                                                                              Photo by ISIphotos.com
The U.S. national team played as good a first half as anybody could have imagined against Brazil on Sunday. Disciplined defending, and perfect passing sequences leading to a pair of beautiful goals, had the Americans up 2-0 at halftime and thinking about an improbable Confederations Cup final victory.
Less than one minute into the second half, that dream was already starting to fade.
Luis Fabiano's 46th-minute goal cut the U.S. team's lead in half and Brazil unrelenting attack continued to push and push until the American defense cracked, and crack it did. Fabiano equalized in the 74th minute before Lucio's 85th-minute game-winning header capped the impressive Brazilian rally. The Americans had no more miracles and were forced to settle for a 3-2 loss in Sunday's Confederations Cup final.
The defeat provided a bittersweet ending to what was still a very successful tournament for the U.S. team, which saw several new players emerge, and several established players reach new heights. Jay DeMerit, Charlie Davies and Jonathan Spector stepped up and staked strong claims to starting roles heading into 2010 while Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Tim Howard, Michael Bradley established themselves as the strong nucleus of a national team capable of making a strong run in the 2010 World Cup.
What did you think of today's match? Still stunned by the loss? Proud of the team's performance in the final? Have a new-found respect respect for the U.S. national team?
Share your thoughts below.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPhf2T-ZGAA&hl=en&fs=1&color1=0x2b405b&color2=0x6b8ab6]