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U.S. can't hang on
U.S. can't hang on
The United States came out blazing Sunday night in the Confederations Cup final in Johannesburg but could not hold a 2-0 halftime lead as Brazil rallied to ruin the Americans' dreams of glory in South Africa.
In the 84th minute, Lucio gave the Brazilians yet another title as he outjumped Jay DeMerit and Clint Dempsey on a corner and headed the ball in off the far post to break the Americans' hearts.
Lousy start for Brazil
After eliminating Spain, the U.S. had acquired a different aura in the eyes of Brazilians. Suddenly, the squad that was massacred 3-0 became a team to be respected. . . .
In the second-half, before the Americans could blink, Luis Fabiano was already celebrating. . . . Gradually, Brazil started to grow. With 12 minutes, Howard denied Lucio, and Gilberto missed. With 14 minutes, Kaka hit the crossbar with a header and Tim Howard pushed the ball from inside the goal. The referee and linesmen did not see it. Desperation grew.
Americans watching the game on TV were having a live lesson about football: Unlike American sports, in football not always the best side wins.
A step forward for U.S.
Skeptics will wonder where the hell this team came from. Diehards will claim this is what the Yanks have always been capable of, and they even should have won. The truth, as usual, is probably somewhere in the middle.
It's almost better for the U.S.'s World Cup hopes that they lost today. A win would have raised expectations too high and painted a big target on their backs. This provides incentive and proves they can hang with the big boys.
A win certainly would have caused a media stir, but this'll still be headline news on ESPN and in local sports pages, and even soccer-haters like Jim Rome will be discussing it tomorrow. And the rest of the world will take notice. It may not be the long-hoped-for tipping point for American soccer, but it's another step in the game's evolution on these shores.
