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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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