U.S. v. Brazil-- Confederations Cup Final

All the attention the last few days, even with the passing of the King of Pop, who I initially thought had just faked his death and was hiding out in Argentina with his mistress..... too soon ?

Anyway-- all the attention since the boys beat Spain has been a little odd. It is almost like what happens in a real footballing nation. It is really, really strange when people like YAHOO's Dan Wetzel are writing columns about the US Men's National Team. Fascinating.

Pretty big game. Not much to say except I do think we'll play better than we did the last time. Juan is out for Brazil-- replaced by Luisao. Despite his brilliant goal to win what was actually an interesting match against South Africa-- Dan Alves remains on the bench for Dunga, who stays with Andre Santos and Maicon. Expect Maicon to attack a bit, and maybe if the U.S. comes out aggressively we will actually see Felipe Melo support the attack too.

I just hope the Yanks come out loose and have a good time. It's going to be tough without Junior in the middle, but hey-- playing Brazil in FIFA Cup Finals isn't supposed to be easy.

Jen Chang's running blog is a must read, over on the four letter website...

Finally, I love it when Carlos Bocanegra reads the "Say no to Racism" pledge. It proves that he realizes there is more to life than being really, really, really good looking. There's defense. And thinking racism is bad.

Alamo Defending-- And This Time-- the Americans (Good Guys) Win

Remember the Alamo !! And...Don't Tread on Me. Finally, the imposing logo of US Soccer has been rewarded with a victory that merits the suggestion the logo carries with it. The United States finally gave the American Outlaws, Sam's Army, and many more of their die-hard fans the game and the win they spent countless hours trying to convince their football buddies they were capable of producing. They played a style that warranted the logo's warning as well-- with opportunistic attacking and fearless, stubborn defending once they had earned a 1-0 lead on Jozy Altidore's strike in the 27th minute. The attacking brand of football they opened the game with helped immensely, admittedly taking the Red Fury by surprise and sending them a warning, both with a dagger from Deuce that just missed in the 10th and a deep Davies run moments before that, that this was not the American team that looked helpless and inept against Costa Rica and Brazil. I don't mention the Azzuri, because in actuality the Yanks played solid soccer for thirty minutes before Pablo Pozo decided the game should turn in Italy's favor, and that is not the Americans fault.

What changed ? To paraphrase Russell Hammond from Almost Famous, who finally answers William Miller's question "What do you love about music?", I'd have to say, in the context of Bob Bradley's men: "Everything." It was an inspired performance but one with controlled passion. (Michael Bradley's dubious red card, which wasn't even a yellow but alas the Yanks are victimized by Jorge Larrionda's hot temper again, see: 3 red cards, Italy game, 2006) All across the pitch, Americans stepped up. After taking the early lead, they had no choice. Constant assault by Spain resulted in few American forays into the Spanish back third. Yet the U.S. remained together, blocking shots with the back of their heels, with their chests, with their faces in Jay DeMerit's case. Tim Howard was the world class elite goalkeeper Everton fans know him as-- stoning David Villa on two tremendous shots and turning Riera aside twice after he had beaten Jon Spector on the American right flank.

After weathering a particularly uncomfortable barrage from the Red Fury in the second half's first 15 minutes, which felt like two hours, the Americans took a brief respite from the Horatius at the Bridge Act they were engaged in and moved forward. When Landon Donovan's cross was mishandled by all-World Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos, Clint Dempsey was there to punish the Spanish and stake the Americans to a 2-0 lead.



The Yanks resumed defending their net like the Alamo moments later-- except, in a strange turn, this time-- the Americans held on, surviving the aforementioned red card and advancing to Sunday's final where they will likely receive a reprieve and redemption shot against Selecao.

The real question remains-- what does this victory actually mean-- outside of shutting Colin Cowherd up tomorrow after his Spain 4-0 rock ballad he sang on air this morning. Quite simply, it isn't the greatest win in American soccer history because it didn't happen at a World Cup. That distinction will always belong to either the Americans 1-0 win over England in 1950, or more likely the 3-2 and 2-0 triumphs over Mexico and Portugal in 2002. This doesn't mean that it didn't matter to the Spanish, who played their team from the Euro Final a year ago and feel devastated to not have secured the longest unbeaten streak in the history of FIFA International Futbol. What it DOES mean is that the Americans can now understand that they have nothing to be afraid of against global powers. The imbalances in talent still exist-- but they are smaller. They can, indeed, be overcome with passionate, team play. No one will confuse the Yanks with Spain-- but it is a win, and one against the best, most talented TEAM the Americans have ever beaten.

The question now becomes-- is this giant, progressive step one that will be a signal, a confidence-builder that bears fruit on this same South African soil a year from now ? Or is it going to be simply a brief flirtation with success ? The U.S. looks to be a low 2, or a high 3 seed when pods are announced for the World Cup and the draw is selected at the end of this year. This win should send a signal to other sides that treading on the Yanks won't be easy. It should send our players an even more compelling message, a reminder that even without 1-3 likely 2010 starters, and with a year younger and a bit unfit Josmer Altidore, they can not only survive a group with Italy and Brazil-- they can beat the best team in the world.

In college, there were always guys who "outkicked their coverage", managing to date a girl they had no business dating. Let's hope this win isn't one of those moments-- a "Man, I sure outkicked my coverage" moment that is simply that-- a moment of greatness in a larger swath of time, an "eye of the hurricane" moment before the return of the storm that seemed to have followed this team from Costa Rica to South Africa only a week and a half ago.

UNITED STATES 2, SPAIN 0

Victory!!!!! First loss for The Red Fury in THREE YEARS. First loss for the Red Fury to non-European opposition in TEN YEARS. One of the greatest teams ever assembled falls to 14 guys playing their absolute guts out. The best to me of all was the final goal-- a bit of pure arrogance from Ramos, who seemed to have such little fear of the American attack, even down a goal, that he tried to settle a ball in his own six and begin yet another Spanish assault on the American net. What happened next was metaphorical, as Clint Dempsey, Fulham's Man of the Year, and FIFA's "Man of the Match", punished him by taking the ball away and putting it in the back of the Spanish net. Hubris is involved in any tragedy, or so Shakespeare wrote-- and that was proven in that instant; an instant that also proved what 11 guys working together, working hard, and giving efforts beyond the measure of human heart and emotion can accomplish.

Immense performance and one of the greatest wins in the history of American Soccer. The overwhelming turn of fortune in the past week is so outrageous that if the Yanks somehow win the tournament, which of course they have a chance to do now-- it's flat out the stuff of Disney films. We can work Megan Fox into a role later. Even though she has ugly toes. Unbelievable. Much, much more later.

Chip on Shoulder Mentality Back...

As I wrote yesterday, and Luke Cyphers writes here---it appears the near national crisis nature of U.S. Soccer heading into the game against Egypt finally mobilized the team and perhaps helped this group of Americans craft a mentality and identity before next year's World Cup. One could only wonder heading into the game if they read, or at least were well aware, of the assault they were under by the press at home, and perhaps more important to them, the message boards and bloggers who follow the team with fervor. The answer was a resounding yes, and one hopes this is the return of the "chip on the shoulder" the American teams played with for several years under Bruce Arena after the "3-6-1 was about as good an idea as Affleck taking the role in Gigli, but not quite, because at least Gigli had J-LO" debacle in France in 1998. Let's hope so-- because the Yanks will need attitude, as well as discipline and a heroic effort to have any hope of ending the Red Fury's 35 match unbeaten streak Wednesday night.



That said-- I thought it would be nice to post some of the comments made by the fiery Michael Bradley after Sunday's miracle. I'd say these quotes more or less sum up the mentality in the American locker room-- one which has returned, hopefully good, at just the right time. Enjoy.

Bradley: "At the end of the night you walk into the locker room and to be able experience the feeling you have with your teammates, your coaches, with the trainers, that's why you play.To do something special like that, where everything is against you, everybody wants to say how bad you are, everybody wants to write you off, to leave all that bull s--- outside the locker room and just be committed to the team, to leave everything on the field, to run for each other, to fight for each other, that's what we did."

Bradley on the accusations that the Yanks played with no passion:

"We played with 11 guys for 90 minutes. All the f------ experts in America, everybody who thinks they know about soccer, they can all look at the score tonight and let's see what they have to say now. Nobody has any respect for what we do, for what goes on on the inside, so let them all talk now."

Bradley on the folks that thought the Yanks would mail it in:

"That's clear, nobody thought (that the Americans would win).We didn't for one second feel sorry for ourselves. We didn't give up. We kept running, we kept fighting, and we did the same thing tonight. Guys get ready for the game, guys believe in one another. Guys are ready for 90 minutes to go out and run and fight and give everything they have for the next guy."

There's an argument it is a bit early-- but you can't fault the kid's passion. It is distinctly...American.

Bradley to Pharaohs: Let my People Win...

And then they do. 3-0. And they advance to the next round. After two dismal performances. They are through. In a group with Brazil and Italy-- the Italians are on a plane home. And the Yanks are not. And in other news, Paris Hilton is the new ambassador to UNICEF. (Sorry-- but Jen Chang had that coming after suggesting, and being right--- that the sequence of events that was required for our boys to advance was about as likely as Paris taking on a humanitarian hero role. To Bradley's credit, as it turns out-- Sweedish speedster Charlie Davies turned in a highly active, if not entirely consistent, performance that aided the to this point pedantic American attack. The decision to start Guzan in goal was an outrage-- but it seemed to work. Guzan did what Tim didn't do on set pieces-- getting out of his six and challenging balls in the air-- and when called upon, he was equal to the task. I'm really not sure what the point of switching out Howard was, and given the long odds before the game it seemed inconsistent with the typical reason, which would be to get Guzan big game experience. Pretty pointless to experiment when the the rest of the lineup looked more or less like the lineup from the first two games.

Forgive me if my thoughts are somewhat incomplete or my writing choppy. The shocking nature of the events that just transpired, and the fact that I am not writing my "Why we need to move on from Bob Bradley" blog-- an open letter to the US Soccer Federation that I had begun writing in my mind-- is mind boggling. That letter is put away in the dark corner of my mind, and hopefully not even for another day. Because today is all about hope.

Bradley's lineup choices are indeed strange-- but the terminal result-- advancing to the next round-- silences a chorus of critics who had more or less put the program in a state of national crisis since noon on Thursday. The whole thing reminds me of a Lady Gaga song-- I'm really not sure what the point of anything she says or does is in a song-- but the final product is downright amazing. "Poker Face". The U.S. head man got it done. He rallied the troops the last couple of days and was rewarded with an inspirational performance from Davies, whose darting early runs unsettled the Pharaoh defense and whose pace and effort resulted in perhaps the ugliest goal in the history of the American soccer federation. But a goal it was. And a fine day for the US Soccer program. Bradley's decision to stick to his guns in the midst of a barrage of criticism is admirable. Count me among the loud and vocal. And don't count me among the fickle who believe all is well. Yet his decision to put Deuce up front after bringing on Feilhaber for a gassed and hard-working Altidore was a critical one, and it was vindicated, we were all vindicated, when Deuce's hard work in the box and subsequent header found the back of the net. Twenty minutes of defending later-- the Yanks found themselves advancing and getting an opportunity to take on the Red Fury Wednesday. This is a huge step for the program and one more shot at a respect-gaining and confidence building performance against the World's best. It's the difference between finishing dead last in the tournament and having at least a fighter's chance of playing in a final. All good things.



Best of all-- the U.S. provided a performance filled with passion, emotion and an intensity not seen from this side in quite some time. It felt like a team that finally, with its back to the wall, refused to play scared, and instead of ducking and running for Gold Cup cover and a sure win on the Fourth of July against Grenada, they played the role of Horatius at the Bridge, defending the integrity of their fans and their soccer program from a brutal assault, while the Brazilians played the role of the Romans, destroying the Azzurri's bridge to the semifinals behind them.

More later, but I too am emotionally spent and will wait to write player ratings and comment on the next task on the list of impossibles-- defeating Spain after the long trip south to Bloemfontein.

A Gap In Class... And the U.S. Seem to have little passion

That was the single worst half of soccer the Yanks have played in this World Cup cycle. Conor Casey was not the answer, but apparently a coach who for whatever reason does not fear his job security does not care. I hope there was a bit of passion in the locker room, and a discussion that the "long ball" prayer strategy is not going to be effective against Selecao. The United States needs players who can take the ball on their feet to the other team. The logical substitutions would have been Torres and Adu, but that didn't happen.As I write Conor Casey aborts a simple strike that should have made the game 2-1. Defensively, the menacing runs of Maicon were far too much for the seemingly lifeless DeMarcus Beasley. Perhaps Beas is preoccupied with a move to Schalke, or perhaps his confidence is destroyed-- but that begs the question-- why is he playing in the first place ?

So many questions, and a half with little heart displayed only magnifies them. The noise in the system around Bradley should be louder, and it is hard to actually say that, but at some point-- you need results.

Who’s Ready for the Kaka 2nd Minute Red Card?

To be closely followed by the Landon Donovan penalty kick goal and roughly ninety minutes of Alamo-level defending? Why not. PES 2008 has the U.S. winning two-nil on an early goal by Altidore and a second half set piece goal off of Sacha Kljestan’s head. But in the simulation the game decided to start Bobby Convey for the Yanks; I’m not sure whether the score line or that starting berth is more far fetched (in all fairness Convey did get hurt and was removed at halftime). Here’s hoping Bradley’s boys can get at least a point out of this match against Brazil, because I want to have a reason to watch the actual winnable game against Egypt on Sunday.

Brief thoughts on the Italy debacle: Every time. No need to even grandstand about the unwarranted red card. That type of thing seems to happen to the U.S. It will continue to happen. Moving on.

The team was playing with the Italians and even getting the best of them on a number of occasions before the manufactured hour-long power play kicked in. Jozy Altidore and Michael Bradley deserve special mention for inspired first half performances. The DeRossi goal to put the Azurri up was soft though, and that’s on Tim Howard. Thoughts on the New Jersey born turncoat who knocked in two goals for the Italians to help defeat his native country will be withheld in the interest of avoiding a profanity laden diatribe, mismanagement by the previous national team coaching staff aside.

And Jonathan Spector played his second great game in a row for the team and seems to be providing a real solution at right back in the absence of Hejduk and Cherundolo. Let’s see how he handles a still-drunk-from-last-night-Robinho today. If he performs as admirably as he did against Italy and provides service into the box on attack, his club West Ham United may look at rescinding their contract offer to current captain and right back Lucas Neil altogether.

Props to NWB for the Bernie Parmalee reference in the last post… Go America!

A Gallant Defeat is Still A Defeat... and Brazil Next.

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!.....

And I will give you a second chance, a way out of a dire situation in your home country... and you will give me....

A boot in the face. That's about how I feel about Teaneck, New Jersey native Giuseppe Rossi's brace which crushed the inner soul of many American supporters and quieted at least one living room Monday afternoon in the US's 3-1 defeat to Pablo Pozo... oops... the Azzurri. The Americans had played brilliantly for 55 minutes, and for 30, had at least a stalemate in the run of play, and quite honestly, had the better chances. Here's the trouble....

We've heard this story before. It was an eerie replay, without the one point. A Red card to Ricardo Clark, which even the Bulldog Gatusso himself conceded was "a dangerous challenge", but a harsh interpretation-- put the Americans in the same spot they were in at Kaiserlautern in 2006: playing the Italians down a man. The red card was more than dubious-- it was certainly the wrong call. The challenge was a certain yellow, but nowhere near a red, not even if the match had been played at the Old Lady training ground outside of Turin and one of Gianni Agnelli's kin was referee. No chance.

The counter argument seemingly made at the time is "referee interpretation"-- but if that sort of harsh choice was to be the order of the day-- then the failure to send off Grosso for an elbow to Donovan's face about five minutes later makes no sense at all, and the failure to card Giorgio Chiellini for the eight iron boot to the knee of Jozy Altidore that set up the Yanks goal is even more mystifying. All in all, a poor day for the Chilean, and a sad day for an American team that seemed poised for better.

The problem, of course, is that the U.S. finds itself playing down, or playing valiantly against great teams all too often. Many American fans are beginning to tire of it, and many just want a positive result occasionally. The loss stings more because of at least two immense performances. Landon Donovan was very active, drilled his penalty and twice made tremendous link up play with teammates only to be let down by poor shooting and puzzling decisions on the part of his teammates (Altidore, who had no business passing with only Gigi to beat, and Michael Bradley, who shanked a left footed shot in the 26th minute).

Jon Spector continued to establish his claim on a starting right back position, as he punished Fabio Grosso repeatedly on Grosso's runs and deflected several crosses with ease. His clearances were sharp, and aside from looking lost on one set piece which almost resulted in a goal by Nicolla Legrottaglie, he locked his side of the field down, leaving the Azzurri helpless in attack outside of Mauro Camoranesi in the first 45. The addition of Rossi changed the game, and in a way, defined what is missing in a tragic irony from the American side. Despite the great industry, emotion and tenacity with which the Yanks defend, they remain a team without magic and the American starlet Rossi provided Italy with it. Somewhere, in a far, dark corner of Los Angeles, one wonders what Bruce Arena was thinking.

Enough about that fiasco, however, for tomorrow-- the U.S. get their fifth game against a top six FIFA team since 2007. Let's hope this is finally the win-- as the Americans must secure at least a point to have any chance of advancing into next week. As the Yanks prepare-- there is good news and bad news. In honor of Father's Day-- I'll do what Dad does and give you the piss poor news first:

Uhm. It's Brazil. They've found offense suddenly, scoring four goals in an obliteration of Uruguay nearly a fortnight ago and blitzing a game Egypt side for four more Monday morning. Kaka appears to be putting a tough year at AC Milan behind him with more than just a 92 million transfer fee-- he's scored four times in Brazil's past three matches and delivered the winning PK against the Pharaohs Monday after a tragic handball (one that ultimately put the Yanks in this spot).

Then again-- there is the Megan Fox news.


The Kings of Leon news. The Queensryche is recording a new rock opera news.

This isn't your father's Brazil...

Dunga, the captain of the 94 side that won the World Cup in the States-- has been heavily criticized at home until late. He claimed the Confederations Cup was a dress rehearsal then failed to bring Ronaldinho along for the dinner. He seems hesitant to embrace the free-flowing style that makes the Selecao what they are. His defensive orientation is a break from history, and many have claimed, a questionable effort to blend European discipline with its traditional flair and skill. To achieve this, Dunga has made selections that even the President of Brazil has criticized-- bringing in workmanlike journeymen-level players (by Brazilian standards) and eschewing the likes of Sao Paulo's Hernanes in favor of the pedestrian talents of players like Mineiro and Kleber,and hinging his offense on the dynamic ability of Kaka and Robinho to slice apart defenses. It isn't exactly like trying to win with Sage Rosenfels and Mewelde Moore, or Scott Mitchell and Bernie Parmalee-- but it has been an interesting year for Dunga.



Those expecting to tune in tomorrow and see Brazil play its notable sweeping brand of attacking, dynamic football haven't been paying attention, and for all the glory of four goal games against Egypt-- the U.S. will be the most formidable defense Selecao have played in several months, especially if the Captain Carlos Bocanegra can return from injury to shore the middle.

All this said-- it is still an immense challenge for the Americans, who still seem to have no clue at left back, (and how could you with three direly poor choices in Jon "I promise to call my daddy Mauro Camoranesi when I get back to the U.S., just to tell him I'm okay" Bornstein, DeMarcus "Thank God someone is interested because Glasgow is cold" Beasley and Heath "Second tier Bundesliga subs need no nickname" Pearce to choose from) and desperately miss Brian Ching. I don't envy Bob Bradley in that regard.



To paraphrase the great Wahoo Warrior Super Fan from Major League II:

"What are ya gonna do now Bob? You're old Mother Hubbard, and only Coner Casey and Heath Pearce are in the cubbard."



Yikes. The Yanks will need more than gallantry to stop Selecao-- they'll need character, discipline, and they'll need to stop hoping Landon Donovan does everything in attack. It's time for Duece, in particular, to step up. But if they play smart and compact-- they'll have more than a puncher's chance. More tomorrow.

The Triumphant Return?

To the true international stage for the U.S. Men’s National Team? To this blog for one Jon Levy? Hopefully both.

No longer too cool for this blog, I’m ready to weigh in on the Confederations Cup at the very least… and assert how quality a Yankette pick Lady Gaga would be. Just because she didn’t give Neil the time of day when he was off in New York “being artistic” is no reason to keep punishing her. It’s time to let the musical genius behind “Poker Face” off the hook.

The Confederations Cup:

This tournament will act as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup in a number of ways, but here’s hoping we avoid the old Italy/Brazil/Egypt group in 2010, something tells me we’re in the clear on that one. Sadly the Yanks can’t say that for the next week when they will be dealing with the two traditional power houses and the back-to-back African champions. The draw does present the U.S. with a chance to answer some questions though. What should be the preferred formations against an attacking and highly skilled squad like Brazil, or a world class technical and defensive squad like Italy? What does our back four look like against non-CONCACAF foes without California dudes Frankie Hejduk and Stevie Cherundolo at the corners? Why is it cold in Africa in June?

The sideback question is a good one. The ageless Frankie Hejduk was playing so well before his injury that he had practically locked up one of the spots. And Hannover captain Steven Cherundolo is a fixture in the team when he’s not on the shelf. But the shelf is the problem, and we better get used to it, NOW. Neither player is available for this tournament, and there’s a good chance that at least one of the aforementioned speedy defenders will be unavailable for the World Cup. So Bob Bradley is left with a dilemma. The American back four is supposed to be a strength of the team. This tournament will help us identify which defenders are strong enough to play on the biggest stage against the best competition.

Gooch and Boca are fixtures in the middle, but the lack of experienced wing defenders may force Bocanegra to the wing. It certainly seems to me that Bob Bradley has confidence in Danny Califf’s ability to play central defender. Also, his tats are awesome. Either way, Jonathan Spector can expect to get a real look at right back in this tournament. If he can build on his performance against Honduras and his end of season form at West Ham, the former Manchester United youngster can make sure he’s on the plane to South Africa again next summer. As for the Jonathan Bornstein’s and Jay Demerit’s of the world, speed and grit better both be on display, because I have a feeling a healthy Mo Edu might be preferred to either of them at one of the sideback spots. Remember he did play right back in last summer’s Olympics.

The Confederations Cup will also be very important for the U.S. forwards. The last two World Cup qualifiers have silenced the Brian Ching haters. Without the big Hawaiian doing the dirty work up front the Yanks have been limited in attack, but the smug satisfaction of Ching supporters doesn’t put goals on the scoreboard. Hopefully the next three to five games show us a Jozy Altidore who can get free and create chances on his own, or at least work with Landon and Clint better than he has in the last couple games. Jozy is the future of the U.S. striker spot, but he needs to develop further in the next year if he’s going to win that Golden Boot in 2010. Hehe.

And lastly on the player personell front, the tournament could be a big boost to Freddy Adu’s chances at being involved in 2010. Unfortunately for him, the same can be said for Jose Francisco Torres. So Adu needs to impress, if he ever gets on the field. More likely the Gold Cup later in the summer will be Freddy’s chance to shine.

Ok, so how bout a prediction before the U.S. and Italy kickoff their Confederations Cup campaigns against each other. This is gonna be a “safe” one, but it’s how I see it playing out. We tie Italy in a game that doesn’t lack for fouls and cards (sound enough like 2006 for ya). We then lose to Brazil, shocker. And finally we manage to score on a set piece or two against Egypt and win the game. We go through on goal differential and have the pleasure of facing Spain. Nice little run if it goes down like that!

Ok, Go Yanks! Megan Fox is hot! America!