Even though the US team lost 3-2 to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final today, fans of Sam's Army should feel good about the team's progress. I watched nearly every game the US played, and after a rocky start to their Cup campaign (epitomized by a hapless 3-1 loss to Italy), the Yanks finally started to play loose and benefit from some good luck.
Consider the murderer's row that the US had to get through to get to the finals: 2006 World Cup champs Italy, South American champs Brazil (twice) and European champs Spain, all in the span of two weeks. The match against Spain, a shocking 2-0 win that sports historians have already ranked as one of the top five greatest team upsets in US international sports, showed the US defensive strength up the middle by continually disrupting the devastating Spanish midfield's touch passing game and not permitting them any space to operate.
Brazil was another story, as they are a team unlike past Brazil teams that developed the "beautiful game" (which, ironically, Spain and not Brazil plays today) and one that wins with quick counterattacks and set pieces - witness the final goal, a perfect header off a corner kick. While the US ultimately could not keep up with the pace of the South Americans, the final showed that we could switch styles and play the current Brazilian game as well - Landon Donovan's searing run from midfield as part of a two-man counterattack for the second US goal was a thing of beauty.
Looking forward to seeing the US in action in South Africa next summer in the 2010 World Cup (maybe in person, making it two World Cups in a row ...).
