I asked the question in the prior blog and we got the response!
The United States lived up to the moment defeating Spain against all odds 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Confederation’s Cup.
The normal collective spirit and competitive attitude has returned to the U.S. under manager Bob Bradley and buoyed by goals from 19 year old Jozy Altidore and Texan native Clint Dempsey the United States produced a stunning win against a team that had not lost in 35 games and had won 15 straight.
So as Fernando Torres, Carlos Puyol, and David Villa are knocked out of the Confederations Cup, the United States who were on the brink of elimination and had been beaten by both Brazil and Italy have reminded us that with an overall plan and players working for each other that they can compete with the best in the world on any given day.
Stunning, beautiful, passionate, gut wrenching and bone chilling all at the same time!
What a prideful moment for U.S. Soccer !
Give me your thoughts on the day and who was your star man!
IF YOU MISSED THE GAME IT WILL AIR ON ESPN TONITE AS AN INSTANT CLASSIC at 10:00 pm central time!
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Well, I guess they showed me. I didn’t think they had it in them.
Congrats to them. The boys really played well and made the most of the chances they had. Deserved winners on the night.
About Man of the Match, since I didn’t see it (though, followed it on line), Onyewu’s name kept getting mentioned. The defense as a whole was apparently fantastic.
Congrats to them for proving that when you play up to your potential, there are no limits to whats possible. Well done boys! But remember that we still have ONE MORE MATCH TO PLAY!!!
well knock me over with a feather!
Gooch or Demeritt was the MOTM….great job to all…you men made us all proud today!
I am really pumped up right now, I can’t really post anything but…
IM PROUD!!!!!
Thanks for showing up and letting everyone in the world know that all you need to prove in a win is 90 minutes, not 2 and a half years of an unbeaten streak…
impressive run for Spain…but even more impressive for the US…
can’t wait for tonights game between Mexico and Venezuela
LOL!!!!!!!! sorry…I just had to… LOL!!!
I have said it over and over again, this American team can compete with the best anywhere. Dempsey is the back bone of this team, if he has a good day, God help the opposition. If they continue playing without fear or intimidation, the sky is the limit. Go USA. Net stop is Barzil.
AMAZING game and outcome!! Defense was strong, offense scrambled and made the most of the few opportunities Spain allowed. Spain had trouble with the solid and intense defensive play by everyone in our goal area. Congrats to them all!
I just heard the news and I am blown away. The guy who owns the local pizza joint is a big Italy fan and he was crying the blues when he told me his beloved Azzuri lost to Egypt. Knowing Egypt was next for the U.S. did not make me feel warm and fuzzy. Yet, they beat Egypt in convincing fashion and then I started to think the impossible. Could they beat Spain? Nahhhh, but wait they DID! I have maintained that in 10 years the beautiful game will supplant one of the big 3. This may be wishful thinking on my part but with victories like this, soccer will grow in popularity throughout the U.S..
Confidence is a big part of sports and soccer is no exception. Whoever is next for the U.S. better be prepared. The red, white & blue are coming at you! It’s about time we started playing like this.
What incredible “fight” this team put up and this is why teams don’t like to play us. Of course the players on the field play the game and win games but I truly believe the MVP’s of this tournament are the bloggers and fans who criticized this team after their showings to Brazil and Italy.
After seeing Michael Bradley’s quote, the US team was brought together for one cause and that one cause was to prove all the naysayers wrong that they were had heart and could play with some of the best teams in the world.
The difference between the first two games and the last two games were night and day. The effort and the heart got them through both.
I would have loved to see some more compactness and giving up less space. I would have also liked for us to possess the ball a little bit better but this definitely ranks up there in US wins. I still think beating Portugal and Mexico in the World Cup rank above this one.
The world definitely noticed and the one extra day of recovery will definitely help against Brazil.
Great effort. We made some silly mistakes but luckily none really hurt us. Although, Mullen would have had a field day on the right side whereas Spector seemed to be using a club foot on his crosses.
Let’s see if we adjust to Brazil and manage Part II any better.
Very proud of this team!
FIRE BOB BRADLEY!!!!
….. oh, wait. most of those people have probably crawled back under their rocks now until the US hits another stretch of not playing so well. Give Bradley a lot of credit here – our guys were motivated and played to win. Going with Bocanegra on the outside and sticking with the centerback duo of Gooch and DeMerit was a great move. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it!
I couldn’t be more proud of our guys. Great effort by every player on the field. This is the kind of soccer that I’ve been saying that our team is capable of playing all along. Wear that US shirt with pride boys!
Quotes from FIFA are up… del Bosque:
http://www.fifa.com/confederationscup/matches/round=250120/match=66213/quotes.html
Vicente del Bosque, Spain coach
The US put in a tremendous team effort and were all over the field. We were surprised by how well they played and we have to take our hats off to them. We’re disappointed by the result, but we can’t dwell on what happened here tonight. This is football, we faced a strong rival today and we lost the game. We tried as hard as we could, but it didn’t work out for us on the night. We created a lot of chances, but the Americans played with tremendous heart.
It is very clear that for the U.S. to succeed it must each and every game bring this type of commitment, will, and intelligence if it is to compete with the top teams in the world.
Today reminds us that with collective effort, timely goals, a bit of luck and a sense of pride that possibility exists.
A much needed boost for U.S. Soccer and one that will be remembered for a long time!
I’m such an idiot. With all my “bring Rico home after they lose to Brazil” talk, he shows up and shuts down the Spaniards. For this evening’s main course, we’ll be enjoying a healthy dose of crow…
I’m speechless. The crowd at the Mezz was one ball of nervousness the whole 90 minutes. I’ve never seen a team weather such a continuous onslaught over the majority of a match like that. I’m surprised the evening papers in Spain have been commending the performance of the USA, rather than complaining about how we don’t play beautiful football. I hope that same congratulatory tone carries on from the Spanish press, and it should, because Spain is frigging awesome (as a country, and a football team). I suspect were it the Azurri we had just knocked off, the graciousness in defeat would not be apparent.
The second half sub, Ferhber, was greathe gave more offense to the team. He should start more often
What a result! Great effort and Bob Bradley had the team prepared mentally for this, unlike some of the recent games. Tactics were good as well. For the most part, his player selection was spot on as well.
The big takeaway for me is the confidence factor for the US Nats, as we have performed well at home and vs. CONCACAF teams but don’t have that many breakthrough results on foreign soil (except World Cup 2002 vs. Portugal, the tie vs. So. Korea (an underrated result)).
But the keys are out there – hard work, mental preparation, playing within your limits, and smart possession when you have it.
Terrible red card call on Bradley; we might as well do 10v11 drills to prepare for 2010.
Only negative, where was the excitement from JP Dellacamara??? A little too subdued. I was wishing we had you or Jack Edwards calling the game!!
How uplifting! What a wonderful moment! What remarkable spirit! A genuine lesson in grit, determination, and heart. Our country at its best!
HOLY CRAP!!!!
Just watched it on DVR after getting home from work.
Unbelievable effort… back line in particular gets kudos as well as Howard. Who was it that recently posted that he’s not an elite keeper?
Glenn- I don’t know how this works. Can we protest the red card on Bradley and maybe get him eligible for the finals? That would have been a bad call for a yellow (going low, going for the ball, actually got ball) and a straight red is just ridiculous!
I’m still pumped right at this very moment!!! I unfortunatly could not watch the game, but I got all these TEXT messages and calls, i just knew it was for some good news! I’m so proud of our national team’s display today, i mean who isn’t?? There’s still one more match left, but the fact that we beat the number one team in the world and advanced to the final, is enough for me. Thank you guys!!!
i just can’t get this smile off my face!
My team El Tri defeated Brazil in extra time in order to win the 1999 Confederation’s Cup. It’ll be an amazing accomplishment for CONCACAF to return to that glory. I’m a Mexican-American I was born here but root for El Tri and all I have to say is with all the hostility I feel towards the bars and stripes yesterday I was rooting for my country of birth The States. I was on my feet chanting USA USA USA USA! For a dude that was born rooting for the Mex Nats rooting for the Bars and Stripes shows you how after the game against Egypt they won my heart and after the Spain game, El Tri now has to share it with the Nats. Of course come August 12 I will root for El Tri but now at least everytime US plays I won’t root against them.
ARRIBA LOS TUZOS DEE PACHUCA!
I was shocked when a friend emailed me the score yesterday at work – pleased, but shocked. I watched the replay last night and was not suprised to see that Spain peppered our goal, but Howard and our back line were up to the task. Great defensive team effort! Altidore’s goal gave our boys great confidence – especially as the game wore on. Dempsey capitalized on Spain’s defensive mistake and was in the right place at the right time.
I thought our effort was tremendous and I was generally pleased with the roster – particularly in the back. I thought DeMerit earned a roster spot with his play in Bocanegra’s absence and was happy that Bradley kept him on the field and moved Boca out wide. The defense effort was solid – the back 4 as well as the fight of Rico and Bradley. I really like the Gooch/DeMerit combination in the middle – I hope that doesn’t change. I will be interested to see if Bradley keeps this back line in tact when some more of the injured guys return.
It’s hard to critique a guy who scored such a big goal, but I would like to see more effort from Altidore – particularly when he loses the ball. I think he could put more pressure on the defense than he does instead of ball watching. Similar to a Tevez or a Rooney. That being said, I give him big kudos for the goal and realize he is only 19. I am excited to see his evolution as a player.
I like what Benny brings when he gets in the game and I still would love to see Torres again, but I’m not sure who I would start them in front of at this point.
When I see an effort like yesterday, it’s hard to accept the play we exhibited in Costa Rica….that was unacceptable.
These folks [USMNT] are bipolar.
As I was watching the game, I thought “Donovan zigzags through the defense, gives a short pass to a speeding Altidore, and he shots a laser in the net”.
Pretty smart way to score a goal, right?
Well, I was also thinking a 4-5-1 or 5-4-1 formation would work well vs Brazil, but it’s probably not necessary at all. I’m looking foward to an exciting finale!