By Graig Carbino - ALBANY, NY (June 21, 2009) USSoccerPlayers -- Stunning, amazing, end-to-end, or simply wow. Whatever word you want to describe the scenario that played out for the United States on Sunday.
Needing a lop-sided victory over the up-to-this-point impressive Egypt and big help from Brazil against Italy, the US got both with a resounding 3-nil win over the Pharaohs. That help from Brazil? It came in the form of the Selecao being up 3-nil themselves against Italy, at half-time no less.
The improbable became a reality when Brazil held on by that same scoreline, with the US advance into the knockout round of the Confederations Cup based on total goals scored. Spain awaits on Wednesday, looking to improve on their 35-game unbeaten streak, but previewing the European champions can wait. Today is all about the United States.
The US came into this match-up with Egypt looking like their once well-oiled machine was leaking fuel. After heavy defeats at the hands of Italy and Brazil most critics had written the team off as an also-ran. And really, how could you blame them? Six goal differentials don’t just get made up everyday.
Winning big and getting a lot of help usually never goes the way of the down and out squad. You don’t need to be a betting man to know that the odds of everything breaking the way of the United States was a long shot today. Bob Bradley may want to run to the nearest casino and place a couple bets, because he just hit the jackpot of his career.
Bradley didn’t make the lineup changes most had expected leading into this game. Tim Howard was given a breather in goal with Brad Guzan coming in, while Charlie Davies and Ricardo Clark took the places of DaMarcus Beasley and Sacha Kljestan respectively. Bradley surely would not be using this game as a practice match to view less experienced players, he was going for the win and put out close to his preferred first team side.
Things looked different from the beginning. For the first time in this tournament, and in any recent matches for that matter, the US came out with a stern look of determination from the first second. They didn’t quite get that early goal they would have been hoping for, but they tested Egypt early and at least made enough forays forward to keep the Egyptian back-line honest.
Charlie Davies would get the US on the board first about halfway through the opening stanza, using some determination and little bit of luck to poke the ball past Egyptian goalkeeper Essam El Hadary. El Hadary looked to have things under control when gathering a Jozy Altidore cross before being kicked and then accidentally kneed in the face by his own defender Ahmed Fathi. The ball squirted loose and Davies was able to corral it before smacking it off of the fallen keeper and into the net.
The game went into halftime at 1-0 and you’d imagine the players were made aware of what was happening between Brazil and Italy at the interval. For the most part, it seems coaches tend to not want to know what is happening in other games and just focus on what they control. In this case, it would seem that the other result being what it was might give the players that extra bit of hope that if they could knock a couple more in they might just advance.
Whether they knew the other score or not, Bradley’s men came out of the break determined to get the two goals that would move them past Ehypt in the Group B standings. First, Michael Bradley combined nicely with Landon Donovan on 63 minutes and coolly slotted the ball past El Hadary to give dad the best Father's Day present he could have imagined.
The maligned Clint Dempsey made things even better eight minutes later. Jonathan Spector advanced the ball up the right wing before playing an inch perfect cross into the box. Dempsey out muscled Wale Gomma and his diving header sailed into the Egyptian net sending the Texan and his teammates into wild celebrations.
The Americans held on for a nervy final 19 minutes while Brazil held up their end of the bargain in Pretoria. An amazing accomplishment and statement game for a US team that needed to step up and prove they had it in them to truly compete at this level.
One game won't silence the doubters, nor should it. At the same time, two less then stellar performances to begin this tournament shouldn’t have had some critics and fans alike pushing Bradley towards the end of the plank and questioning the team's heart and commitment.
What we know right now is that as improbable as it might seem, World number one Spain awaits on Wednesday. If the events of today have taught us anything, it's that you really never know until you play the game and that final second ticks off the clock.
Graig Carbino covers American Abroad and writes a weekly column for USSoccerPlayers. Contact him at graiger11@yahoo.com
