought for the spot in this competition against Mexico in Concacaf's only meaningful Gold Cup two years ago (for some reason they have an inconsequential one this summer too). Expect Spector and Bornstein to raise their stock and many other players looking to showcase their talents in the world's biggest stage yet. Jozy, Casey, Adu, Kljestan, Bradley are all looking to continue impressing.

Egypt: I wish I were more familiar with this squad. All I know is that they are struggling at the moment in world cup qualifying in a group that includes Algeria and Zambia, both of which have not advanced to the tournament for the past two decades or ever. Egypt last played in a world cup in 1990 but has repeatedly won the African Cup of Nations against more accomplished world class teams like Nigeria, Cameroon and Ghana.

Group 2
Spain: This is an extremely talented squad, winners of last year's Euro. It includes amazing players like Torres, Iniesta, Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Puyol, David Villa, etc. Whilst their back four may not be as strong as other teams like Italy and Brazil, their midfield can break up any team's attack. Spain is also undefeated since before the Euro competition. I pick them as winners.

New Zealand: After Australia joined the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), New Zealand was left in sole possession of Oceania. I can't see Fiji or the Solomon Islands beating them out. The "kiwis" will have a play-in game against the 5th AFC team for the world cup. Don't expect too much from then at the CC.

Iraq: AFC champs and representatives. Bandwagon team for many. They had a nice run at the Olympics in Athens but should not pose any trouble to Spain or South Africa.

Sout Africa: I'm picking this team to go through from the group stage simply because they are the home team. Not much more after that. The Bafana Bafana are nowhere near as strong as their inaugural squad in 1998 (once Apartheid was abolished they were allowed into FIFA). Pineaar (Everton) is a bright spot.

There you have it. It all starts tomorrow so start enjoying a nice prelude to the World Cup 2010.