2009 Confederations Cup: United States Shock Spain With 2-0 Win
June 27th 2009 03:18
Dismissed as a weak, disorganized team, the United States seem to have finally found their identity in Wednesday's semifinal game. Against the silky smooth Spain, the US players became a collective unit, frustrating Spain with their never-say-die attitude to finally grab a surprising but fully deserved win.
As expected, Spain dominated the game in terms of possession, but the Americans' relentless pressure on the ball-carrier made Spain's quick-pass game virtually impossible as most of their passes got intercepted or were off-target. Xavi, in particular, seemed to be off his game and it resulted in a disconnect between La Roja's defense and its attack. Furthermore, they were once again without a right-winger and despite Sergio Ramos' best efforts, they were unable to effectively stretch USA's compact defense. Jay DeMerit and Oguchi Onyewu were excellent against Fernando Torres and David Villa but the Spanish also a bit of the blame after missing several scoring opportunities.
At the other end, it was pure determination that led to the US' first goal. After a nice pass by Landon Donovan, young striker Jozy Altidore outmuscled defender Joan Capdevila and fired off a shot that caught Iker Casillas on the wrong foot. Although the Real Madrid goalkeeper had a touch on the ball, it wasn't enough to steer it clear of the net and just like that the US were 1-0 up against the number one-ranked team in the world.
In the second half, the United States had pour everything they had to the defensive cause as Spain came out with guns blazing. The Americans finally caught a break at the 74th minute when Clint Dempsey capitalized on a Sergio Ramos mistake to put his team ahead 2-0. After seeing his team receive their third red card of the tournament (Michael Bradley), Bob Bradley didn't mess around with the substitutions like he did in the group stage. In the final minutes of the game, he took out his two scorers and promptly replaced them with defensive-minded players in order to keep the score intact.
At loss for solutions, Spain could only pray for a goal that never came. Despite their technical superiority, they got beat by a highly motivated, relentless, and organized United States who will participate in their biggest final yet. There we will see how they will react with the opportunity to win their first Confederations Cup.
As expected, Spain dominated the game in terms of possession, but the Americans' relentless pressure on the ball-carrier made Spain's quick-pass game virtually impossible as most of their passes got intercepted or were off-target. Xavi, in particular, seemed to be off his game and it resulted in a disconnect between La Roja's defense and its attack. Furthermore, they were once again without a right-winger and despite Sergio Ramos' best efforts, they were unable to effectively stretch USA's compact defense. Jay DeMerit and Oguchi Onyewu were excellent against Fernando Torres and David Villa but the Spanish also a bit of the blame after missing several scoring opportunities.
At the other end, it was pure determination that led to the US' first goal. After a nice pass by Landon Donovan, young striker Jozy Altidore outmuscled defender Joan Capdevila and fired off a shot that caught Iker Casillas on the wrong foot. Although the Real Madrid goalkeeper had a touch on the ball, it wasn't enough to steer it clear of the net and just like that the US were 1-0 up against the number one-ranked team in the world.
In the second half, the United States had pour everything they had to the defensive cause as Spain came out with guns blazing. The Americans finally caught a break at the 74th minute when Clint Dempsey capitalized on a Sergio Ramos mistake to put his team ahead 2-0. After seeing his team receive their third red card of the tournament (Michael Bradley), Bob Bradley didn't mess around with the substitutions like he did in the group stage. In the final minutes of the game, he took out his two scorers and promptly replaced them with defensive-minded players in order to keep the score intact.
At loss for solutions, Spain could only pray for a goal that never came. Despite their technical superiority, they got beat by a highly motivated, relentless, and organized United States who will participate in their biggest final yet. There we will see how they will react with the opportunity to win their first Confederations Cup.
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