2009 Confederations Cup: Brazil Ends USA's Magical Run
June 30th 2009 05:16
Champions once again
After the United States' stunning display against Spain in the Confederations Cup's semifinals, the question was how would they react in a rematch against South American champions Brazil who had crushed them 3-0 in the group stage.
Playing fearlessly this time around, the US held their own against Brazil during the first half, even going as far as grabbing a 2-0 lead over the football giants. Clint Dempsey stunned commentators and viewers all around the world as his slight touch on a cross from Spector beat Julio Cesar in the tenth minute of the game. Although Brazil had most of the possession, the Americans were given them a hard time to get inside the box much as they did against Spain. Landon Donovan scored the US' second three minutes before the half-hour mark on a superb counterattack marked by terrific pace and ball exchanges between Charlie Davies and Donovan. Needless to say, the Brazilians were in shock but instead of letting it lead to frustration, they retreated to the locker room with a resolute look on their faces. This game wasn't over.
Less than one minute into the second half, Luis Fabiano scored his fourth goal of the tournament by taking a shot right at the edge of the box. The play was a sudden change from Fabiano's tendency to always try to enter the box and it caught Jay DeMerit by surprise as the ball found its way between his legs to the back of the net. The Brazilians were now down 2-1 with lots of time on their hands. As the Brazilians progressively took their game from one level to the next, the Americans could only try their best to contain the pressure. After Kaka was denied a goal in the 61st minute – a tight decision by the linesman – the Auriverde finally got their equalizer at the 74th minute when Luis Fabiano headed home a ball that was ping-ponging (yes, I made up the word) around Tim Howard's net.
In an effort to freshen some tired legs, Bob Bradley used two of his substitutions – Bornstein and Kljestan for Altidore and Feilhaber – but neither seemed ready to step into a game of such importance. As Kljestan flubbed ball after ball in midfield, the US were unable to keep possession long enough to dictate the tempo of the game. The defense finally collapsed in the 84th minute when Lucio headed the winner past Tim Howard. It wasn't the first time that the Brazilian captain was forgotten at the far post and he made this opportunity count.
In the end, the Americans had a great game. I was disappointed in Altidore who was never able to hold the ball up for his teammates. Davies and Donovan were the real sparks up front as Altidore became more invisible as the game wore on. The US' lack of depth was also evident when Dunga brought in Daniel Alves to replace Andre Santos. That alone can have a huge impact on a game as evidenced by Brazil's last-minute win against South Africa in the semis.
So the Auriverdes keep their title. Good for them. So far, no team who has won the Confederations cup went on to win the World Cup, so I don't know what to make of this. They seem to have a solid team. It would have been nice to see Pato play a game but Luis Fabiano was terrific in this tournament. Let's hope he keeps it up.
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