Confederations Cup Capsules: Brazil rallies to beat U.S. 3-2 in final

JOHANNESBURG - Clint Dempsey sobbed as the Americans walked up to get their second-place medals, unable to hide the pain and the disappointment any longer.

The euphoria of knocking off Spain last week dissolved Sunday in the Confederations Cup final when Brazil unleashed its "Beautiful Game."

After dominating the five-time World Cup champions in the first half, the Americans were powerless as Brazil scored three goals in the final 45 minutes to rally for a 3-2 win.

"We're at the point where we don't want respect, we want to win," said Landon Donovan, whose goal in the 27th minute gave the United States a 2-0 lead. "There's no guarantee we ever get back to a final game like this, so it's disappointing."

Luis Fabiano scored twice for Brazil, and Lucio added the third in the 84th minute to give Brazil its second straight Confederations Cup title and third overall. The American men fell short in their first final of a FIFA tournament, but the experience was invaluable.

Almost sure to qualify for next year's World Cup, also in South Africa, the Americans certainly saw the benefits of playing this game. What hurt was the way they lost it.

"We continue to try and move ourselves forward, and playing these kind of games only helps," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "But it still feels pretty lousy to let this one get away."

In the third-place match, Spain fought back to beat host South Africa 3-2 after extra time in Rustenburg.

The United States has beaten Brazil once in 15 games, and it was just 10 days ago that the Brazilians hung a 3-0 rout on the Americans in group play of the tournament that had the critics piling on and some calling for Bradley's job.

In the first 45 minutes Sunday, though, it was Brazil that looked like the beaten team. Its usually fluid offense created few opportunities and was constantly stymied by the U.S. defense and goalkeeper Tim Howard. Meanwhile, the Americans were relentless in their attack on a nervous-looking Brazil defense, with Donovan working hard to give his team several scoring chances.

Just 10 minutes into the game, Jonathan Spector sprinted down the right side and sent a low cross into the area. Dempsey, who had plenty of room to maneuver, raised his right leg and put just enough of a touch on the ball to alter the direction and send it past a diving Julio Cesar.

Dempsey, who also scored in the 2-0 shocker over top-ranked Spain in the semifinals, finished the tournament with three goals and was awarded the Bronze Ball.

Donovan then got possession at his own end shortly after Maicon had sent in a corner for Brazil from the right. The United States midfielder ran up the middle, passed to Charlie Davies and then reclaimed the ball from his teammate before beating Julio Cesar.

There is a reason Brazil has won so many titles over the years, though, and it wasn't about to let another slip away.

Luis Fabiano started the comeback in the 46th minute. The striker collected a pass from Ramires before turning and shooting past defender Jay DeMerit for his fourth goal of the tournament.

"We gave up the first goal so early in second half," Bradley said. "We really put ourselves in a tough spot."

Luis Fabiano added a tournament-leading fifth goal to equalize in the 74th, heading in a rebound after Kaka's cross was kicked against the crossbar by Robinho.

The Americans caught a break in the 60th when Kaka headed a cross from Andre Santos to the near post. Howard stepped back into his goal and knocked the shot off the underside of the crossbar and then grabbed it safely in his arms. Kaka appealed, arguing that the ball crossed the line before Howard was able to get to it, and television replays indicated he was correct.

It wouldn't matter, with Lucio delivering the decisive goal in the 84th when he headed a corner kick from Elano past Howard. Brazil has now won eight matches in a row, and is unbeaten in 16.

"You look around at their players, and you realize why they're worth so much and why they play at the teams that they play," Donovan said. "It's disappointing when we gave such a good effort today."

As the Brazilians gathered in a circle and jumped up and down in celebration, the Americans remained on the field, watching in stony silence. Many climbed up to get their medals with their heads bowed, and there were few smiles in sight.

"We were able to make it a real game with a top team," Bradley said. "Over time, to be able to sustain that longer, not have ups and downs throughout the game, that's a sign of progress."

U.S. takes big strides at Confederations Cup

JOHANNESBURG - Count the Confederations Cup as another step - a key step - in the United States' goal of joining football's elite.

Advancing from a group with the likes of Brazil, Italy and Egypt; the stunning semifinal victory over European champion Spain; playing the first FIFA final at any level for the men's team - albeit a 3-2 loss Sunday to five-time World Cup champion Brazil - each achievement was part of the process.

It's a process that began with qualifying for the 1990 World Cup and ending a 40-year drought of appearances on the sport's biggest stage. Then came the 1994 World Cup on home soil and the start of Major League Soccer two years later.

Finishing 32nd out of the 32 teams at the 1998 World Cup was a setback, but the U.S. rebounded by reaching the quarterfinals four years later, beating Portugal and neighbor Mexico along the way.

The Americans then qualified for a fifth consecutive World Cup, but the 2006 tournament was another disappointment, with then-coach Bruce Arena's squad failing to advance from a group with Italy, the Czech Republic and Ghana. Still, the United States' 1-1 draw with Italy was the only blemish in an otherwise perfect run by the eventual champion.

"There has been a lot of work, a lot of things that have come together in the United States in soccer," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "Everything involved in Major League Soccer has been important. The fact that we've had players go to Europe and compete at that level. Our national team has had success in World Cups, and following success we've had disappointments.

"These are all lessons along the way," Bradley added. "It's not just something that has happened in the last few days. It's the result of efforts of a lot of people, and we feel that as we continue our march in the soccer world, this is an important step."

Eighteen players on the Americans' 23-man squad for this tournament are based in foreign leagues, yet the team hasn't forgotten the thousands of youth leagues dotted across the United States, the "Soccer Moms" who car pool their kids back and forth to practice, high school teams, the high level of University competition, and the development of a domestic professional league - all the while competing for attention with the top American sports of baseball, football and basketball.

"In the United States, other sports stand at the top," Bradley said. "In soccer, we're in a different world. We're not the only great team. We don't have the history of some of the other (sports).

"In that regard, we never forget that there are so many people in the U.S. that have contributed to the game...This success is a a reward for everyone that has put their heart and soul into the game in the U.S. And it doesn't mean that we're there yet. It's just a reward for people that have given a lot, and the idea is that we can keep going and continue the march."

Bradley won't have to wait long to continue the march. The coach departs Johannesburg at 6 p.m. Monday and is scheduled to arrive in Seattle at 8 p.m. Tuesday, in time for the Americans' first Gold Cup training session.

-- Andrew Dampf

Bradley sees through loss to find positives for U.S.

JOHANNESBURG - Bob Bradley was as frustrated as his players that his United States team gave up a two-goal lead in a 3-2 loss to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final.

Yet the coach also saw the upside: The Americans' performance in the 14-day competition was another sign of the remarkable progress his team is making since the disappointment of the 2006 World Cup.

"Progress involves understanding how you play in harder games when they have to play against the best teams," he said. "Everything gets put under the magnifying glass a little bit more when you're playing the best teams. It's easy to talk about those things but it's important that the players see it for themselves and I think that's what's been happening.

In their first men's final of a FIFA tournament, the Americans were leading the five-time World Cup winners 2-0 at halftime at Ellis Park on Sunday only for the Brazilians to hit back for a victory - and a record third Confederations Cup title too.

But Bradley, who was promoted from coach of the US Under-23 to the top job after the team performed poorly in Germany three years ago under Bruce Arena, saw past the result, even though he shared the disappointment of his players.

"It's not that we learned it today but I think we get confidence that we are able to go up against big teams and create chances and make it harder for them in terms of when they have the ball. We were able to make it a real game with a top team. Over time to be able to sustain that longer, not have ups and downs throughout the game, that's a sign of progress."

Bradley has turned the team around, winning the respect of the players with his calm approach and leading them to a triumph at CONCACAF's Gold Cup in 2007, a title it defends next month on home turf.

The Americans also managed to turn around an awful start to this competition.

With 10 players on the field after Ricardo Clark's red card, they led Italy before going down 3-1 thanks to some excellent goals by the Italians and were then outplayed 3-0 by Brazil.

It looked almost certain that Bradley and his team would be going home early but they beat Egypt 3-0 and, thanks to Brazil's 3-0 victory over the Italians, advanced to the semifinal.

If that itself was an amazing achievement, what followed was even more stunning - a 2-0 victory over Spain, the world's strongest team which was on a record 15-game winning streak and unbeaten in 35.

The former coach of MLS clubs Chicago Fire, MetroStars and Chivas USA, Bradley started his tenure with three victories and the Gold Cup triumph sent the Americans to the Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Now Bradley is getting the best out of players who have often shown they have the potential to mix it up with the best in the world but not the consistency required to win titles.

Landon Donovan has shown at this competition he has the ability to break through defenses and striker Jozy Altidore unnerved the Italian, Spanish and Brazilian defenders with his powerful running.

Clint Dempsey of the Premier League's Fulham scored in three straight games for the United States, his last a deft side-footed volley in the 10th minute that should rank among the tournament's top goals.

Defenders Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit have shown they could be playing for better clubs than Belgian champion Standard Liege and English second-tier team Watford and goalkeeper Tim Howard has displayed why he has played for teams like Manchester United and current club Everton.

-- Robert Millward

U.S. goalie Howard shines, even in 3-2 defeat

JOHANNESBURG - For 45 minutes, it was no contest. United States goalkeeper Tim Howard was outplaying Brazil's Julio Cesar, considered by many to be among the world's best.

Then the second half started, and the United States' 2-0 lead turned into a 3-2 loss in Sunday's Confederations Cup final.

Howard was brilliant in the first half, but Brazil's powerful offense staged a relentless assault on Howard for the entire second half, capping the comeback with Lucio's game-winning goal in the 84th minute.

"I felt like I was on a lot of the game," Howard said. "They created a lot of chances and eventually the dam broke. I can't get my big behind in the way of everything, unfortunately.

"It's amazing how off-balance they put you. You have no idea what they're going to do until they do it, then you react. That's why they are who they are. All of their players are world-class."

Still, Howard beat out the likes of Julio Cesar, Spain's Iker Casillas and Italy's Gianluigi Buffon for the tournament's best goalkeeper award. He attributed that to the Americans' opponents - Brazil (twice), Spain, Italy and Egypt.

"It was always going to be tough, and I think that may be why I got the goalkeeper trophy," he said. "We faced a lot of shots and a lot of pressure. I think if you look at the run that we had, nobody had a tougher challenge all the way through."

But few gave a better effort than Howard. He was not responsible for any of Brazil's goals, and he made five saves to Julio Cesar's zero in the first half.

Howard stretched out his 6-foot-3 frame to push a shot wide from Brazil's speediest striker, Robinho, in the 13th minute. In the 35th, the New Jersey native saved a dangerous effort from Andre Santos, then deflected another shot from Robinho in the 41st.

But the five-time world champions' class was evident as soon as the second half began. Not even a minute in, Luis Fabiano beat Howard.

Howard managed to keep the Americans ahead, intercepting a dangerous cross from Maicon and stopping a header from defender Lucio in the 58th. He also put up his hands to block a header from Kaka in the 60th, sending the ball rattling off the crossbar, though Brazil clearly thought the ball had gone in.

"I didn't think so. I haven't see the replay, but from my feeling, from where I touched it anyway, it didn't feel like it," Howard said. "Honestly, I don't know."

Howard smothered one more shot from Fabiano in the 71st, but the striker notched his second goal three minutes later to even the score at 2-2.

"Obviously Tim was a big factor in this tournament," United States defender Oguchi Onyewu said. "On any team he plays for, he's a great addition. He had a great season with Everton. He's always been playing great with the national team, so I have nothing bad to say about Tim."

Clint Dempsey lost sight of Lucio in the 84th and the defender headed home the winner.

As Brazil jumped for joy at the final whistle, Howard stood with his hands on his knees and watched with envy.

"I think we gave them everything they could handle. You saw that in their sheer joy for coming from behind, so that obviously meant something," Howard said. "This one hurts more than most. As a goalkeeper you try to save as many shots as you can and hope that at the end of the night it adds up, and tonight it didn't."

-- Andrew Dampf

Analysis: There's no shame in second-place for U.S.

There is no shame in the U.S. men finishing second at the Confederations Cup.

Will they win the World Cup title next year? Probably not. But they are much closer to that goal than they were even a week ago. The impact of their upset of top-ranked Spain and Sunday's 3-2 loss to Brazil in their first FIFA final may very well be felt for decades to come.

"We continue to try and move ourselves forward, and playing these kind of games only helps," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "But it still feels pretty lousy to let this one get away."

On the verge of elimination after being outclassed in the first two games of group play, the Americans were roundly criticized back home. It wasn't the losses so much as the way they played. They were tentative, sloppy and didn't show any of the passion that's been a trademark of U.S. teams since they started climbing their way back into international relevance in the 1990s.

But after squeezing into the semifinals, the Americans found themselves up against Spain and Brazil.

Landon Donovan, the most talented offensive player the United States has produced, worked tirelessly from kickoff to the final whistle, creating chances for himself and his teammates. Clint Dempsey showed the quickness and deft scoring touch that has earned him a starting job in the English Premier League. Jozy Altidore gave the Americans a dose of good, old-fashioned attitude, letting the world know the Americans wouldn't back down to anyone as he outmuscled defenders for balls and space.

When Carlos Bocanegra returned from a hamstring injury against Spain, Bradley shifted him from his usual spot in central defense to the left side, where he often plays at Rennes, his French club team. The move worked, and he, Oguchi Onyewu and Jay DeMerit continuously frustrated the likes of Robinho, Kaka, Fernando Torres and Xabi Alonso. Sure, Brazil scored three goals in the second half Sunday, but the team that created the "Beautiful Game" looked downright ugly at times because of American pressure.

Tim Howard was brilliant throughout the Confederations Cup, and was rewarded with the Golden Glove as the tournament's best goalkeeper. Time and again he made impressive saves, launching his big, long frame to punch a ball away or sticking his foot out to deflect a would-be goal.

But it wasn't just the skill the Americans displayed that will serve them well next year, it was their attitude. They took the field for the last two games with an air of confidence they've rarely showed since their run to the quarterfinals at the 2002 World Cup.

It's one thing to say you can play with the best in the world. It's another to believe it.

"Everything gets put under the magnifying glass a little bit more when you're playing the best teams," Bradley said. "It's easy to talk about those things, but it's important that the players see it for themselves, and I think that's what's been happening. It's not that we learned it today, but I think we get confidence that we are able to go up against big teams and create chances and make it harder for them."

To continue improving, the Americans need better competition, both at the national team and club levels, and their performance at the Confederations Cup should help. Onyewu, Altidore, Benny Feilhaber and Charlie Davies might get looks from bigger-name European teams, or at least more playing time. Teams like England, Italy, the Netherlands and France might find it worth their while to play the Americans more often, rather than once every decade or so.

Despite the considerable progress of the U.S. team, Brazil, Spain and all the other powerhouses are decades ahead. The Americans, remember, didn't even qualify for the World Cup from 1950 to 1990. But with every impressive game, every good result, the U.S. team is winning people over back home.

The New York Daily News and the New York Post put the Confederations Cup on their back page - prime real estate for Sports. People magazine gushed about the "U.S. team's victorious hunks." The game against Spain was replayed on ESPN2 that night, an honor reserved for "instant classics."

That kind of enthusiasm will elevate soccer's place in the crowded U.S. sports spectrum. It might help sway FIFA's executive committee to award the United States the 2022 World Cup. It might even convince some of the millions of kids playing soccer to stick with it. Maybe, someday, the United States will have its own Kaka or David Villa.

"I think people around the world see that we have a good team, we have good players," Bradley said. "Hopefully, we can continue to step forward."

-- Nancy Armour

Brazil attack gets going just in time

JOHANNESBURG - Brazilian attackers picked up the pace just in time on Sunday, waking up from a slow start to help Brazil beat the United States 3-2 and win its second consecutive Confederations Cup title.

Brazil had been held to a 1-0 victory over hosts South Africa in the semifinal three days ago, and it looked as though its attack was headed for another disappointing performance against the United States until it finally got things going in the second half.

The match against South Africa had marked the first time Brazil was held to a single goal in six matches. If it had failed to score on Sunday, it would have been the team's first scoreless match in 10 games, since a 0-0 draw with Colombia in a World Cup qualifier in Rio de Janeiro last June.

Brazil controlled possession after conceding a goal just 10 minutes into the match at Ellis Park Stadium, but couldn't find ways to get past the American defense. It pressured even more after going two goals down in the 27th, but still without success.

As against South Africa, it had difficulties getting near the goal and the few times Brazil was able to move past the Americans' packed midfield, goalkeeper Tim Howard came up with big saves.

It all changed in the second half, though, when striker Luis Fabiano put Brazil back into the game with an early goal.

The Sevilla striker fired a low shot into the net from just inside the penalty area after a pass by right back Maicon.

Luis Fabiano, the tournament's top scorer with five goals, equalized in the 74th with a close-range header after a run from Kaka on the left flank. Robinho's shot deflected off the crossbar and Luis Fabiano was there to put it into the back of the net.

Brazil captain Lucio sealed Brazil's come-from-behind victory with a header from an Elano corner in the 84th.

The Brazilian attack got off to a fast start at the Confederations Cup, scoring 10 goals in its first three group-stage matches - a 4-3 win over Egypt and consecutive 3-0 victories over the United States and world champion Italy.

It looked as if Brazil's attack was peaking, but the Brazilians struggled to get past the aggressive marking of the South Africans and were not able to create many scoring chances. Brazil needed an 88th-minute free-kick goal from substitute right back Daniel Alves to reach the final.

In the team's previous seven matches before the final, including three World Cup qualifiers, Brazil had outscored its opponents 20-4.

Sunday's victory kept alive a seven-match winning streak for Brazil. The team's last draw was a 1-1 result at Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier in March.

Brazil hasn't lost in 16 matches, since a 2-0 defeat at Paraguay in a qualifier in June 2008.

-- Tales Azzoni

Luis Fabiano keeps his promise at Confed Cup

JOHANNESBURG - Luis Fabiano's two goals at the Confederations Cup final Sunday put Brazil back in contention after a slow start and fulfilled his promise of scoring an average of a goal per match.

Luis Fabiano, who ended the tournament with five goals in five matches, scored in the 46th and 74th minutes Sunday to bring Brazil back from a 2-0 first-half deficit. Brazil won 3-2 for its third Confederations Cup title.

The Sevilla striker was the tournament's leading scorer, with two more than Spain's Fernando Torres and David Villa and American Clint Dempsey, who also scored in Sunday's final at Ellis Park Stadium.

Luis Fabiano came into the tournament hoping to prove that he deserves to be considered one of the best strikers in the world. He said he needed to score at least five goals in the eight-team tournament, which is being used as a World Cup warmup.

"I'm glad I was able to reach my objective," Luis Fabiano said. "It worked out very well, after failing to score against South Africa I was able to get on the board twice and help Brazil win the title."

The 28-year-old Luis Fabiano entered the final with three goals, tied with Torres and Villa.

With Brazil trailing by two goals just after halftime, he fired a low shot into the net from just inside the penalty area. He received the ball from right back Maicon and quickly turned to send a right-footer past diving U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Luis Fabiano then scored the equalizer in the 74th with a close-range header. After a run from Kaka on the left flank, Robinho's shot deflected off the crossbar and Luis Fabiano was there to put it into the back of the net.

Lucio sealed Brazil's come-from-behind win with an 84th-minute header off a corner.

Luis Fabiano had scored one goal in Brazil's opening 4-3 victory against Egypt, then added a pair in the team's impressive 3-0 rout of world champion Italy. He failed to get on the board in Brazil's 3-0 group-stage win over the United States and the 1-0 victory over host South Africa in the semifinal.

Coming into South Africa, he said he was hoping for a transfer to a more traditional European club and to secure a spot in Dunga's squad for next year's World Cup. He is fighting for a spot with young stars Nilmar and Alexandre Pato and veterans Adriano and Ronaldo.

"I think it's a good average," Luis Fabiano said. "It should be enough to get some teams interested. But right now I'm still with Sevilla. I have vacation coming up and after that we will see what happens."

Luis Fabiano helped Brazil win the 2004 Copa America, but he became a regular for the national team only after Dunga took over following the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

He has already scored 22 goals in his 32 matches with the national team since his debut in 2003, when he still played for Brazil's Sao Paulo. He played with FC Porto in Portugal before going to Sevilla.

-- Tales Azzoni

Brazil peaking just chasing sixth WCup triumph

JOHANNESBURG - The first World Cup to be staged in Africa looks likely to have a familiar winner.

When the 31 qualifiers join host South Africa a year from now, don't look much further than five-time winner Brazil to take home the trophy yet again.

Despite being jeered by its fans less than nine months ago amid calls for the unpopular coach Dunga to quit, Brazil is timing it just right. Sunday's 3-2 Confederations Cup final triumph over a United States team which led by two goals showed just why this Brazil team has the tenacity as well as the skill to go on and win a sixth World Cup title here in Johannesburg a year from now.

The most successful country in World Cup history now has new talents - midfield stability when things aren't going to plan and the ability and belief to come back from two goals down to win a final.

Sunday's performance in scoring three second half goals - four if you include one which crossed the line but wasn't allowed - showed the new backbone that exists these days in once brittle Brazil.

It wasn't flamboyant trickery that earned them their record third Confederations Cup title. It was genuine hard work and the character not to give up even when Kaka's far post header was disallowed even though it appeared to cross Tim Howard's line.

On course, to maintain their record as the only team to play at all 19 World Cups, the Brazilians have also won that title five times in 1958, 1962, 1970, 1994 and 2002, playing a style of soccer most other nations could only dream about.

In the Pele era between the late 50s and early 70s, they set out to entertain and win at the same time, bamboozling opponents with their dribbling skills, one-touch passing, long range, swerving shots and an ideology that attack is the best form of defense.

Brazil remains the only nation to win the World Cup outside of its own continent - Uruguay and Argentina both winning in South America and Italy, Germany, England and France capturing their titles in Europe.

Brazil won it in Sweden in 1958, Korea/Japan in 2002 and, on this form, looks likely to eclipse European champion Spain - which finished third here - and take the title in Africa, too, when the teams return here next year.

Under Dunga, who was captain when the team won in the United States in 1994, Brazil still has the players to entertain, such as Robinho, Kaka and, when he wins his place back, Ronaldinho.

But Dunga, has also devised a more pragmatic style of play. This Brazil has world-class defenders as well as forwards with the likes of Inter Milan's Maicon, Barcelona's Daniel Alves, Bayern Munich's Lucio, Juan of AS Roma, Luisao of Benfica and Chelsea's Alex to choose from.

The steady and dependable Gilberto Silva also operates in a deep midfield role to protect his defenders and Manchester United's Anderson is another valuable player behind the forwards.

But Dunga has had to ride waves of criticism for his selections and poor results in qualifying.

Only last October, a 0-0 draw with Colombia was Brazil's third winless result at home and the coach and players were booed off the field at Maracana stadium and then criticized in the media. There were calls for Dunga to quit.

But he kept his cool and accused the media and fans of creating a crisis that simply wasn't there.

On this performance he was right.

Coming into this tournament, Brazil had moved to the top of South American qualifying for the World Cup after a 4-0 victory at Uruguay and a 2-1 triumph over long-time leader Paraguay. Then it won all five games at this tournament, starting with a shaky 4-3 victory over African champion Egypt, outplaying the U.S. and Italy 3-0 each to top its group.

Against host South Africa, with the home fans creating a cacophony of noise in support of their team, Brazil held its nerve to win 1-0 thanks to an 88th minute free kick by Daniel Alves.

And, after first half goals by Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan had threatened an upset at Ellis Park on Sunday, Dunga's team hit back with two strikes by Luis Fabiano and one by captain Lucio to capture yet another title.

All these results and performances were Dunga's answer to the critics and now, with just under a year to go to the 2010 World Cup, it looks like Brazil is beginning to get it all together at the right time.

Robert Millward covers soccer for The Associated Press

Kaka earns Golden Ball award as best player

JOHANNESBURG - Brazil playmaker Kaka was awarded the Golden Ball by FIFA on Sunday as the best player of the Confederations Cup.

The soon-to-be Real Madrid midfielder scored two goals at the World Cup warm-up tournament in South Africa, including a last-minute penalty in Brazil's opening match that gave the five-time world champions a 4-3 win over Egypt.

Luis Fabiano, who scored two goals in Brazil's come-from-behind 3-2 win over the United States in the final, won the Golden Shoe award with a tournament-high five goals.

Luis Fabiano also earned the Silver Ball award behind Kaka, and Clint Dempsey of the United States was given the Bronze Ball.

United States goalkeeper Tim Howard, who stopped five Brazilian shots in the first half of Sunday's final and played well throughout the tournament, was awarded the Golden Glove as the competition's best 'keeper.

Confederations Cup Scoring Glance

JOHANNESBURG - United States 2 (Landon Donovan, 27; Clint Dempsey, 10), Brazil 2 (Luis Fabiano, 46, 74; Lucio 84)

Feilhaber replaces Bradley in U.S. lineup

JOHANNESBURG - Benny Feilhaber was in the United States' starting lineup in place of key midfielder Michael Bradley, who was suspended for Sunday's Confederations Cup final against Brazil after drawing a red card in the final minutes of the Americans' semifinal upset of Spain.

Feilhaber has played in each of the Americans' first four games at the Confederations Cup, getting a start against Italy in the group stage. Feilhaber was born in Brazil, but moved to the United States when he was 6.

The rest of the U.S. lineup is unchanged from Wednesday's 2-0 victory against Spain, including captain Carlos Bocanegra playing at left back. Bocanegra missed the group stage with a hamstring injury, and when he returned against Spain, U.S. coach Bob Bradley moved him from his usual spot in central defense.

Brazil coach Dunga did not make any changes to the team he used in the 1-0 win over South Africa in the semifinals. The lone scorer in that match, Daniel Alves, was again on the bench at the start Sunday.

The referee was Martin Hansson of Sweden. He was joined by linesmen Henrik Andren and Fredrik Nilsson, also from Sweden. Benito Archundia of Mexico will be the fourth official.

The United States is 1-13 in head-to-head meetings with Brazil, getting outscored 26-8. Just last week, the five-time World Cup champions routed the Americans 3-0 in group play at the Confederations Cup. The lone American victory was a 1-0 upset at the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup, the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Lineups: United States: Tim Howard, Jay DeMerit, Carlos Bocanegra, Oguchi Onyewu, Jonathan Spector, Ricardo Clark, Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Charlie Davies, Jozy Altidore, Benny Feilhaber. Brazil: Julio Cesar, Maicon, Luisao, Lucio, Andre Santos, Felipe Melo, Gilberto Silva, Ramires, Kaka, Robinho, Luis Fabiano.

Spain beats SAfrica 3-2 for third at Confed Cup

RUSTENBURG, South Africa - Xabi Alonso scored on a free kick in extra time Sunday to give Spain a 3-2 win over South Africa and third place at the Confederations Cup.

The Liverpool midfielder curled his shot through a crowd in the penalty area and inside the far post, allowing the European champions to rally from their first loss in 35 games, a 2-0 defeat in the semifinals to the United States.

"It's a nice way to forget about the loss to the U.S.," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. "The match was difficult for us. Our opponent created a lot of difficulties for us."

South Africa substitute Katlego Mphela scored two goals, including an injury-time equalizer to send the match into extra time after Dani Guiza had scored in the 88th and 89th minutes.

"We gave our all. We made it very difficult for them but I'm very, very devastated," South Africa captain Aaron Mokoena said. "The boys deserve credit."

With the weight of expectations lifted after reaching the semifinals, Bafana Bafana played well and Mphela had South Africa poised to squeak out its second win of the tournament when he scored his first goal in the 73rd minute. Breezing into the penalty area, he controlled Siphiwe Tshabalala's cross with his knee and shot over goalkeeper Iker Casillas for a 1-0 lead.

The game remained that way until the 88th minute, when Guiza chested down David Silva's long pass and sent a low shot beyond Khune to even the score. Moments later, Guiza lofted a chip from the right edge of the area that floated over Khune and bounced into the goal off the far post.

"He said he shot it but I'm not so sure," Alonso said, jokingly. "It was a key score."

Some of the crowd began filing out of the stadium as the game went to extra time, and they missed Mphela's tying shot three minutes later. The goal was all the more surprising considering he'd played only 57 minutes in the tournament.

South Africa couldn't convert on chances to win the game in extra time.

Casillas saved a shot from Mphela in the 98th minute and denied Bernard Parker soon after as Bafana Bafana finished the World Cup warm-up tournament with three straight losses.

"If you switch off against teams like this you get punished, and that's what happened," Mokoena said. "We could have done better."

Del Bosque had fielded a near full-strength lineup with David Villa and Fernando Torres both trying to finish the tournament as top scorer.

The pair, who both had three goals, guided Spain's attack early, with Villa cutting back along the left of the area in the fifth minute to unleash a curling shot that Khune tipped wide.

Screams of "Boo" came down from the stands as South Africa defender Matthew Booth saw two early chances from crosses just miss.

South Africa's defense scrambled to deny Villa and Torres chances by the 20th minute before Casillas dived to tip Tshabalala's half-volley wide in the 32nd.

"It was a match of equals and the team could have won. Spain was lucky," South Africa coach Joel Santana said. "Bafana Bafana played very good, gave two goals against Spain. They played very well against a team that is best in rankings."

-- Paul Logothetis

SAfrica stays positive over World Cup chances

RUSTENBURG, South Africa - Despite winning only one of its five Confederations Cup matches, South Africa can see the bright side heading into next year's World Cup.

In Sunday's third place playoff, the South Africans were three minutes away from beating Spain before the European champion scored twice. Still South Africa managed to equalize to take the game to extra-time, where Liverpool's Xabi Alonso broke the home supporters' hearts with a winning goal.

In the semifinal, Bafana Bafana held mighty Brazil for 88 minutes before Daniel Alves struck the winner.

"As far as we are concerned we had a good Confederations Cup campaign. It's a positive experience and we are going to try and prepare ourselves better for the World Cup," Brazilian coach Joel Santana said.

South Africa squeaked through to the knockout stage after losing to Spain 2-0, drawing 0-0 against Iraq and beating New Zealand 2-0.

On Sunday at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, South Africa rallied to take the game to extra-time after substitute Katlego Mphela's second goal of the game, a free kick in the third minute of injury time.

Santana said the semifinal defeat to Brazil had deflated team morale.

"This competition is very useful for us, it allows us to gain experience," Santana said. "Once we overcame the initial nervousness, the performances of the team improved as we went along.

"We consider ourselves as a team among equals, including against a team ranked No. 1 by FIFA. Sure we can improve in the future and have a good World Cup."

Santana said he was counting on Mphela to play a big role in the team next year following his standout performance.

The Mamelodi Sundowns striker scored within nine minutes of replacing Steven Pienaar, breezing into the penalty area in the 73rd minute to control Siphiwe Tshabalala's cross with his right knee and shoot over Spain goalkeeper Iker Casillas with his left foot.

Mphela sent the match into extra time with a free kick from outside the area that sailed over the defensive wall and past Casillas into the top of goal.

Before Sunday, the 24-year-old had played only 57 minutes in the competition.

"Mphela played exceptionally well, he's a very good center forward who can finish the game really well and can take long shots as well," Santana said. "He came into the game at a difficult time of the match and scored two goals. His participation for Bafana Bafana is very important and I think he will be the center forward at the World Cup."

Santana admitted that South Africa still need to improve its possession game and remain better composed at key moments if it hopes to climb up from its position of 72nd in the FIFA standings and challenge in 2010.

"We should have passed the ball more to the strikers for more individual plays," Santana said. "But this experience will come with time. We have a lot of expectations from this team."

-- Paul Logothetis