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Confederations Cup Final: USA vs. Brazil (Matchday Commentary)

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The U.S. men's national team takes on Brazil in the Confederations Cup final today (2pm, ESPN), the first international tournament final in the history of the U.S. team.

The Americans will be looking to exact some revenge on the Brazilian, who handed them a 3-0 loss in group play. Things have changed quite a bit since that match, with the United States posting wins against Egypt and Spain by a combined 5-0 margin.

I will be providing live commentary before and during today's match so you are welcome to follow the match here on SBI. As always, feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the match.

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FINAL– Some final questions for SBI Mafia members as I close out this post. What U.S. player impressed you the most in this tournament? Who surprised you the most? Are you feeling more confident about the U.S. team's chances in the 2010 World Cup?

Share your thoughts below. That's all for me. Thank you for following along here.

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FINAL– Brazil lifts the trophy tonight, but the U.S. national team has lifted the U.S. soccer program to a new level and the experience gained at this tournament will be invaluable heading toward the 2010 World Cup.

Seriously, think about it. Can you remember a U.S. national team that can boast the type of experience and matches and results that this current group boasts?

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FINAL– Ready to talk about who starts vs. Mexico? Nah, that can wait. Let's think about this tournament and all the impressive performances in this tournament. Seriously, think about it people. The U.S. national team didn't just win games, they played some great soccer, scored some beautiful goals and showed tremendous heart. This team helped earn the type of respect from the soccer world that hasn't existed before.

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FINAL– Clint Dempsey finishes with the Bronze Ball as third most valuable player of the tournament. Luis Fabiano won the Silver Ball and Kaka won the Golden Ball.

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FINAL– Some players really stepped up in this tournament and established themselves as key players heading toward the World Cup. Jonathan Spector, Jay DeMerit and Charlie Davies come away from this tournament looking like the starters the team has needed.

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FINAL- Tim Howard wins the Goalkeeper of the Tournament award. Very deserving.

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FINAL-  Tim Howard was easily the Man of the Match. He made countless clutch saves, but could do nothing on the three Brazil goals.

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FINAL– If the U.S. team went into this tournament wanting to know where it stands a year ahead of the World Cup then the Americans have to feel good about what they learned. Several key players will eventually make their way back into the mix, such as Maurice Edu, Brian Ching, Steve Cherundolo and eventually Jermaine Jones, and when you combine them, with this group, as well as some up-and-coming players who will get looks in the Gold Cup, things are looking up a year from the 2010 World Cup.

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FINAL– Kudos to Brazil, which never stopped coming despite the deficit. They kept creating, kept attacking in waves and eventually found chances to finish. Kaka, Luis Fabiano, Robinho, Maicon. These are the world's best players for a reason and they showed why today. 

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FINAL– Brazil 3, USA 2. A tough result to swallow considering the first-half 2-0 lead, but the Americans walk away from this tournament with plenty to be proud about. The team came of age here and gained a bunch of confidence. In the end Brazil just had too many weapons.

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90th minute– It's tough to think about now for U.S. fans, but this tournament is still a performance to be proud of, today's loss notwithstanding. That's if this score holds.

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90th minute– Time running out now. Any more miracles left?

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89th minute– Onyewu header high.

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88th minute– Conor Casey is on for Ricardo Clark. USA corner kick.

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87th minute– Don't see the Americans coming back from this.

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85th minute- GOAL BRAZIL!!!!!! Lucio with a header off an Elano corner kick. WIDE Open on that header, beating Dempsey. Brazil 3, USA 2

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84th minute– Brazil is knocking on the door, corner kick after a good look in the box.

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83rd minute– Bornstein with some good energy, but Kljestan with a weak pass picked off.

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82nd minute– Robinho WIDE. Brazil's just so dangerous.

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81st minute– Bornstein sends a shot wide. Needs to look for the pass there.

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79th minute– Melo fouls Donovan and is lucky not to get a second yellow.

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78th minute– Kaka beat Spector to the endline on the Brazil goal. It was bound to happen if they kept letting people run at Spector, who couldn't keep stopping them.

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76th minute– The Americans are tied and tired and you have to wonder if they have a third goal in them.

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75th minute– Robinho with the first header off the crossbar, Fabiano with the finish. Onyewu got caught sleeping.

Kljestan and Bornstein are in for Altidore and Feilhaber.

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74th minute- GOAL BRAZIL. And it's Fabiano again. A header off a rebounded shot. Brazil 2, USA 2. It was inevitable.

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74th minute– Sacha Kljestan is coming on, probably for Feilhaber.

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73rd minute– Davies wtih a dangerous run but can't beat the last man. Good moves though.

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72nd minute– Americans absorbing TOO much pressure now. They need possession and could use some fresh legs.

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71st minute– SAVE HOWARD!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOW, Stops Fabiano on a clear chance. CLUTCH

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70th minute– Altidore looks gassed.

Lucio with a yellow card for a cheap swipe at Altidore.

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66th minute– Dani Alves and Elano come in for Ramires and Andres Santos.

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66th minute– Donovan with a blast from 25 and it forces a tough save from Julio Cesar.

SAVE JULIO CESAR. DEMPSEY with a great left-footed shot.

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65th minute– USA is looking tired right now. Brazil just keeps on coming. Americans need a breather. They're getting one now with some possession.

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63rd minute– Brazil is knocking on the door here and Americans are holding up well.

Is it getting to the point where Bob Bradley has to think about substitutions?

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62nd minute– Brazil is pressing very hard now.

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61st minute– Wow, did the USA actually get a call go their way? One replace looked like that was a Kaka goal.

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60th minute– SAVE HOWARD. Stops a free Kaka header. WOW. How'd that not go in? He hits it up off the underside of the crossbar.

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59th minute– SPECTOR with ANOTHER great play. Man of the Match for my money at this point.

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59th minute– SAVE HOWARD!!! Stops a Lucio header. Wow. Clutch.

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58th minute– Brazil corner after Spector knocks the ball out from Kaka.

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57th minute– Howard runs out to catch a Maicon cross. How good is Maicon? He's the best right back in the world. That's how good.

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55th minute– Brazil awarded a free kick. Feilhaber grabbed Kaka's jersey. Dangerous.

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53rd minute– Great chance for the americans but Davies can't spot Donovan's run. That had potential. Feilhaber fouls Kaka for a Brazil free kick. Dangerous.

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52nd minute– Spector with another great play and here come the Americans, well for a second. Some nice possession though.

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50th minute– U.S. team looks to have shaken that early goal off and are attacking again.

Feilhaber wtih a nice run forward, but his cross from close range is stopped.

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49th minute– Americans must find some posssession and slow things down.

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47th minute– Fabiano's shot went through Jay DeMerit's legs and leaves Howard no chance. How will the Americans respond?

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46th minute- GOAL BRAZIL!!!!!!!! Luis Fabiano finishes and just like that, Brazil is down 2-1. WOW. What a start.

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46th minute– And we're back.

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HALFTIME– What should we expect from Brazil. I can't see how Dunga wouldn't put Pato in this match. They need a spark and he can provide that. Dani Alves is another option. I don't see Dunga standing pat. 

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HALFTIME– Stellar performances all the way around. Tim Howard has been huge, Jonathan Spector has been clutch with defending and that perfect cross, Onyewu has dominated in the air again, Dempsey and Donovan finished off clutch chances and put in major defensive work and Clark has stepped up to fill the void left by Michael Bradley's absence.

What must the Americans do better? They can't keep putting Spector on one-v-one situations with the likes of Robinho and Kaka. He has been up to the task each time so far, but that's not a formula for success over a full match. 

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HALFTIME– USA 2, Brazil 0.

Enjoy that for a second.

The Americans were applauded for playing a great game vs. Spain, but this first half has been even better. That last 45 minutes has to be one of the best halves played by an American team in USMNT history. Disciplined defending, clinical finishing, great passing. Now, they haven't been winning the possession battle in midfield, but that doesn't really matter. 

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46th minute– Whoa, Brazil gets a dangerous ball across but nobody gets to it.

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45th minute– Onyewu clears away another cross. Brazil has a minute left to find a goal before halftime.

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43rd minute– U.S. team doing very well not to foul in the final third. Forcing Brazil to make perfect passes to break them down.

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42nd minute– Onyewu heads away another Maicon cross. He's done very well yet again.

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42nd minute– Howard saves a Robinho shot, the corner is cleared. Brazil still knocking.

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41st minute– Five minutes left in this half. Americans MUST keep the pressure on.

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40th minute– Spector with a great play vs. Kaka. Well done.

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39th minute– Free kick sequence is headed clear for a USA counter. Davies runs at Brazil but his final touch lets him down.

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38th minute– Cesar catches the corner, leading to a Brazil counter. Brazil draws a foul about 45 yards out.

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37th minute– USA corner.

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36th minute– Altidore draws a foul and a DANGEROUS free kick on the right edge of the area.

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35th minute– Fabiano with a header high.

The U.S. midfield isn't getting much possession but their positioning and ability to limit Brazil passing options is big. Clark is playing very well today.

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35th minute– SAVE HOWARD!!!!!!! Clutch stop from close range. Brazil corner.

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34th minute– Americans need to keep attacking. They've exposed Brazil's back-line and will find more chances if they press.

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30th minute– Americans come close again, but no one can put a head on a Davies across.

USA is STILL attacking.

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29th minute– What a beautiful counterattack and talk about paying Brazil back with the same type of play that burned the Americans in the group stage meeting.

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28th minute– Holy Heck. The Americans are beating Brazil by two goals and has Brazil stunned right now.

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27th minute- GOAL USA!!!!!!!!!! LANDON DONOVAN FINISHEs A BEAUTIFUL SEQUENCE. WOW. USA 2, Brazil 0.

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27th minute– SAVE HOWARD. On Maicon, Brazil corner.

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25th minute– SAVE HOWARD!! Stops a Melo blast.

Melo gets a yellow afterwards, not sure for what. That could be key later.

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25th minute– The U.S. midfield is missing Michael Bradley right now. His possession isn't being replaced right now.

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23rd minute– Haven't the Americans learned their lesson about sliding tackles? This Swedish referee is actually pretty good and even-tempered from what I can remember of past matches I've seen, so we'll see if he keeps the reds in his pocket.

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21st minute– This is the first time all tournament that Brazil has trailed. How will they respond? So far, they're looking determined.

Onyewu with a clutch header to clear danger.

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20th minute– Brazil with some possession and has a pair of shots blocked. They're knocking on the door.

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18th minute– Great ball in from Doovan but nobody is there.

Bocanegra gets a yellow card for a foul on Kaka.

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18th minute– Clark doing well early on. Altidore draws a foul.

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17th minute– Not that Brazil wasn't going to attack, only now the U.S. team has to look for chances to catch Brazil on the counter as they send numbers forward.

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16th minute– Clark does well to block a shot. Brazil is going to bring the attacking numbers now so this should be an entertaining match the rest of the way.

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14th minute– USA is pressing for a second. Corner kicks come close to creating a chance. Brazil is shaken.

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13th minute– Davies on the break, gets held up, forces a corner. Nice sequence.

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13th minute– SAVE HOWARD!!!!!! BIG stop on a Robinho shot.

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12th minute– On one replay it almost looks as if the cross catches Dempsey in the knee and he whiffed on the shot attempt. No matter how it goes in, that's a huge goal.

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11th minute– Spector with a great cross in and Dempsey gets a slight volleyed touch on it to send it just inside the far post. WHAT A FINISH and what a cross.

Dempsey with a tribute to Michael Jackson dues the leg kick. Nice touch.

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10th minute- GOAL USA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DEMPSEY WITH THE FINISH> WOWWWW

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9th minute– Brazil controlling the game early. Clark and Feilhaber need to start winning more possession. Dempsy has been very active early, but that's it really for the USA.

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8th minute– Brazil with some early possession. USA needs to start finding the ball and holding on to it. No Feilhaber sighting yet.

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7th minute– Kaka flashes for a header but sends it wide.

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7th minute– Brazil corner.

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5th minute– Onyewu steps up well to stop a Brazil challenge.

DeMerit heads a cross out, Brazil corner.

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3rd minute– Dempsey tries one from distance but it's a bit weak. Julio Cesar is in great form these days and the Americans will need great accuracy to beat him.

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2nd minute– Brazil with some early possession. Clark with some good early touches.

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1st Minute– We are underway. 

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PRE-GAME– The Americans need to control their nerves and play a smart and disciplined match and first 15 minutes.

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PRE-GAME– A tribute to Marc Vivien-Foe who died in the 2003 Confederations Cup. His son gives a touching speech. Can't believe it has been six years already.

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PRE-GAME– Which big-game player will step up for the Americans today? Altidore or Dempsey? Both are known for scoring goals in big games. Can they do it again?

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PRE-GAME– Does anybody know who invented the Vuvuzela? Whoever it needs to be put in jail. Or at least forced to be locked in a room and listen to those horns for 24 hours straight.

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PRE-GAME– It's almost time for kickoff.

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PRE-GAME– For the second time (at least) Ricardo Clark can't avoid staring into the camera. It's like he's in an episode of The Office anytime a camera's around him.

Americans look poised and serious.

Brazilian anthem, still one of the better anthems. Why? No idea, just is. Maybe because I'm used to watching good soccer after hearing it.

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PRE-GAME– Okay, so many USA fans are watching this match at bars (and stadiums), but many of you are watching at home and/or in front of your computers. If you plan on following the commentary on SBI today let me know you're here and where you're checking in from.

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PRE-GAME– SOmeone else who could boost their value today is Bob Bradley. If he leads the United States to a Confederations Cup title, we can start thinking about an American head coach who European clubs could go after following the 2010 World Cup.

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PRE-GAME- The teams are in the tunnel. Excited yet?

Okay, let's get some drinking game suggestions. 

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PRE-GAME– Along with having a chance to win the United States' first international trophy, today's match is a chance for several American players to make some serious money by upping their transfer values. Onyewu, DeMerit, Clark, Donovan, Altidore and Davies have all helped boost their value in this tournament and all could be looking at big summer moves thanks to Confederations Cup performances.

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PRE-GAME– Brazil and the United States faced each other just a month after that 2003 Confederations Cup match, in a Gold Cup semifinal in Miami. It was July 23, 2003 and it is easy to forget that the Americans nearly pulled off the upset on that day only to have an 89th-minute equalizer from a young standout named Kaka force overtime. Diego converted a penalty in overtime after a Cory Gibbs foul in the penalty area to give Brazil the win and a place in the 2003 Gold Cup final (where they lost to Mexico in Mexico City).

Here was the USA lineup on that day:

———–Landon Donovan——Clint Mathis——————–

Eddie Lewis————Claudio Reyna———–Earnie Stewart

————————Pablo Mastroeni————————–

Bobby Convey—-Bocanegra——Gibbs——-Frankie Hejduk

——————————-Keller—————————–

Carlos Bocanegra scored the U.S. goal that day, heading home a perfect long pass from Reyna. Brian McBride replaced Mathis just 30 minutes into this match. Richard Mulrooney and Beasley also played as subs.

Coincidentally, Brazil has four players starting today who played in that match. Kaka, Robinho, Maicon and Luisao.

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PRE-GAME– Since we went back in time to reveal that 1998 USA lineup that beat Brazil, it would only be fair to look at the 2003 Confederations Cup squad that lost to Brazil, 1-0, on June 21, 2003:

———–Landon Donovan——Clint Mathis————-

Beasley—————-Earnie Stewart—————Chris Klein

————————Pablo Mastroeni————————–

Cory Gibbs—-Bocanegra——Gregg Berhalter—Cherundolo

————————–Tim Howard—————————–

Bobby Convey replaced Gibbs, Taylor Twellman replaced Mastroeni and Eddie Lewis replaced Chris Klein as subs that day.

For those who don't remember, Tim Howard played a solid game in goal and only an Adriano goal on a breakaway after a Berhalter turnover kept the USA from scoring at least a draw that day.

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PRE-GAME– Keys to the game today for the U.S. team?

  • Clean defending in the final third (ie, NO FREE KICKS 30 yards and in).

  • Keep bodies around Kaka, Brazil's lead playmaker.

  • Be smart with the ball (as in no unforced turnovers to spark Brazil counterattacks)

  • Feed Donovan and Dempsey the ball early and often (and let them create and go at Brazil's defense, which can be beaten).

There are plenty of other things the U.S. team needs to focus on and do well today, these are just some that came to mind.

The Americans will miss Michael Bradley today, especially with regard to dealing with Kaka. On top of having a tireless work ethic and impressive work rate, Bradley reads the game well and keeps himself in good positions to help neutralize opposing team's top playmakers. It will be up to Clark and Feilhaber to not give Kaka too much space and a chance to run at the U.S. defense.

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PRE-GAME– Speaking of Larrionda, I can't help but wonder where he stacks up in the pantheon of referees most hated by U.S. national team fans. Let's have a quick vote:

http://www.twiigs.com/poll.js?pid=34581&color=bluedarkest

poll by twiigs.com

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PRE-GAME– Regarding the Bradley-Larrionda post-game confrontation story, what I've heard is that Bradley directed some comments toward Larrionda after the match but that reports that he had to be restrained and kept from attacking Larrionda are grossly inaccurate.

Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl has confirmed that FIFA is investigating the matter. What that means exactly remains to be seen, but at the very least it appears that any potential suspension would not affect Bradley's availability vs. Mexico on Aug. 12.)

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PRE-GAME– The only difference between this Brazil lineup and the one that beat USA 3-0 is giant centerback Luisao starts in place of Miranda. 

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PRE-GAME– Here is Brazil's lineup:

———-Robinho———Fabiano————-

—–Kaka————————–Ramires—–

——–Felipe Melo——Gilberto Silva——–

Santos—–Lucio———-Luisao——-Maicon

——————Julio Cesar——————–

No surprises from Dunga and the Brazilians either.

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PRE-GAME– Here is the USA Lineup (according to FIFA):

————–Altidore———–Davies————-

Donovan———————————-Dempsey

—————-Clark——–Feilhaber————–

Bocanegra—-Onyewu—–DeMerit——-Spector

———————-Howard————————

Yep, it's the lineup we were all expecting (and most were praying for).

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PRE-GAME– We can start dissecting the match as soon as the lineups are revealed. For now, let's discuss favorite Michael Jackson songs. Just kidding.

If you're Brazil do you start Maicon, Dani Alves or both?

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PRE-GAME– What did you think of that '98 lineup? Find it funny that three of the four starting defenders either are or were MLS general manager/technical directors? Eddie Pope can't feel too left out. He now works for the MLS Players Union.

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PRE-GAME– Waiting on lineups, any minute now.

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PRE-GAME– Thanks to BB for reminding me that Landon Donovan and Lucio were just teammates four months ago during Donovan's brief loan with Bayern Munich? How could I forget that? Admit it, you forgot (or erased that from your memory) too.

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PRE-GAME– As you have surely heard by now, the U.S. national team boasts one win vs. Brazil all-time, that win came on Feb. 10, 1998 in a game forever remembered for Kasey Keller's amazing performance and Preki's game-winning goal. Have you been left wondering who was in the lineup that day for the United States? Wonder no more:

—————-Eric Wynalda——–Joe-Max Moore—————

Cobi Jones——John Harkes—Roy Wegerle—-Frankie Hejduk

Jeff Agoos——Eddie Pope——Alexi Lalas——–Mike Burns

—————————Kasey Keller—————————–

Preki replaced Wegerle and Brian McBride replaced Wynalda on that day.

And yes, both John Harkes and Alexi Lalas were in the starting lineup that day. So you will hear at least 1,000 anectdotes about that match on the ESPN broadcast (as you should).

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PRE-GAME– Answers? For the first part, the answer is Freddy Adu and Luisao. That was a bit of a trick question because some of you may have thought it was Adu and Ramires. The Ramires transfer to Benfica doesn't take effect until the opening of the transfer window, on July 1st.

The second part actually has two three answers: Tim Howard and Kleberson AND DaMarcus Beasley and Heurelho Gomes. Howard and Kleberson were teammates with Manchester United from 2003 to 2005. They came in together in the same Manchester United transfer class that included some kid named Cristiano Ronaldo. Beasley and Gomes were teammates with PSV Eindhoven during Beasley's entire three-year stint at PSV from 2004 to 2007. Lastly, Landon Donovan and Lucio were teammates for three months at Bayern Munich this past winter during Donovan's brief loan spell.

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PRE-GAME– Pop Quiz: Who are the only current set of club teammates who will stand opposed to each other in the Brazil-USA final? And a Part Two: Aside from the aforementioned set of club teammates, who are the only other American and Brazilian players to have been club teammates before?

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PRE-GAME– Pop Quiz answer: Clint Dempsey. Okay, so that wasn't THAT tough a question. I just found it very interesting as I was looking back at some results. Dempsey has scored goals against Brazil, Spain and England AND has scored in a World Cup. Not bad. 

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PRE-GAME– In case you missed it, here is a USSoccer.com interview with Benny Feilhaber.

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PRE-GAME– Pop Quiz: Who is the only player in U.S. national team history to score goals against Brazil, England and Spain?

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PRE-GAME– No, we don't have the lineups yet, so no, we don't know for sure that Feilhaber is starting, but it seems like a safe bet. That said, don't be surprised if the starting lineup isn't the starting XI we've all assumed it would be. It has been a long tournament and fatigue could play a part in Bob Bradley's final lineup decisions.

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PRE-GAME– The answer to the quiz question? July 2, 2007 vs. Paraguay in Copa America. That was the last time Benny Feilhaber and Ricardo Clark started together in the U.S. lineup in central midfield. That summer saw Feilhaber and Clark start together three times, the only three games they have ever started together with the national team. They started in a 2-0 Gold Cup win vs. Trinidad & Tobago, a 4-1 loss to Argentina and 3-1 loss to Paraguay in Copa America. Clark scored the lone goal in that Paraguay match.

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PRE-GAME– I'll come back to the quiz later.

For now, let's take a look at Brazil. You all know about Kaka, Robino, Julio Cesar, Maicon and Dani Alves, established European-based mega-stars. The team's rising stars are Felipe Melo and Ramires. Melo has been the best defensive midfielder in the tournament and is set to make a big-money move away from Fiorentina this summer. Ramires is a young midfielder who recently made a $10.5 million move to Benfica.

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PRE-GAME– Pop quiz: When was the last time Benny Feilhaber and Ricardo Clark started together in central midfield for the U.S. national team?

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PRE-GAME– We are still more than two hours away from today's final but it's never too early to start talking about the match, especially a match as big as tonight's. I will bring you the starting lineups as soon as they become available.

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PRE-GAME– Swedish referee Martin Hannson is the referee today. He has no history of issuing red cards to U.S. national team players, so that's an upgrade.

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Comments

  1. What U.S. player impressed you the most in this tournament?
    Oguchi Onyewu.

    Who surprised you the most?
    Jay Demerit

    Are you feeling more confident about the U.S. team’s chances in the 2010 World Cup?
    If this coach or last coach employs two strikers . . . I always have confidence in this team. I’ve always felt they can go toe to toe with anybody as long as their coach doesn’t tie one leg behind their back with the lone striker formation.

    Reply

  2. Wow! The US takes Brazil to the limit with a team of players mostly from second level pro teams while Brazil has guys who play for the upper echelon clubs and who can fetch multi-million transfer fees. I guess the coach who selected the US team is at fault for not selecting all the US players who play for Man. U., Barcelona, Real Madrid, Milan, etc and are all those players subject to multi-million $ transfers. He failed to play the little kid who the press annointed the future of US soccer (never mind the kid can’t seem to get a start in Europe and hardly set the MLS on fire when he was there). Clearly he should have gone to his very deep bench sooner.

    Oh Yeah, the US did handle Spain pretty well, again with the same poor selection of players and terrible choice of substitutes.

    Wait, scratch that, Given the talent level of the last 3 teams the US played, the US should have lost all 3 and lost convincingly. Either the managers of all the big clubs are poor judges of talent for not picking up the US players, or someone who chose this roster and helped them play together well enough to challenge the best teams in the world had an idea of what he was doing.

    Bradley clearly has helped this team move along and improve. He continues to look at players to see who will fit in and work with the core hes has fashioned. Some players will play themselves onto the team by next summer, others may play themselves off. No one can really tell which those might be. I am pretty sure that Michael Bradley’s reported verbal assualt on the referee who red-carded him will not be something Bob looks kindly on.

    Seven important games in 25 days on 3 continents. Donavon, Dempsey, Bradley, Gooch, Demerit, Altidore played all or nearly all of the minutes. It was no wonder they looked tired near the end of the last couple games.

    It will be interesting if the “B” group that gathers in a couple days to begin prep for the Gold Cup can come together and rise to the occassion as well as those they would replace did.

    Reply

  3. If Bradley had a fourth sub, would it have been Beasley?

    Bradley can not hide behind a ‘weak bench’ as he picked everyone on the squad.

    Another game where the coach could not adjust.

    Reply

  4. Very proud of the US team, they earned a lot of respect today. This was the sharpest performance yet.

    The US team proved today that the games against Egypt and Spain were not flukes. The US looked better game by game, peaking in the first half against Brazil.

    The passing, confidence on the ball, and coordination as a team were very good. Spector, Oneywu, Dononvan, and Howard were all stand outs, but I think 90% of the US players on the field performed exceptional well, and perhaps the rest were not quite good enough for this level of competition. But, this was the highest level of competition possible.

    Reply

  5. The reason we lost this game after executing an excellent game plan in the first half is that after our second gaol, we dropped off in the midfield and did not pressure the ball until brazil was practically in our attacking third. You cannot keep Brazil at bay with that kind of a game plan. Our backs and Keeper played admirably the whole game. Our guys should have kept up the intensity for what should have been the biggest win in any of these guys careers. Midfielders and forwards became content and gave the ball away too easily, and stopped fighting like they did in the first 35 minutes or so. I agree the subs sucked, but that is not what lost the game. Why did we not pressure the ball higher on the pitch??????

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  6. We found guys who clicked together and will play for each other. LD both surprised and impressed me the most; I think he made an argument for best midfielder in the tournament. He performed like the player we thought he’d be after Korea 2002.

    Spector and Demerit were impressive. The back 4 gave up minimal fouls in danger areas and smart ones to slow the attack down throughout the tournament.

    Dempsey is great when he has a chip on his shoulder. Davies has played very well and Altidore played like a talent with rust from not playing. Very good sometimes and not so good others – but please Jozy, stop doing the turtle when you go up for a 50/50 header; I didn’t see him win one all-tournament.

    Feilhaber just needs some stamina but is a great addition. We missed Mike Bradley today though.

    I think the tactics were good today. In the first half Brazil did what they were supposed to – get space wide and cross it in to Onyewu and Demerit – and the wide backs need to stone the occasional 1 v 1. It’s not a bad game plan against better teams with the back 4 we have, plus missing Bradley.

    The subs were abominable – I think BB meant to put them in as “hold the one goal lead” subs and stuck with them even when Brazil scored. Oh well.

    And for those talking about Adu. We’ll see with the Gold Cup, but he needs playing time for his club. I’m not sure he makes the 2010 roster.

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  7. we came up short…but I’m proud of the team…this is the effort we all want from our national team. I think that if we can play like these last few games, then we are down the right path.

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  8. Props to our boys. Today for me was bittersweet. Valiant effort by everyone and it was almost like we were playing with house money so who cares. But, when your up 2-0 at half and lose, WTF.

    I’m not going to kill anyone giving the fact I realize how far US Soccer has come. Coming for a guy who remembers the 90 world cup team, a bunch of college rag tags and grew up watching the Cosmos play at Giant’s stadium. And to see us take it to Brazil in the first half was a proud moment for soccer in this country. But imagine if we would of won this game…

    Soccer has come a long way.. the guys themselves and our country should be proud these guys are truly pioneers.

    Great – Dempsey, Howard, Donovan, Onyewu

    Very Good – Spector, Demerit, Bradley, Davies, Altidore

    Ok – Clark, Boca, Bornstein, Guzan

    Need work – Beasley, Casey, Klejstan

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  9. Regardless, Bradley will be the coach next year, and people will be complaining about him not using Adu or Torres or that he’s starting Ching or Beasley in a World Cup game.

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  10. CLY, are you retarded? Kljestan and Bornstein came in AFTER Brazil’s equalizer. Neither had a hand in the game-winning goal so where exactly do you see them coming in as having led to the loss?

    All you self-hating, I-know-more-than-the-coach clowns are a joke. It’s clear some people have always hated Bradley as a coach and while whine and cry any time they can get a chance. He didn’t cost us the game today. Brazil’s better talent WON the game.

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  11. I attempted to question the sub decisions by BB after a great victory (Spain) and said we won in spite of his questionable choices and timing. It is nice to have support again as I was a fool for saying it then. BB truly had limited choices, and then made poor selections from those players. Again his relationships are a problem as they seem to blind him somewhat. Torres for Benny would have made sense, but Klestjan? In fairness to BB once the player checks in and effectively has been requested to come on to the fourth official, can he change because a goal is scored which was the case today, I have not seen this discussed? We have limited guys that can hold the ball, and did not use the two on the pine today. The boys were very impressive, hard to argue with the line-up but the subs were again awful. Curiously, not bashing BB or MB but does he need to win his spot against our deep defensive mid category or is it his automatically, I am not judging whether he is it but we need a playmaker too. Personally, I think the line-up is the best we have had and would have been equal with MB in at defensive mid, but not two defensive mids.

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  12. I think the U.S. players learned a lot more than we fans did. I think they learned that there is a significant population in this country that cares a great deal not just about the results they achieve, which are viewed realistically, but with how invested they appear in wearing the shirt. I really think that Donovan and Dempsey, maybe for the first time in their careers, took to heart the disappointment with the (real or perceived) lack of effort and energy in the first two games, which was the overwhelming subject of the comments rather than the typical results. And they seemed angry about it, which is exactly what you as a fan would hope they would feel. Against a undermaned Egypt, but especially against Spain and Brazil today, there was a palpable sense that the U.S. players were overcoming their individual technical deficiences, which remain, with individual hardwork and demonstrable teamwork that actually did make them better players. The goals today were world class techical efforts by all of the players involved with creating and scoring them, even if all of those players are not at the level of Brazil or Spain’s best. And we can also take pride in Tim Howard, who is easily one of the top five goaltenders in the world right now.

    The U.S. will undoubtedly remain an inconsistent side in its results. They lack depth, cannot seem to maintain their personality for an entire 90 minutes, and some starters simply lack the kind technical ability on the ball that one sees so prevelent elsewhere. But I hope this tournament will put an end to the fans’ need to criticize the effort being put forth so we can focus on the thing that the best soccer teams in the international and club scene direct their attention to: the development of players better than we currently have and, perhaps still our one glaring weakness, our coaching.

    Bob Bradley has virtually assured his spot through thr 2010 World Cup, but his substitutions today were typcially poor and I hope he either learns from them or does not need to repeat them with the additions of Edu and Jones and, one still hopes, the emergence of Adu as the player we all continue to hope he will be.

    I think a lot of us really did not believe many of the things we saw from the U.S. in this tournament, and I also think that for the first time in a long time, the good memories will greatly outweigh the bad.

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  13. btw, there’s no way I see Bradley getting fired unless the US suddenly loses a string of WCQ. Looks like this tourney saved Bradley’s job and he will more than likely be coaching us in South Africa.

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  14. How can anyone question Tim Howard and call him out?! Are you serious??? The guy was under an all out assault of shorts since the tournament started. Put anyone else in goal and Brazil easily doubles the scoreline. Howard keeps this team in so many games its not even funny.

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  16. The USA made big strides but not Coach Bradley. Is there time for him to improve or be replaced? Bradley needed to tighten up on left side defense beginning the second half and up 2-0 but he failed. Maicon had way too much time. If Boca can’t go out wider than Donovan has to. At 2-1 that area still was weak. At 2-2 he still needed to strengthen it and bring in some impact in the middle. He brought on Kljestan. At 2-3 he needed some fire power and he brought on Bornstein and Casey. Bradley failed to tighten up a weak spot on defense, brought nobody in to help or change tactics. When behind he brought in some personal friends who shouldn’t have been on the roster or bench. Great effort team USA, but the coach didn’t give you a fighting chance.

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  17. For what it’s worth, this is from the BBC chat:

    “I’m really enjoying the USA’s style of play. No play-acting, card-waving, playing innocent to the ref, etc. Just good physical football. I hope all the “stars” in the homelands of football are watching and learning.”

    Regardless of how it ended, our boys earned a round of applause.

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  18. I would like to say first that Bornstein, Kljestan and Casey did NOT lose this game for us, Brazil was the better team and we were not patient enough as a team to hold possession when it was needed. We did very well in the counter attack, but that can’t be the game plan for 70 minutes in my opinion, its just too taxing on our defense and midfield.

    WITH THAT SAID,

    Bradley continues to throw these guys in, and they just are NOT impact players taht you need off the bench. Kljestan absolutely sucks. I feel like he always finds the most difficult pass available and goes for it all the time. He’s got skills, but he is a moron. Kljestan needs to sit on the bench and watch donovan play… Bornstein wasn’t terrible this tournament, but what about his game screams midfield playing time???? Casey is the sub I get, sort of. its late in the game and you want a guy to possibly get on the end of a long header, but if this sub was made earlier you throw Adu or Torres in there and let them create real chances.

    I just hope bradley looks at these guys like he looked at Beasley, and realizes that they are not the guys we need playing

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  19. Fantastic showing in the 1st half from the Americans. Unfortunately they came out flat in the 2nd and paid for it early. Most goals are scored in the first and last 5 mins of every half.

    The most disappointing thing about the match is how Bob Bradley couldn’t recognize that substitutions needed to be made around the 58th min. Instead he waits until to late and then brings on the wrong players to enable the US to push forward and put the Brazilians on their heels.

    The thing to realize about all this is that US Soccer doesn’t care about the overall performance of the US coach as long as he gets the US team back to the World Cup. They are motivated by the sponsors cash who only care if the US makes it to the WC.

    Bob Bradley proved today (and on many other occasions) that he is unfit to be the US Coach. He just lacks the cleverness as well as the motivational skills to be a National team coach.

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  20. wowwww… all these twit defending bradley?? really guys?? lets act like we know soccer and if we know soccer, we know bradley blows at being a coach. our talent got us into the final, not some genius tactical move… and the first person to even question dempsey’s goal against spain needs to be slapped, bc that was NOT bradleys brillance. the guys running the us fed are about as smart as the guys running our damn country: BOTH are holding back prosperity.

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  21. WTF….. Bornstein subbed in for left midfield. Sascha for center midfield. As soon as they entered the field the game changed and Brazil scored the goals to win. Use your head Coach B when making subs. Very boneheaded….Should have left the lineup that he started. Did not need these changes. Keep attacking, not sitting back. Learn from this please. What a golden opportunity missed out on.

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  22. Congratulations to the US on a very much deserved 2nd place finish. I was hoping they’d hang on, but still, great performance all around

    I was impressed by the play of US attacking players, particularly Donovan, who is my choice for the Golden Ball. Or at least the Silver Ball after Luis Fabiano got the Golden Ball. Kaka won based on his reputation. I hope Donovan gets a contract with a European team this fall.
    I also thought our midfield was good, except for Sasha, who is just a red card waiting to happen. He hasn’t done anything since the game against Sweden, and doesn’t deserve to be on the field, especially in favor of Torres.
    I’m also starting to find myself drifting into the “Get rid of Bob Bradley” group after being a supporter of his. He makes terrible substitutions, and I think the players deserve the credit for making the final, not him. He’s not a bad coach, but I’m worried that we’ll struggle in the World Cup again, particularly with misplaced expectations for a lot of US soccer fans.
    Anyway, bring on Mexico, and bring on Jermaine Jones.

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  24. Great showing by the US this tournament. Very proud of our boys. Just ran out of gas in the second half. Would have been really nice to have had Michael Bradley available. Thanks refs — not! Too many debatable direct red cards. Overall, I must say I’m happy with the team’s progress though. Several players really seem to be finding themselves — Spector, DeMerit, Feilhaber, and Davies come immediately to mind. Donovan also had a good run of games. Let’s use this new-found confidence to finish up the qualifying hex in style, starting with grabbing a point in Azteca. Cheers!

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  25. Dempsey…..

    Seing Dempsey crie after he received his Silver or runner up trophy shows the guy geniounly cares, he sweats for the US shirt. That is the main thing the US is missing. They don’t sweat the shirt like other coutries, they are a team very discipline that is well organized, but they have to care about the the shirt, the Country, the fans. Dempsey gets it…do other players get it. It almost reminds me of Allen Iverson with the US getting the Bronze or Silver in the World Championships, before they eventually earned the GOLD this past Olympics. He cried when they received it which is why I don’t like him as a person, but he cares about his Country, kind of like Dempsey. Only I like him and think we are to hard on him sometimes, but that is good, because that means he is a talent and expect more from him. GO US…very proud of what you did today.

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  26. Even though I am disappointed like everyone else, I am so impressed with the sporting spirit and drive shown by our team in the last two matches. This bodes well for the World Cup. We will be a force to be reckoned with.

    I was already committed to seeing Spring Awakening in Philadelphia this afternoon (great show) so I only got to see the second half at Fado on the corner of 15th Street and Locust. The US side looked tired and the Brazil played inspired soccer. They really are incredible.

    As for the player who impressed me the most, no question it’s Davies. His speed brings an element to the US attack that has been missing for years.

    I look forward to seeing this team shock the world next summer!

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  28. How is that our team has 9 goals scored on it over 5 games and our goalie is keeper of the tourney? Timmy’s overrated. We didn’t lose be/c of him today i hope come June of next year he’s better than he is now. Why is he trying to save shots 3 yards deep into his goal? He needs to be called out.

    Posted by: matt C | June 28, 2009 at 05:58 PM

    You are an idiot. It’s pretty easy to let 3 goals in when you are facing 30 shots a game from superior opponents. Howard made save after save to keep his team in the game and deserved the award. BTW he was 3 yards in his goal because the ball just came of the cross bar and he had dove to make the save, slick.

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  29. Shameful second half. Stop the Ching talk. Had he played we never woulda got tis far. Ching would have never scored against Spain…or anyone other quality team.

    This shows that the US needs to stick with and develop the Davies Altidore partnership.

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  30. It was an amazing rebound for the US and impressive showing in the last three games. BB showed his lack of tactical awareness once again. His continued preference for his favorites has cost us a couple of games. Pretty mind boggling subs at horrible times. I truly think he is holding back the team from all it can be. Does an OK job but not once has done a great job.

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  31. Honestly, what this team missed was the controlling composed presence coming off the bench that Benny usually provides. Michael Bradley’s suspension stung in the second half, when we clearly needed that depth boost. I think the prospects look good going forward, especially with a CM group of…Michael Bradley, Rico Clark, Jermaine Jones, Maurice Edu, and Benny Feilhaber, not to mention prospects like Joe Torres and Freddy Adu. Defensively, we give up alot of speed on the left side with Bocanegra, but I think the unit as a whole will be excellent together.

    all im all, great showing in the cup. unlucky and a bit outclassed towards the end, but great way to gain momentum. Long way to go, but I think we are on the right track.

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  32. Donovan impressed me his box-box hustling. Spector also impressed at right back.

    Davies was a nice surprise since he hadn’t played in a lot qualifiers. Demerit was the biggest surprise. I knew he could be a solid stopper as a sub, but he played very consistently over five games and paired nicely with Onyewu.

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  33. Tournament performances (the ENTIRE tournament not just single game performances):

    Very Impressive: Howard, Donovan, Onyewu, DeMerit, Bradley

    Impressive: Spector, Clark, Davies, Feilhaber, Bocanegra, Altidore, Dempsey

    Average: Bornstein, Guzan, Bob Bradley

    Disappointing: Kljestan, Casey

    Extremely Disappointing: Beasley

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  34. How is that our team has 9 goals scored on it over 5 games and our goalie is keeper of the tourney? Timmy’s overrated. We didn’t lose be/c of him today i hope come June of next year he’s better than he is now. Why is he trying to save shots 3 yards deep into his goal? He needs to be called out.

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  35. The central midfielders didn’t have another monster game like they did against Spain. That definitely hurt the US because we were unable to hold the ball, and Brazil moved it fluidly across the entire field and easily switched the point of attack.

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  36. i’ll stop hating on Dempsey for a while now because he was a beast towards the end, here’s hoping he keeps it up!!

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  37. Lot’s of positives here, but I think the surprises were:

    Charlie Davies – proved he can be very dangerous with his speed. His judgement improved with each game.

    Jay Demerit – solid as a rock. Hope this increases his marketability on the pro level — he deserves it.

    Spector – looked so composed, and improved with every game. He’s faster than I thought too.

    Feilhaber – confident and creative, and showed great defensive grit filling in for Bradley. Hope he stays healthy.

    The rest of the starting 11 today delivered truly world-class performances. We had enough chances, especially in the first half, to potentially put the game out of reach. Didn’t happen today, and Brazil’s ability to apply constant pressure finally paid off for them.

    The nice byproduct is that some of the U.S. team should get better pro offers and more playing time, which can only help the National Team. Altidore, Davies, Feilhaber certainly upped their futures. Maybe DeMerit can get loaned to a Premiership team. If Gooch isn’t already locked up by Fenerbace, I’m sure he’ll get lots of offers.

    Keith

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  38. I was, of course, kidding about the mls thing. That said, Seattle is running around like banshees against Colorado

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  39. today we found out why 2-0 is the most dangerous lead you can have in this sport. landon donovan to europe i PRAY after this tourney.

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  40. Great month of June. Like going to disney or six flags and riding a roller coaster. Starts down with thrashing, back up with come from behind win in Chicago, then crashes down with the loss to Italy, and Brazil and then shoots straight back up like a rocket with the win against Egypt and Spain, crests in the first half today and wooo what a ride to the end. Thanks USMNT and I can’t wait for the next year. BTW, can we do this again starting July 1????

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  41. Also we definitely missed Michael Bradley today. We missed his tackling, instincts, and ability to keep possession.

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  42. I’m not going to come out and say that Bob Bradley lost the game, but he certainly did not manage the game well enough coming out into the second half.

    Brazil is too good of a team to let attack you for 45 minutes, and that’s what the US did. They needed to find some possession, and keep the ball away from brazil for greater periods of time.

    Bob Bradley should have seen this lack of possession and put in truly technical players to keep the ball. This means either Torres or Adu. I felt that they should have gotten at least limited minutes in this tournament.

    Kljestan is out of form and should not have seen the field. And Conor Casey!? Really!?!? Has he done anything this entire tourney to warrant minutes?! Once these two players came on there was no way we could win.

    Bornstein is a good defender but is lacking in the technical department. When trailing Brazil (or tied), this is not the player you go with. (Torres or Adu anybody?)

    Taking Jozy off was also a bad move. He was our greatest way to hold the ball and also attack. He went the full 90 against Spain why couldn’t he do it today?

    Does Bob Bradley only put in players who he drafted in MLS? Both Bornstein and Kljestan were his projects and both saw the field in questionable circumstances.

    I was encouraged by the players’ performances in the past 3 games, but am a little concerned with some of Bradley’s coaching decisions in the past 7 games.

    If everyone is on form next year this is what I would like to see at the world cup:

    —————Altidore—————

    —————-Feilhaber————-

    Donovan——Bradley—–Jones—–Dempsey

    Bocanegra—DeMerit—-Onyewu—-Cherundolo

    —————Howard—————–

    I would also like to see 2 forwards so either push Clint up top or bring on Adu or Davies.

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  43. nobody is talking about this, but I’m going to say it. We REALLY missed michael bradley today. I believe with his insertion instead of feilhaber (who didn’t have the greatest game, and defended poorly overall) we could have plugged up that space hole in front of the centerbacks that allowed them to have so much of the ball. Damn I really think we needed MB today, I HATE FIFA REFS

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  47. disappointed by the finish but glad the Guys played better the last three games. Still have a long way to go before we truely compete for a world cup.

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  48. Well after wiping my tears away I can look back and say the U.S did a great job in the Confed Cup…We were so close, but yet so far from winning a major title…Soccer can be so cruel at times

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  49. I think going into 2010 we’ll have great depth with maybe not at Defense, but maybe we can slide someone from Mid into the defensive slot if needed (Edu?, J-Jones?)

    FWD:
    Jozy
    Davies
    Ching
    Adu (don’t know if he’ll see the mid much)
    I heard McBride wants to make a comeback
    …..Casey (I hope not)

    Mid:
    Landon
    Dempsey
    J. Jones
    Bradley
    Edu
    Benny
    Torres
    Rico Clark
    Beasley
    Sasha

    Def:
    Carlos
    Gooch
    Demerit
    Spector
    Chrunldelo (sp?)
    Borenstein
    Frankie
    Pearce

    G:
    Howard
    Guzan

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  50. Well, I still can’t believe it. Still can’t believe the U.S. made it to the semis with the exact result the team needed to advance.
    Still can’t believe the U.S. beat Spain.
    Still can’t believe the U.S. went up 2-0 in the first half in a FIFA final against Brazil.
    Still can’t believe the the U.S. gave up 3 goals in the following half to lose in the end.
    Oh, so close.
    But oh, so memorable.
    Thanks to Donovan and Co. for finally waking up and playing with not just grit and heart but with style, flair, and skills.
    You all have given the U.S. Soccer Nation hope.
    Oh, so close.

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