The wealth of soccer on Sunday proved American interest. Sort of.

Soccer featured prominently on U.S. television on Sunday afternoon, as a high-profile tripleheader was shown over two channels. At 3:00, a second-string U.S. national team battled Mexico in the Gold Cup final on Fox Soccer Channel, while ESPN then showed the last two games of the inaugural World Football Challenge, featuring the Milan derby at 5:00 and Chelsea-Club America at 7:00. I probably wouldn't have moved from my couch once all afternoon, except I had scored sweet tickets to the AC-Inter game a couple months ago, planning to watch the others afterwards. While your final opinion of the games probably depends on your loyalties, the coverage afforded to each game clearly shows the priorities of American viewers, and it shows some worrying trends for the immediate future of American interest.

By now, you've undoubtedly read about the drubbing the USA got at the hands of Mexico in the Gold Cup final, and the media reports pretty much tell you the whole story. With young prospects like these, it's often pretty simple. Up until the final, their superior talent had sufficed for winning games, albeit often while getting their act together at the last opportunity. But of course, when you face strong competition like Mexico, you can't simply rest on a good pedigree, 

you also have to play cohesively and incisively. As the USA practically refused to take the chances offered, Mexico finally converted a 57' penalty to blow the gates of U.S. inexperience wide open. As they say, the rest is history.

The media absolutely should be this critical anytime the USA loses, and especially so when they lose this comprehensively, but not everything is as bad as this Gold Cup indicates. Most obviously, the final showcased the future stars of such superclubs as Arsenal, Tottenham, and Villareal... playing for Mexico, against the "finest" of the New England Revolution and Columbus Crew. This was our second-string squad, did we really expect anything different? Giovani dos Santos grew up at Barcelona, what the hell is Jay Heaps supposed to do to him?

A win (or not losing by 5 goals, for that matter) would have been nice, but the USA did what it intended in this tournament: evaluated the prospects of the team's future leaders. Stuart Holden's dynamic play and Troy Perkins' solid positioning indicate their bright futures, and judging by Holden's post-game tears, these guys are now committed to working even harder for the cause. Kyle Beckerman continues to imitate Xavi, able at this level to totally control a game's pace and unlock defenses. Meanwhile, Logan Pause hasn't demonstrated any reason to be on the field, while Robbie Rogers knows that he may want to find some sort of killer instinct or, you know, crossing ability whatsoever. We may have lost humiliatingly, and this blowout certainly restokes the rivalry, but it's not like the U.S. National Team suddenly took a giant step backwards.

At 5:00 was the Inter Milan - AC Milan clash, where I sat with 3 of my buddies in some great second tier seats. Even though the game and its crowd got strangely stale occasionally, the game was still amazing to attend, since these teams are so much more skilled and exciting than the only live alternative for Americans, the error-prone MLS. Plus, a fairly standard result was made more intriguing by signs of how each team has dealt with major departures.

Inter's ability to replace Zlatan Ibrahimovic was much clearer on the day, since new signing Diego Milito scored both goals in the 2-0 win. Despite losing two of their best strikers in Ibrahimovic and Hernan Crespo, Inter have pulled off two swap deals to maintain a stellar offensive presence through Milito, Thiago Motta, and the missing Samuel Eto'o. As opposed to an attack that looked static last year whenever Ibra had a bad day, Inter's multi-faceted offense looks positively dynamic this year. Moreover, they even made money out of all of this, mostly due to the ice-cold €45 million that came with Eto'o for Ibrahimovic. Inter have been shrewd players in this summer's market, selling high and buying low to maintain a strong squad.

AC Milan took a different approach to Kaka's departure, relying on a previous buy to rediscover his genius. Much has been written about Ronaldinho's inability to play with Kaka for Milan, and so now that Kaka belongs to both Jesus and Real Madrid, we're starting to see signs of the bucktoothed one's reemergence. With a couple of brilliant balls through, he showed that his singular vision has not left him, but whether his body can keep up is another question. He lost possession much more often than he did three years ago, and as my friend George remarked during the game, "I love watching him, but I'd be a nervous wreck if he was on my team." Then again, such things are

much easier to fix than mental lapses, and after all, it is still their preseason. He probably won't reach the dizzying heights of his world-dominating peak, but Milan is hoping that we could yet see those trademark free-kicks on a regular basis once again.

It's also worth mentioning briefly, I don't currently see anyone nearly as effective for Milan as Paolo Maldini was. Status as a club legend aside, he was a top-notch defender to his last minute for them, and nobody that they've bought seems good enough to take his place in the back. To the certain dismay of most Americans, Oguchi Onyewu looks out of his depth at the moment, getting burned on the first goal by Diego Milito, and Thiago Silva hasn't yet proved his ability to adjust to the pace of Europe either. While Inter seems to have already found offensive flow with their replacements, Milan's plan to recover from their departures is riskier at both ends of the pitch.

Chelsea and Club America concluded the tripleheader at 7:00. It was the deciding match of the World Football Classic, though judging by Chelsea's lineup, Carlo Ancelotti wasn't informed. Their starting lineup was partially comprised of young players such as Michael Mancienne and Sam Hutchinson, combined with some experienced steel such as Michael Essien, most of whom needed the extra games after spells on the sidelines last year. Fortunately for us viewers, the absence of some key Chelsea stars actually made this a more entertaining, balanced matchup.

Still, even the backups demonstrated eventually why its the entire team's mentality that makes Chelsea a feared squad. Their defining characteristic is often their power, a blend of size and speed that just wears down opponents, and this characterstic was evident in their victory. Defensively, Chelsea's defenders knocked the Club America attackers down often, as if just to prove that nobody would get by them untouched. It's a tactic often criticized by those such as Barcelona, but one that is inarguably effective. Offensively, constant set pieces proved their superior strength in the first half, and both goals in the second half showed that they frequently shrug off defenders to continue flowing moves, despite confrontation. Chelsea's mentality is why they won this preseason tournament.

 

So ended the World Football Challenge, part of an exciting Sunday tripleheader. Interestingly enough, did you notice how much coverage each event has gotten over the last week? The Gold Cup crowns the champion of our region, awarding bragging rights in our fiercest rivalry as a soccer nation, and yet America paid much more attention to the European preseason. Even I almost forgot that the final was on Sunday, so sparse was the coverage! All of this indicates that most of us prefer to follow European soccer, even over our own national team. This certainly makes some sense, given that people typically watch the highest quality entertainment available.

However, all of that changes once money becomes a factor, and soccer isn't yet popular enough for most people to subscribe to Fox Soccer Channel. All of that media coverage of the WFC was because ESPN was broadcasting the games, and as a popularly subscribed channel, people watched. The Champions League on ESPN has received similar advertising in recent years, and as such received similarly improved ratings. But, now that it's moving to FSC, how many people are going to pay the extra money to watch? My bet: not many that haven't subscribed already, and people are naturally going to veer away from the sport as the quality offered declines. Yes, ESPN softened the blow by picking up La Liga, but people are much more likely to watch if two world-class teams are playing, rather than just one. If you're skeptical about that, consider how likely you are to tune in to Real Madrid v. Sporting Gijon for 90 minutes.

Sunday showed that there is plenty of great soccer on American TV, and that there are plenty of people willing to watch it. But as with most things, money often divides those two truths, and television money is threatening to drive a wedge into soccer's growing popularity in America.

Video of the Week - Ronaldinho red card?

Starting a new feature here on The Searching Cross, we have the Video of the Week! Every Sunday, the Video of the Week will shine the spotlight on a goal, player, or event that made waves in the last week.

This one was just plain hilarious, during the scrimmage between AC Milan and Inter Milan on Sunday in Foxboro, MA. There was nearly a mass riot before the referre corrected himself, but the crowd ended up laughing it off with Ronaldinho. Great to see that the bucktoothed genius just might be back to his old self.

Sir Alex Ferguson epitomizes the team mentality in Ronaldo's wake

Losing a loved one is hard. You grow and flourish with them, enjoy the best of times with them, and get used to having them in your life, so much so that you can't imagine life without them. Then they're suddenly gone, and for a long time, it seems like nothing can replace them. Though Cristiano Ronaldo likely does not feel this way about Manchester United (or, hopefully, about certain other recent associations of his), many loyal Red Devils surely hold such pangs of abandonment for him. But while the media view his departure in the same replacement-seeking way, Sir Alex Ferguson has shown in the past that he places a much higher value on the chemistry of the team.

When any superstar leaves, the media focuses on finding one player who fills the void. It's the natural response: "Who's going to 

replace all of those goals?" Superstars such as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Karim Benzema, and Franck Ribery were all linked to perform the same functions as the departed Portuguese. The thought is so prevalent that it creeps into any related story, as the BBC demonstrated in mentioning "Ferguson (trying) to replace Cristiano Ronaldo" in their article on the transfer of Gabriel Obertan. Of course, such wording is mostly used to neatly summarize the issue, but to the public it portrays offseason changes as a player-for-player process, which influences the expectations of supporters.

 

In simplifying this, the media ignores similar precedents. In 2003, David Beckham left for Real Madrid after finally getting sick of Beckham's celebrity status impeding his duties to the team. However, nobody was brought in who was already considered a star at the time, as Sir Alex preferred to leave the scoring load to the increasingly rampant Ruud van Nistlerooy. (Louis Saha would be bought in the winter, but only once Ferguson realized he needed another goalscorer in the short term.) Beckham's successor was indeed bought during that offseason, but he was a prospect who then adjusted to Ferguson's team-first philosophy. Only at that point did he become a superstar, in the United mold. He took the number 7 shirt in Manchester, you may have heard of him. Think he moved to some team in Spain recently.

Likewise, in 2006 Ruud van Nistlerooy demanded a transfer after becoming increasingly frustrated with the dwindling number of playing opportunities on offer, and he got his ticket to Real Madrid. The blame for Ruud's frustration is a whole other matter entirely, but once it was clear that he was gone, Fergie saw the opportunity to liberalize the goalscoring responsiblity. Aware of the fact that United had become too dependent on feeding the ball to Ruud in the box for goals, he bought Michael Carrick to spread opportunities around the team, as well as Patrice Evra to give the backline some offensive tooth. This opened up the field for the likes of Ronaldo and Rooney to unleash their talents, and thus Sir Alex succeeded in molding the free-scoring squad of the last three years.

From these stories among many, we can see one undeniable truth: Ferguson understands the necessity of blooding players into the team over time. Great United teams have always had star players such as Beckham who developed at the club, mainly because on great teams, star players will inevitably emerge and attract more attention than anyone else, for one reason or another. However, Sir Alex knows that such stardom must develop organically at the club in order to serve the team's purposes, rather than players being imported as colorful but ultimately unfit puzzle pieces. His managerial career demonstrates his philosophy that even the greatest players in the world cannot always succeed without the almost telepathic support of the team, forged in the experience of growing up within the club.

 

Just as importantly, Ferguson understands that if a player no longer fits within the team's ethos, it is time for him to leave, no matter his talent. Beckham left because his celebrity got in the way of his duty, a phenomenon that can exist in the Hollywood 2.0 of Madrid, but not in the tunnels of Old Trafford. Van Nistlerooy left because Ferguson decided that his style of play seemed to dictate the team's approach, a situation he may have created but ultimately disposed of, much to Ruud's unhappiness. Games are determined by more than just the sum of individual talents; the players must augment and understand each other, and Fergie's greatest talent may be in mastering this 

conception of 'team'. It is why players such as Juan Sebastian Veron and Dimitar Berbatov have had difficulty at Old Trafford, why Real Madrid's first 'galactico' policy largely failed, and why there is no guarantee of success this year for the new breeds of galacticos at Real Madrid and Manchester City.

Ronaldo's departure is admittedly different than those of Beckham and van Nistlerooy. On their departures, Ferguson expressed that the latter two were hurting the team and benched them accordingly, but Fergie is clearly pained at losing who he calls "easily the best player in the world" and "streets ahead of them all". The other two were pushed out of Old Trafford, while Ronaldo could have stayed in Manchester as long as he liked, but eventually had to drag himself away to chase his "boyhood dream".

Nevertheless, a departure is still a departure no matter the story behind it, and the method of rebuilding remains the same. Once again, Ferguson has opted to develop a long-term successor in Obertan, virtually an unknown before this transfer. In the meantime, he has recruited Antonio Valencia to fill the role of pacy winger. Given the Ecuadorian's goalscoring record however, Ronaldo's goals are now more likely to come from established sources, as Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov seem likely to pick up some of that slack, with increased opportunity for Danny Welbeck, Federico Macheda, and the rescued Michael Owen. In their preseason in Malaysia, Owen has particularly demonstrated a knack for scoring crucial goals, a role that had previously fallen to Ronaldo and the departed Carlos Tevez. Thus, at least until Obertan is ready, Fergie seems content that Ronaldo's many former roles are now spread throughout the team.

As many of us mourn the loss of CR7 and the rise of CR9, accustomed to focusing on one leading light, we may naturally reach out to find another star for our adulation. While an Ibrahimovic or a Ribery could have potentially fit into the team well, Sir Alex knows that such gambles are pricey, and not as dependable as the method he has used to make Manchester United the best team in England. It seems to be a cold, loveless method, but in avoiding a focus on replacing individuals, Ferguson defines his legacy by constantly working to retain the concept of team, more lasting and loved than any one player has ever been and will ever be.

From the stands, the USA's inexperience seemed to impede their potential against Haiti

Last night I had the priviledge of sitting in Row 12 of Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, for the USA's 2-2 draw with Haiti to conclude the group stage. Part of a tripleheader including the Revolution-Wizards MLS game and Honduras-Grenada Gold Cup tie, an absorbing match intimated a bright future for a few young stars, but showed that this U.S. second team needs more experience in matches such as these to be steadier and ready for more quality opponents.

After a miserable scoreless draw between the Revolution and Wizards of MLS that almost exclusively featured unsuccessful balls sent over-the-top, the national teams took the field. At just over 24,000, the crowd was somewhat disappointing, possibly due to being split fairly evenly between Americans, Haitians, and Hondurans. The biggest cheer during the introductions was reserved for Jay Heaps, a native of nearby Longmeadow, MA, and ironically enough, scattered boos were heard for Stuart Holden, longtime nemesis of the hometown Revolution as a key member of the Houston Dynamo. But by the final whistle, his contributions would prove vital, while Heaps would epitomize most of the rest of the U.S. squad in struggling with inexperience throughout the night.

From the opening kick, the U.S. looked dominant in possession, and good build-up play led to a perfect opening goal. Holden played an incisive ball through to Davy Arnaud, who finished expertly just past Haitian keeper Jean Dominique Zephirin into the left corner. Though he didn't receive any clear-cut chances the rest of the night, Arnaud played well overall, threatening the Haitian defense effectively in addition to scoring his first goal for the national team.

The U.S. showed a clear superiority in talent for the remainder of the first half, but they often got in their own way with mistakes that created unnecessary chances for Haiti. Holden represented the pick of the Americans' first-half offense, highlighted by a wonderful long-range volley in the 25th that dipped and struck the bottom of the crossbar, dropping in front of the goal line by inches. Numerous other chances in front of goal narrowly missed the frame, as the American offense was rarely in doubt.

However, the side's inexperience manifested mostly in defense. Defenders often looked unsure of themselves when dealing with men pressing forward, evident in Parkhurst's foul and subsequent yellow card in the 30th minute. Luis Robles showed the same lack of confidence, as his tentative parry of a saveable Fabrice Noel shot continued goalbound before he scrambled back to knock it away just in time.

Haiti punished this tentative approach swiftly after the second-half restart. Flying down the wing, Leonel Saint-Preux made an absolute mockery of defender Jay Heaps before firing a cross to the far post for Vaniel Sirin to finish with a stooping header. While Heaps looked totally lost trying to defend the deceptive winger, some of the blame undoubtedly falls on Parkhurst for uncharacteristically drifting from his mark during the play.

Further mistakes by inexperienced internationals led to the second goal, as Robles came out late and failed to effectively call off Jay Heaps. The native New Englander cleared the ball poorly to Mones Chery, who unleashed a thunderbolt into the left corner as Robles rushed back fruitlessly. While the shot would have been unstoppable even with perfect positioning, the chance itself was created by Robles' defensive temerity in hesitating to come out, along with Heaps' unfortunate clearance. Indeed, most of the Americans' problems came from players' inexperience with the national team, as the game's chief offenders were Parkhurst in his 7th national team appearance, along with Robles and Heaps in their debuts.

However, it is telling that the fightback was also led by a player with little international experience. Though Charlie Davies and Brian Ching brought experienced pressure and finishing ability when they were introduced as subs, they simply provided the threat of a conclusion to Stuart Holden's wonderful playmaking ability. Holden never missed a tackle, rarely lost possession with his masterful ball control, and created numerous chances for the entire team, aided by pinpoint passing from the ever-improving sub Kyle Beckerman.

For the rest of a scintillating second half, the teams went back and forth creating chances, but each team succesfully countered the other's blows. The USA had improved drastically at defending the runs from Saint-Preux and James Marcelin since the beginning of the half, no longer looking shockingly out of their depth. Meanwhile, the Haitian defense held strong, turning away numerous American chances, including one bold and selfless dive to block Davies' skilled chest trap and volley. Though the back-and-forth nature of play slowly gave way to desperate U.S. pressure, their unbeaten record in Gold Cup group play looked legitimately threatened as time dwindled away.

Yet Holden had been the sole player the USA could count on all game to give the team what it needed, whether it was a defensive stop or a controlling presence, and his 30-yard rocket did not disappoint the Americans' need for an equalizer. His strike in the second minute of injury time was both beautiful and powerful, taking his tally to 2 goals for the tournament, and indeed for his fledgling international career. Given his total control over the match and importance to this Gold Cup squad, he will certainly not lack more opportunities in the near future.

Holden's assurance and dominance were rarely found in the rest of this relatively novice team, but the good news is that such nervousness is the result of a collective lack of experience, which disappears more and more with every important contest like this. Their skill was evident in most of the USA's offensive play, and since mistakes are natural while adjusting to the international pace, nobody should believe that this was the best that this group has to offer. As Holden proves, the future is somewhat distant but brilliantly positive.

So close, and getting closer

For a tournament where the United States played the best soccer in its history and got more people to care about the national team than ever before, there are surely millions of Americans disappointed at the conclusion of the 2009 Confederations Cup. The closer you come to winning, the harder it is emotionally to lose, and this is a heart-wrenching loss for the entire nation. However, “no pain no gain” is a favorite saying of many fitness gurus, and the pain of this loss can be the beginning of an extraordinary period of development for the US National Team.

The Americans surely heard every doubter’s claim that their performance against Spain was a fluke, and the first half against Brazil was their response. The USA bossed play from the beginning, and the first goal by Clint Dempsey was deserved, his deceitful redirection fooling Julio Cesar in the 9th minute. Thereafter, the Americans kept possession and worried Brazil with high-octane offense, and any minimal Brazilian pressure was masterfully dealt with by the American defense, marshaled by Tim Howard in one of his best ever displays. The second goal was a reward for their continued aggression, as beautiful play between Davies and Donovan demonstrated how their pace troubled the Brazilians all night, and resulted in a wonderful 26th minute finish by the captain. A third goal would’ve put the night away when a cross floated in for Jozy Altidore shortly afterwards, but the 19-year-old inexplicably failed to continue his run towards goal. Some late Brazilian pressure ended the half, but the Americans were still dominant overall.

Unfortunately, the end of the first half was all too indicative of how the second would go. 40 seconds from the whistle, Luis Fabiano received a pass at the top of the box, and despite Jay DeMerit’s good positioning, the ball found its way through his legs and past Tim Howard. Constant Brazilian attacks would have found the equalizer shortly thereafter, if not for the unflinching Howard, who showed that he is world-class with save after brilliant save. He can even be credited for preventing the would-be (should-be?) goal by Kaka in the 60th minute, as he never gave up on the ball and punched it out before the linesman could see that it had crossed the line. The U.S. couldn’t ride Tim Howard forever though, and Luis Fabiano’s headed goal in the 73rd was followed by one in the 84th minute by Maicon. The winner came off the 9th Brazilian corner after an entire half of offensive pressure, showing that while the U.S. put in a fantastic defensive display in the first half, it takes a full 90 minutes to win against the best.

In some ways, there are positives to losing the final. A win would have papered over the cracks of a less than flawless tournament, a misleading conclusion to inflate American egos. The destination ahead, World Cup 2010, is more important, and victory over Brazil would have convinced many that we are ready to win next year. Team USA and its fans would have preferred a championship here, of course, but when the team's strengths are gloriously prominent and the weaknesses painfully obvious, the entire nation knows where the team must improve in the coming year. Rest assured: despite ultimate disappointment, America has learned much that can finally solve the 20-year riddle of the US National Team.

Our four-pronged attack causes opposing defenses fits
The best decision that Bob Bradley made this tournament was to insert Charlie Davies into the lineup and shift Dempsey and Donovan out wide. When the three of them are on the pitch with Jozy, opposing teams have great difficulty in containing the athleticism and pace of all four players. The dam always busts somewhere, and the team has benefitted from multiple goals in all three games where this strategy is employed. Conor Casey isn’t 

good enough in possession to be considered our first sub when Brian Ching is healthy, and his return will aid the team in closing out games with a lead.

The midfield is crowded, but basically settled
The wings are mostly decided, as playing Donovan and Dempsey essentially as wingers causes the most problems offensively. It’s also worth mentioning that as long as we aren’t in desperate need of wing players, DaMarcus Beasley shouldn’t be selected until he proves his talent again at club level. The middle is where things get crowded. Ricardo Clark is usually selected as an incredible defensive presence, with Sacha Kljestan as his immediate backup. Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber are both playmakers who can change the game with one brilliant pass, and both are easily good enough for inclusion. Bradley has been the choice mostly on his superior defensive play, but he showed a propensity for bad tackles against Spain, so Feilhaber should always be in the squad.

Our back four is set
If the resolute display against Spain didn’t prove it, the dominant first half against Brazil should: Bocanegra, DeMerit, Onyewu, and Spector are the best back four that the USA has. On the wings, Bocanegra and Spector have pace that they can exploit while remaining defensively responsible, and both can whip crosses into the attacking third. In the middle, Onyweu and DeMerit proved that they win every ball in the air, and their positioning while man-marking is impeccable. Their fitness needs to improve, as that was the major factor behind a disastrous second half against Brazil,

but when they have wind, the back line proved nearly impenetrable.

We rely too much on Tim Howard
As amazing as he was throughout 180 minutes against Spain and Brazil, nobody should expect any keeper to sustain that type of form over an entire tournament. The point isn’t that Tim Howard isn’t capable of playing at his best for that long, it’s that by approaching a game expecting such brilliance, the team is just begging to leak goals. Opposing teams can’t be allowed as many shots on goal as they’ve gotten in the last two games.

The U.S. has the talent to win a major championship
The USA beat the former best team in the world, and nearly beat the new one. Moreover, neither was a fluke, and the “nearly” would have been removed if not for an exhausted team. This team had the talent to win the Confederations Cup, they just didn’t have the energy. A World Cup run is more exhausting indeed, but it is much easier to get players in shape than it is to develop their talent. The USA just proved itself capable of going toe-to-toe with the two favorites for 2010, and with this nucleus of talent, the USA can definitely challenge for major honors, starting next year.

The U.S. isn't consistent enough mentally to win a major championship
The USA was mentally sharp for 225 minutes of Confederations Cup play, from the opening whistle against Egypt to the halftime whistle against Brazil. While these are proud results to cherish for Americans, if the team wants anything more than occasional results, the players need to stay aware for the other 225 minutes, instead of just going through the motions when they get tired at the ends of games. Key moments include not closing down Giuseppe Rossi on his equalizer, not marking Maicon on his opener in the group stage, DaMarcus Beasley’s horrendous missed touch that led to Brazil’s second goal in the group stage, and poorly marking Lucio on his winner in the final. These opposing players are good, but the USA has proved that as a team, they are just as good. There are no more excuses.

Bob Bradley isn’t exempt from the above criticism
If a team isn’t disciplined, it’s most likely due to their coach not instilling discipline. This is a vague criticism without much proof, but it’s nobody else’s responsibility but Bob Bradley’s to ensure that his team doesn’t make those 

mistakes consistently. More troubling is the occasionally terrible game management that Bradley showed during the tournament. The biggest mistakes, in chronological order: sticking with Beasley for way too long despite his miserable showing against Costa Rica, taking off Jozy against Egypt when we still needed a goal, and most importantly, putting on Bornstein and Kljestan in the final. Feilhaber and Jozy were gassed, but putting on a 5th defender and a guy who got a red card the last time he played this team were not solutions at all. To clarify, Bob Bradley is absolutely the right coach for this team and he should not be fired, but he has to manage the team better in pressure situations.

This team isn't content with anything less than total success
Second place is the best that the U.S. has ever done in a FIFA tournament. No American gave a shit about that at the end of the final. From the heartbroken faces at the whistle, to Dempsey crying after receiving his runner-up medal and Bronze Ball, it’s clear that nobody is satisfied with anything less than winning. Donovan articulated it best, saying that "We're at the point where we don't

want respect, we want to win.” This team wants everything it can get its hands on, and now it knows that such success is achievable.

Americans will care about soccer if the national team performs like this
Though it's hardly scientific, if you took a look at your Facebook before, during, or after the final, you’d see countless friends of yours who don’t usually care about soccer, saying “Go USA!” or something similar. It’s about more than just soccer: Americans are proud of their country, and the patriotism shown towards the national team is something that MLS can never replicate. The Confederations Cup put soccer all over ESPN, CNN, any news outlet you can think of. Generations of young Americans are affected by all of that coverage: it affects their choices of sport, their opinions on sport, their desires for sport. The growth of soccer as a recognized sport in America starts with success like this.