Live The Pitch

The Final of the FIFA Confederations cup was a great game in the making.  The two squads facing off for the second time each had something to prove to the world.  For the USA, they wanted to prove that they belonged in this match.  For the Brazilians, they wanted to prove that they are a World Cup favorite for next summer.

The first half started with a bang for the U.S. when Clint Dempsey redirected a cross from Johnathan Spector in the 9th minute.  Dempsey just put a slight touch on the ball that changed the path of the shot beating the Brazilian goalkeeper.  It was a great way to begin the match for the U.S.

To the surprise of everyone the U.S. made it 2-0, with Landon Donovan scoring a brilliant goal in the 26th minute.  Charlie Davies played a great ball into the middle of the top of the box finding Donovan, who then made a sick touch to beat the Brazilian defender to put himself into position to find the back of the net.  Donovan made everything of his opportunity by firing in a left footed shot into the side netting.

Tim Howard made his presence known the entire first half making save after save keeping Brazil off the scoreboard.  By the 35th minute Brazil had settled into the game, and set the pace for the remainder of the match.  The Brazilians were showing us why they are one of the best teams in the world with fantastic combination play and possession.

The second half began with Luis Fabiano getting Brazil on the board finding the back of the net in the 46th minute with a great finish through the helpless Jay Demerit.  It was an excellent turn and finish by the Brazilian.

In the 60th minute, Kaka found himself wide open on the back post when he headed the cross on target that clearly crossed the line before Howard cleared it.  The referee crew definitely missed the call on this one.

Brazil then tied the match in the 73rd minute at 2-2 when Luis Fabiano netted home his second goal.  Kaka showed why he is considered one of the best players in the world by toasting Spector down the right side before sending a perfect end-line cross into the six yard box.  Robinho was the first Brazilian to get to the cross hitting the crossbar from point blank with Fabiano heading in the rebound.

Throughout the second half the Brazilians were dominating the match missing chance after chance.  Brazil finally made the comeback official in the 83rd minute when Lucio headed home a corner kick.  Elano served a great ball into the back post when Lucio found himself wide open to direct the ball into the net.  The Americans looked confused and left Lucio unmarked on the back post.

Overall as a U.S. soccer fan I am impressed that we can actually compete at this level now.  I am really looking forward to seeing how this team competes at the Gold Cup next month with a lot of new players getting into the mix.  Going into the match no one gave the U.S. a chance at winning this final and they almost shocked the world.  Almost.

Did you know that the U.S. has never won a major FIFA competition? Sunday, at Ellis Park the USA has a chance to change that for the U.S. national team during the 2009 Confederations Cup.   To do this the Americans will have to get by Brazil, who defeated us 3-0 in pool play.

Just to be in this final is a great accomplishment for the USA.  After playing awful matches against Italy and Brazil in their first two games, the USA has now won two straight against Egypt and Spain by a combined score of 5-0.  The U.S. victory over Spain is still in the minds of soccer fans all around the world.  If the U.S. can get a win against Brazil in the final, they will finally get some respect from the global soccer community.

The USA has had great success in the past two games. Because of this, I don’t see Bradley making too many changes in his squad going into the final.  The only real question will be in the center midfield.  The red card Michael Bradley was given late in the semifinal is HUGE in my opinion. Bradley has stepped his game up to another level the last few games, and he was not deserving of an ejection.  I would start Ricardo Clark at holding midfielder, with Benny Feilhaber filling in as the attacking-midfielder.

Brazil on the other hand will be playing to send a message to the world that they are back on-top.  The combination of Kaka and Robinho was slowed a bit last game by a gritty South African squad, but there is no better midfield to froward combination in the world. The main match up to watch in this game will be Jay Demerit vs. Luis Fabiano.  Fabiano is one of the top strikers in the world, and Demerit has something to prove to all his doubters.

Yet again, the USA is the underdog against an international powerhouse. For the Americans to win they are going to have to come out like a swarm of African killer bees. Hopefully, they are half as annoying as the sound of the vuvuzelas being handed out to fans before every game. Please FIFA, I beg you, ban this noise from the upcoming World Cup! The performance against Spain alone renewed my faith in U.S. soccer, but a win against Brazil will turn heads around the world.

GO USA!

Wow! To say this was a huge win for U.S. soccer is an understatement.  This was one of the greatest upsets on the national level in the last decade. The Americans broke Spain’s 35-game unbeaten streak in front of a stunned South African crowd. From the first whistle the U.S. came out with speed, and they constantly pressured the ball. This style of play was the difference in the game, and it helped the U.S. go on to a 2-0 victory.

The match started with both teams coming out of the locker room looking to set the pace of play.  Spain immediately had pressure inside the American box during the first few minutes of the game.  The first real chance came in the 6th minute, when Clint Dempsey lofted a ball inside the box to a wide open Charlie Davies. He attempted a dramatic bicycle kick that went just wide of the goal.  Both teams had great chances to put their squad ahead, but neither could hit the back of the net.

The USA got on the scoreboard in the 27Th minute when Jozy Altidore received a pass from Clint Dempsey. Jozy then made a terrific turn against his defender to create a 1v1 against Spanish goal keeper Casillas.  He struck the shot well and Casillas got a deflection on it, but the ball found the back of the net.  The Americans erupted with joy after the goal, with Jozy receiving a yellow card for taking his shirt off.  Both teams had chances to find the back of the net throughout the rest of the half, but the U.S. went into half-time winning 1-0.

In the second half Spain came out of the locker room with a purpose to take it to the Americans. Possession throughout the second half was dominated by Spain.  USA goalkeeper Tim Howard was the man of the match in my opinion.  He was forced to come up with four key saves in the first ten minutes of the half.  The American back line was under full-attack from Spain, but they were up to every challenge.

Second half sub Benny Feilhaber was a huge boost to the American squad.  In the 74th minute Feilhaber found Landon Donovan on the right wing, who sent a low driven ball into the box. After bouncing around a little Dempsey pounced on the ball and found the back of the net.  The Spanish players were stunned as they went down two goals.

For the remainder of the match Spain kept constant pressure on the USA.  Tim Howard again came up huge throughout the final 15 minutes keeping the clean sheet.  Spain had a TON of chances, but it was just not their day.  The only negative that came from the match was Micheal Bradley receiving a straight red card in the 86th minute. It was a hard tackle, but was not worthy of a red card.  When the final whistle blew it was a great feeling for every USA soccer fan.  This match was won with a total team effort and most of all heart!

This was Spain’s first loss since 2006.  The win gives us great momentum going into the finals on Sunday, and ultimately for the World Cup next summer. This proves that  the USA can compete with anyone in the world when they are on their game.  This was the Americans second win in their history versus a number 1 ranked team. The last time was in 1998 against Brazil in the semi-final round of the Gold Cup.

GO USA!