US Soccer Team come out winners even in defeat

The eyes of the soccer world were on South Africa Sunday as the upset minded US National Team took on powerhouse Brazil in the final of the FIFA Confederations Cup. The Americans, on life support after the first two games of the tournament, were looking to complete their stunning turn around with a victory over Brazil in the final. The US had taken down the World's #1 team, Spain, on Wednesday and were looking to pull off another huge upset over Brazil who beat host South Africa to reach the final. For 45 minutes the US had the World wondering, could it be?

Through the first half the US was clearly the better team, led by Tim Howard who put in one of the best performances of his career. At the halftime whistle the Americans were ahead 2-0 and holding the Brazilian offense in check. In the 2nd half the US did all they could, Howard in particular, to keep the Brazilians off the board. Slowly but surely, however, you could see the Brazilians beginning to wear down the Americans, beginning to find a groove offensively. Brazil would fire in 3 goals in the later portion of the 2nd half, the final dagger coming in the 84th minute, to steal victory from the US with a 3-2 comeback win.

After the US' opening two games of the Confederations Cup, the state of affairs of US Soccer looked bleak. After holding a 1-0 lead into the 2nd half against Italy, the Americans crumbled under the relentless onslaught of the Italians and fell 3-1. Their second game was not much prettier as the same Brazilian side handily defeated the US 3-0. However, a remarkable turn-around in effort and the assistance of fate allowed the Americans another chance to prove themselves against the World's best. The Americans pulled off one of soccer's greatest upsets and defeated #1 Spain and then pushed Brazil to the brink before falling 3-2.

The US has long fought to establish itself as one of the top soccer nations, with poor results. An impressive start to their campaign in the 2002 World Cup was not built upon in following years, and the Americans crashed out of the 2006 World Cup. Now, in the lead up to the 2010 World Cup there is evidence that brighter days may be ahead for American soccer. Head Coach Bob Bradley has the unenviable task of molding a group of very young players into a contender on the World stage.

Today's result, along with the results of all of the US games is proof that US Soccer is on a good path. Despite the disastrous results from the first two games, the US showed they have the resolve and heart to fight when their back is to the wall. More importantly though, the Americans showed that they are capable of standing toe to toe with the World's greatest. Whether you think it was a fluke or not, the US victory over Spain was significant. It doesn't make the US better than Spain, it merely showed they have nothing to fear when facing the best. And though they lost to Brazil, they took a 2-0 lead into halftime against a team few thought they could even score on, much less keep off the scoreboard.

The state of US Soccer is much better now than it was when the Confederations Cup began. If the US wants to continue its rise and be taken seriously and treated with respect on the World stage, they need to continue to play as a team, with heart and determination each and every time they take the field. International competition isn't like the MLB season, there aren't 162 games a season to prove yourself. You need to come to each game ready to run until you can run no more. That is the US team that showed up against Egypt, Spain, and Brazil. In order to solidify its position and gain respect around the globe, the US needs to repeat their efforts of the past week and a half next summer in South Africa at the 2010 World Cup.