Confederations Cup Capsules: Fans showing U.S. team love after Confed Cup upset

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa - A week ago, the U.S. men's soccer team was barely an afterthought, its struggles hardly stealing the spotlight from golf, baseball or "Jon & Kate."

Well, well, well, look who has America's attention now.

There's nothing like a big win to get the fans back home excited, and the U.S. team's upset of top-ranked Spain at the Confederations Cup on Wednesday night certainly qualified. The game was replayed on ESPN2 a few hours later, an honor reserved for "instant classics," and the Chicago Tribune ran a ban-ner listing the top five U.S. upsets across the top of Thursday's sports page.

Even the snarky New York Post gave the team a shoutout - "SOCCER SHOCKER!" - on its back page.

"This win is huge for American soccer," said Clint Dempsey, whose second-half goal sealed the 2-0 vic-tory and brought a screeching halt to Spain's record 15-game winning streak. "I'm excited about the re-sult, and think all the fans back at home will be excited as well."

The American men, who play Brazil on Sunday in their first-ever FIFA final, took the day off from training Thursday, traveling to Johahnnesburg.

U.S. interest in the world's favorite game has been building slowly, and a surprise run to the quarterfi-nals of the 2002 World Cup had Americans dreaming of the day when their team would equal the likes of Brazil, Italy, Germany, Argentina, England and Spain.

Since then, however, the Americans have struggled - on the field, and to gain attention. Claudio Reyna and Brian McBride, two of their best-known players, retired from international play following the three-and-out, first-round exit from the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

In qualifying for next year's event in South Africa, the Americans needed to rally from a two-goal defi-cit for a 2-2 tie at El Salvador, lost 3-1 at Costa Rica and needed to rally to beat Honduras at home - the first come-from-behind U.S. victory in a qualifier since 1985.

Coach Bob Bradley has taken much of the heat. Bradley was successful in Major League Soccer - he led the Chicago Fire to the league title in its first season - but isn't fiery like predecessor Bruce Arena or charismatic like Juergen Klinsmann, the first choice to replace Arena.

"The press was hard on us, maybe rightfully so, but it never fazed him, it never took its toll on him," goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "He continued to prepare the team as though he believed we could do some-thing like we did (against Spain), and that was infectious."

Like Arena, Bradley knows the U.S. team's growth is a work in progress. MLS has done wonders for the development of young players, but the league isn't even 15 years old. More and more Americans are playing in Europe, but too many are still parked on benches.

Jozy Altidore, for example, who outmuscled Spain defender Joan Capdevila for the first goal Wednes-day, was sold to Villarreal of the Spanish league last summer. After making just two starts and four sub-stitute appearances during the first half of the season, he was loaned to second division leader Xerez on Jan. 30. He never got in a single match there.

"As (MLS) keeps improving, as we have more and more players playing on big teams, we continue to have success as a national team playing against top teams. This is the way something grows," Bradley said. "There's so many countries in soccer that want to get to the top, but there's no way to skip steps. You learn at each step.

"We understand that, and we're proud that we're moving forward."

A victory like the one over Spain, however, is the kind that can pay dividends for years and years to come.

Whether it does will be up to the Americans.

They will almost certainly qualify for next year's World Cup. The United States is only two points be-hind group leader Costa Rica, with the top three teams in the North and Central American and Caribbean region earning trips to South Africa.

Part of their success will hinge on what group they're drawn into; playing eventual winner Italy, the Czech Republic and Ghana in 2006 was about as bad as it could get. But make a deep run next year in South Africa, and the big, happy bandwagon they have this week will look like a Smart car.

"We need to expect to be able to compete that way all the time with these teams," Landon Donovan said after beating Spain. "That was huge tonight, and you see when you compete like that you have a chance to win."

U.S. football's rise can be traced to MLS, Europe

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa - The rise of football in the United States mirrors coach Bob Bradley's career.

Bradley was a highly successful manager in Major League Soccer for nine seasons, and was then hired to take over the national team from Bruce Arena in 2006 when Juergen Klinsmann turned down the job.

Initially named interim coach, Bradley had the label removed by becoming the first United States coach to win his first three games - with victories over Denmark, Mexico and Ecuador.

The bulk of the current team has also made the move from MLS to the international game. Eighteen members of the 23-man United States squad at the Confederations Cup are based abroad.

"Our success is a product of many things," Bradley said after the Americans upset European champion Spain 2-0 Wednesday to reach its first FIFA men's final at any level. "MLS is important in terms of growth. So many of these players began in MLS and that part of it is still important. We have players that then have chosen to go overseas, and the experiences that they get are important."

"As the league keeps improving, as we have more and more players playing on big teams, we continue to have success as a national team playing against top teams. This is the way something grows. There's so many countries in soccer that want to get to the top but there's no way to skip steps. You learn at each step. We understand that and we're proud that we're moving forward."

The Americans will face Brazil in Sunday's final after the five-time world champions beat South Africa 1-0 with a late goal from Daniel Alves on Thursday.

"Any time you get to a final things are going to be different. Obviously Brazil has a hard game against South Africa. We have one more day of rest and you never know what happens in that game," said Michael Bradley, the coach's son and midfield fixture, who became the youngest player in MLS history to be sold by the league when he moved from the MetroStars to Dutch club SC Heerenveen in January 2006 at the age of 18.

Michael Bradley recently signed a four-year deal with German club Borussia Moenchengladbach.

The younger Bradley will miss the final after receiving a red card for a lunging tackle in the 87th minute against Spain.

"It's not important," he said. "The most important thing now is that the team gets a chance to play in a final. We have 23 guys here. We've needed everybody to get here and we'll need everybody on Sunday.

"It happens. Playing in midfield there's tackles. There's loose balls. That part of me will never go away - my commitment, the fight in the center of the field."

It's the third time in four games at this tournament that the United States has ended with 10 men, having also played short-handed in losses to Italy and Brazil. At the 2006 World Cup, the Americans finished with nine men in a draw with eventual champion Italy.

"We're constantly working with all of our players to play aggressively but also to be disciplined," Bob Bradley said. "Any time a player - any of your players - pours his heart into a game, to see a player lose a chance to play in a final, I think players all around the world understand what that means. That's as difficult and tough as it gets."

In defense, Carlos Bocanegra returned from injury against Spain but the United States left Jay DeMerit and Oguchi Onyewu in the center of the backline and used the captain at left back.

"He's one of our most important leaders on the team," Bob Bradley said of Bocanegra. "He played left back throughout the year for his club team (Rennes), so in that regard we felt that we could use him there and leave Jay and Gooch in the middle because of the way they were handling things.

"It gave us a little more experience, it gave us some strength and I think in a big match like this all those things are very important."

-- Andrew Dampf

Ex-college stars from SCarolina aid U.S. soccer

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Former Furman soccer player Clint Hill smiles when thinking about the U.S. team's stunning turnaround at the Confederations Cup - and how a few of his old teammates and rivals made it happen.

Hill played college soccer with American starters Clint Dempsey and Ricardo Clark at Furman. The Paladins regularly faced nearby Clemson, which featured U.S. defender Oguchi Onyewu.

"It's pretty spectacular to think that those three were running around," Hill said Thursday of the trio that played at Furman's Eugene Stone Stadium.

And don't forget the U.S. game-changer in goal, ex-South Carolina keeper Brad Guzan who starred in the Americans' 3-0 win over Egypt last Sunday to reach the tournament semifinals.

Dempsey, Clark and Onyewu then helped U.S. soccer tally one of its biggest upsets, a 2-0 win over powerhouse Spain on Wednesday.

"What's that, four of the 11 (starters) from South Carolina schools?" Gamecocks longtime soccer coach Mark Berson said. "If this were the NBA, we wouldn't stop talking about it."

For such a small state, South Carolina has had a major impact on U.S. fortunes at the eight-team preview for next year's World Cup.

Dempsey, who scored goals against Egypt and Spain, started at midfield and forward for the Paladins from 2001-2003. He scored 17 goals and helped Furman to two Southern Conference titles and two NCAA tournament appearances. Alongside him the first two years was Clark, a quick, strong performer who helped the Paladins go 19-3-1 in 2002 and set an NCAA mark with 11 consecutive shutouts.

The 6-foot-6 defender Onyewu, known as "Gooch," played at Clemson in 2000 and 2001 before turning pro.

Guzan spent two years at South Carolina (2003, 2004) and was taken second overall in the MLS draft. In 2007, he was the league's goalkeeper of the year.

"I know everyone here is so proud of all of them," Furman soccer coach Doug Allison said.

Things didn't look so good last week with the United States reeling from two awful performances, a 3-1 loss to world champion Italy and a 3-0 defeat to South American champion Brazil.

Clark drew a red card and was sent off against the Italians, and Allison grew tired hearing commentators call for Dempsey to be taken out.

"Soccer is such a mercurial game," Berson said. "It can change so fast."

It sure did for the Americans.

U.S. Coach Bob Bradley inserted Guzan in goal for starter Tim Howard against the Egyptians. The Americans responded with their liveliest performance in weeks in the 3-0 victory. Guzan held the Egypt off the board, Clark was back and active in the midfield while Dempsey's goal put the team on top in terms of goal differential.

On Wednesday, the Americans surprising run broke Spain's record 15-game international win streak. Now, the Palmetto State stars are on the way to their first FIFA final.

"That's been so much fun to watch," Hill said.

Hill was an upperclassman during their college years, and noticed the younger players' drive to excel.

"You could tell Rico was such a good athlete," Hill recalled. "But he was real laid back. He showed his skill mostly on the field."

Dempsey also deferred to the Paladins older players. Still, he was always early to practices, running sprints during the state's sticky, steamy summers and putting in extra drill times.

"The guy didn't want anybody to be better than he was," Hill said. "He put in the work."

Guzan is the latest national star to emerge from the Gamecocks program, which produced former World Cup U.S. team Josh Wolff (2002, 2006) and flamboyant Clint Mathis (2002).

Guzan was a heady, athletic keeper with good decison-making skills, Berson said. As a freshman, he posted eight shutouts. Guzan was selected No. 2 overall in the MLS draft after his second college season and was off to the pros.

Berson remembers watching Clemson's Onyewu display his speed, agility and smarts in the annual rivalry games between the Tigers and the Gamecocks. He saw similar features in Dempsey and Clark when they played the college game.

"Sometimes, there's never any question" if a player has the talent for bigger things, Berson said.

Furman coach Allison is running his yearly summer soccer camps. He'll make sure his former players are remembered back home.

"We'll get the U-S-A chants going," he said with a laugh. "This is just great to see."

-- Pete Iacobelli

Late goal gives U.S. another chance against Brazil

JOHANNESBURG - The United States gets another chance at Brazil. And this time, there's a nice, shiny trophy at stake.

Daniel Alves scored the only goal on a free kick in the 88th minute for a 1-0 victory at the Confederations Cup on Thursday night, sending Brazil into the final against the surprising United States and ending host South Africa's upset bid.

The final is the first-ever at a FIFA tournament for the American men. It's also a rematch of last week's game in group play, when the five-time World Cup champions crushed the Americans 3-0.

Brazil is 13-1 in head-to-head meetings with the United States, and has outscored the United States 26-8. 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.

"Brazil, we know well because they beat us pretty badly a week ago," Landon Donovan said after the U.S. shocked top-ranked Spain in the first semifinal. "They would probably be comfortable playing against us, but I think we're in a better place now."

The Americans pulled off one of soccer's biggest upsets Wednesday with their 2-0 victory over Spain. The reigning European champions had set an international record with 15 straight victories, and had tied Brazil's record unbeaten streak of 35 games from December 1993 to January 1996.

The U.S. men, meanwhile, had been 1-7-1 against No. 1 teams. Its only other victory against a top-ranked opponent? Brazil, at the Los Angeles Coliseum in the semifinals of the 1998 Gold Cup.

"I didn't watch the game last night because I was more concerned with the game today," Brazil coach Dunga said.

Good thing, because the South Africans gave lackluster Brazil all it could handle.

Spurred on by the deafening buzz of their delighted fans' vuvuzelas, Bafana Bafana unsettled Brazil with a frantic, hustling game of quick challenges and tight defense. As the game wore on and the raucous home crowd sensed another upset in the making, the whistles and cheers grew even louder.

Brazil, normally so smooth and fluid, looked short of ideas and labored to find an opening. Just four days after Brazil routed reigning World Cup champion Italy 3-0, the ball inexplicably seemed to get stuck under the players' feet.

"There was no space anywhere," Brazil striker Luis Fabiano said. "Everywhere we went there was someone right there with us."

With central defender Matthew Booth snuffing out almost every attempted attack from the wayward Luis Fabiano and ineffective Robinho, Brazil's best chances early on were shots from Ramires, Andre Santos and Kaka that goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune easily saved.

Only Kaka seemed able to direct his passes with any regular accuracy as Bafana Bafana matched their illustrious opponents in skill and surpassed them in effort.

"We knew Brazil would have a lot of possession and we had to get players behind the ball," Booth said. "But we had a go at them."

But with time winding down, Ramires was tripped up at the edge of the box by South Africa captain Aaron Mokoena, sending him tumbling.

Daniel Alves had only been on the field for six minutes, but Dunga called on him to take the free kick. He coolly stepped up and curled a shot into the far top corner, silencing the raucous home crowd.

"The game was very close so I put on a very quick player, a very aggressive player, who is strong on set pieces," Dunga said. "It was one of the few opportunities we were going to have. The foul was right in front of the goal area, so it was perfect for us."

Despite the loss, the South Africans can take pride in this effort.

Bafana Bafana outplayed Brazil, showing their fans they can be something of a force when they host next year's World Cup. Teko Modise put three disappointing games behind him and came close to securing a famous win when his 58th-minute shot deflected off defender Luisao and almost beat goalkeeper Julio Cesar.

South Africa displayed far more purpose and skill than in its first-round group, where it progressed with a 0-0 draw with Iraq and 2-0 win over lowly New Zealand.

"Maybe with a year's preparation, we can win a game like this against Brazil," South Africa coach Joel Santana said. "You cannot make these mistakes."

-- Stuart Condie

Brazil struggles but finds Confed Cup win

JOHANNESBURG - The Brazil team that narrowly beat South Africa 1-0 in the Confederations Cup semifinals Thursday looked a pale shadow of the one that demolished world champion Italy just four days ago.

Brazil followed its impressive 3-0 victory over Italy with a listless performance against the hosts, reaching its second straight Confederations Cup final thanks to a late goal by substitute right back Daniel Alves.

Brazil played poorly from the start and did just enough to escape with the victory in front of 48,000 spectators at Ellis Park.

"With the way South Africa defended the entire match, things became a bit difficult for us," Brazil coach Dunga said. "We couldn't penetrate through the middle and couldn't change the ball from side to side like we normally do."

Alves' 88th-minute free kick goal kept alive Brazil's seven-match winning streak, but the Brazilians hadn't been held to a single goal in six matches, since a 1-1 draw at Ecuador in a World Cup qualifier in March.

Brazil, unbeaten in 15 matches, had scored 10 goals in its first three matches, and it looked like its attack was peaking in South Africa.

But Brazil was not able to impose its fast-paced style on Thursday, and Kaka and Robinho couldn't team up effectively to create dangerous scoring opportunities. They threatened occasionally with some of their intricate individual moves, but failed to find space.

The South Africans crowded the midfield, and Brazil wasn't able to create options to break through their tight marking at the back.

"There was no space anywhere," Brazil striker Luis Fabiano said. "Everywhere we went there was someone right there with us."

Brazil also failed to create danger down the flanks, with wing backs Andre Santos and Maicon not able to make significant runs.

"They played 100 percent perfect tactically," right back Maicon said. "We had to stay patient until the end and it paid off."

The Brazilians did allow South Africa to pressure, however, and the hosts came close to scoring on several occasions, keeping the raucous home crowd on the edge of their seats.

Brazil began the tournament with a sloppy 4-3 win over Egypt in Bloemfontein, escaping with victory only after a controversial last-minute penalty kick converted by Kaka. But the five-time world champions picked up the pace in the second match, earning a comfortable 3-0 victory against the United States. They played even better against Italy, outplaying their rivals from the start.

Players had been saying team was improving gradually, but Thursday's performance came as a setback for Dunga, who made only one change from the squad that beat Italy on Sunday, replacing injured central defender Juan with Luisao.

A victory against the United States in the final on Sunday will make Brazil the first team to win three Confederations Cup titles, one more than France. Brazil can also join France as the only team to win successive titles in the eight-team competition that is being used as a World Cup warm-up tournament.

-- Tales Azzoni

Alves takes advantage of free kick chance in semi

JOHANNESBURG - Daniel Alves didn't care where he was playing, he just knew he was going to do something good for Brazil.

Alves came off the bench with eight minutes left in the Confederations Cup semifinal on Thursday, and with two minutes left swiped in a free kick to beat South Africa 1-0 at Ellis Park Stadium.

"I was behind the goal thinking about the Copa America," said Alves, recalling the 2007 final against Argentina when he scored the last goal for Brazil to win 3-0. "I wanted to get in, I know sometimes I get lucky."

Thursday's goal propelled Brazil into the final on Sunday, when it will face the United States with a chance to become the first team to win three Confederations Cups.

Alves, a right back, was sent in by Brazil coach Dunga to replace left back Andre Santos, in part for Alves' expertise in free kicks.

"It was one of the few opportunities we were going to have," Dunga said. "The foul was right in front of the goal area, so it was perfect for us."

Alves said he was not surprised when Dunga wanted him to replace Andre Santos instead of right back Maicon.

"I'm always ready to come in, regardless of where the coach wants me to play. I just wanted to go out there and do everything I could to help the team. Gladly it worked out perfect," the Barcelona defender said.

Alves started for Brazil in the Confederations Cup opener against Egypt, but was rested against the United States and didn't regain his spot in the starting lineup. Maicon, coming off an injury, has been Dunga's main choice since the coach took over the national team after the 2006 World Cup.

Alves hopes his latest goal will give him another chance in the final, even if at left back again.

"I've played in that position before," he said. "It's harder for me, but I'll play anywhere Dunga wants me to play."

He celebrated the goal by pulling up his jersey and showing tattoos with the names of his 3-year-old son Daniel Filho and daughter Vitoria, who is about to turn 2. It earned him a yellow card, but he said it was worth it.

"It was a gift I had been waiting to give them for a long time," he said. "It was a moment of happiness, the card doesn't matter."

-- Tales Azzoni

Late free kick heartbreak for Bafana Bafana

JOHANNESBURG - A killer free kick two minutes from time finally stopped the horns from blowing for South Africa at the Confederations Cup.

But Bafana Bafana's stirring performance against the five-time World Cup winner Brazil in the semifinal of the Confederation Cup Thursday sent 48,000 fans home with a smile on their face and renewed hope that the team may put on a decent performance when South Africa host the World Cup in a year's time.

With the semifinal scoreless, South Africa was two minutes away from taking an uninterested-looking Brazil to extra time when a foul on the edge of the area handed Daniel Alves a shot that he bent into the net for the only goal of the semifinal.

"Maybe with a year's preparation, we can win a game like this against Brazil," South Africa coach Joel Santana said. "You cannot make these mistakes. A set piece was enough to knock us out of the semifinals."

It was a heartbreaking end for a host nation which had played a full part in the competition, although it still has a chance of capturing third place.

South Africa will face Spain for the third place finish in Rustenburg on Saturday while Brazil goes on to meet the United States.

South Africa's lanky central defender Matthew Booth, who stood out keeping Luis Fabiano quiet, said the performances here might now get South Africa's critics off the team's back.

"Everybody is entitled to their opinion but the coach has proved everyone wrong," the Mamelodi Sundowns centerback said. "Not just the coach but a lot of players were criticized as well. Hopefully we've proved people wrong.

"This tournament has given us a lot of confidence. It's a full year to the World Cup now and we have to keep this sort of attitude going. It's very important we keep to this level and it all bodes well for the future if we can keep up this level of performance."

Midfielder Steven Pienaar, who plays for Everton in the English Premier League, said Bafana Bafana hoped to reward their enthusiastic fans by making an impact at the World Cup.

"I'm really proud of the team the way we played," he said. "We have been talking a lot about self belief. The support we had today, they were behind us from the word go and you could see how it affected the players also. I just hope that we can build on this."

After a 2-0 loss in the group phase, a victory over Spain may seem unlikely although the Spaniards, favorites to win this competition, may well field a weakened side after the disappointment of losing 2-0 to the Americans in the semifinal. So a third place may still be a realistic goal for a team which began with a disappointing 0-0 result against Iraq.

It was clear from the start that Iraq's wily coach Bora Milutinovic had sent his team out to stop the South Africans winning although Bafana Bafana's chances weren't helped when a header from Kagisho Dikgacoi hit teammate Bernard Parker on the goal line in front of an open net.

Parker made up for that by scoring twice in the 2-0 victory over New Zealand in their next game. But the South Africans only scrambled into the semifinals after New Zealand and Iraq drew 0-0.

Finishing group runner-up meant coach Joel Santana came up against his fellow countrymen from Brazil and, before kickoff, the coach walked over to his opponents' bench and shook the hands of Dunga and his backup players and staff.

Even with fans urging on their team for a first ever victory over Brazil, at first it looked like a men-against-boys match with the Brazilians tackling harder and the Bafana Bafana bouncing off their challenges. But the Brazilians - Santana included - would have been proud of some of the interpassing between the home team's players.

If Aaron Mokoena had been more accurate with his free header from a free kick the South Africans would have been ahead before halftime while they generally crowded Kaka and Robinho into mistakes and protected their goal well until the free kick finished off their hopes.

-- Robert Millward