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Team USA: High-five! We’re in the final!

USA Cause Massive Upset in Confederations Cup

An eighteen game winning streak and a thirty-five unbeaten run must give a team a degree of confidence but it still counts for nothing if you don’t take your opponent seriously and some of the Spanish squad may be asking themselves if they did enough to deserve victory.

That is not to take anything from the United States team and their tremendous victory which granted them a place in the final but the Spanish squad will have some regrets.

Spanish Stars Falter
A team featuring Fernando Torres, David Villa, Xavi, Puyol and Fabregas should not be losing to America on the football field but it does indicate the fascinating nature of soccer and the interest value generated by the Confederations Cup.

Its principle role may be to ensure that the infrastructure of South Africa would be strong enough to cope with the demands of the major tournament but it has generated a great deal of excitement in the past few weeks.

After two defeats in their opening two games, the United States were looking as though they would be on the next flight back home with a six goal swing needed in the final matches to progress beyond the knock-out stage. A strange set of affairs saw America sweep three goals past an Egyptian defence and goalkeeper which managed to hold Italy at bay for 90 minutes.

That would have offered enough excitement for any US soccer fan but it pales into insignificance when the outcome of the semi-final is examined. Even with a 1-0 half-time lead through a Jozy Altidore goal, the United States would have been thinking that winning the game would have been beyond them but the second half went beyond their wildest expectations.

10 Men Enough for USA
A second goal by Clint Dempsey put the game beyond Spain and even a red card which reduced them to ten men could not take the shine off America’s triumph.

With just one game to go, the American soccer fans may finally get a triumph to move the team out of the shadows of the female game and could give the men’s game a massive shot in the arm. Soccer may still be a niche sport in the United States of America but the final against Brazil may provide the nation with the greatest opportunity to get right behind their soccer stars and understand the true excitement generated by the beautiful game.

Defeat will have been a crushing blow to a Spanish side who were riding high on confidence and optimism with the Fifa rankings showing them as the greatest football team in the world. This may have allowed the Spanish stars a few extra days holiday than what they were expecting but this will have placed a slight dampener on their time away at the end of a long hard season.

Can Host Nation Pull Off Shock?
In the final, the United States will be facing either the might of Brazil or the host nation South Africa. The form guide and rational thinking would suggest that Brazil will see off South Africa to book their place in the final but given the upsets that have already taken place in the Confederations Cup, it’s certainly not a guaranteed outcome.

If South Africa can confound the public conception by beating Brazil, not only will they give FIFA a final that they would never have expected to deal with but they will also give their noisy fans a real reason to make some noise at the stadiums.

One of the major talking points about the Confederations Cup has been the atmosphere and noise created by the home fans and their vuvuzela instrument which is making some people turn off their televisions in droves.

The noise has been likened to a swarm of bees and even some of the players involved at the Confederations Cup have commented on the incessant noise created by the crowd. Many have asked that they be banned from the World Cup in 2010 but so far, FIFA seem keen to allow the fans to continue to bring their instrument to the games.

Every World Cup has something that uniquely stands it out from the rest and it may well be that the 2010 World Cup is remembered for the noise that is generated from the stands.

Brazil Should Have Enough to Triumph
If South Africa overcome Brazil, the party will continue for a number of days but it does seem as though Brazil will have enough in their locker to secure victory and a place in the final. Even though Brazil had qualified for the knock-out stages before they played their final group game against Italy, it didn’t prevent them from playing at their full strength.

Although the first half hour was evenly matched with both teams pressing for the opening goal, Brazil ran amok between then and the half-time whistle, managing to notch three goals to give them a very comfortable lead at the break. It was these three goals that set the United States comeback into motion and facilitated the six goal swing that saw Italy exit the tournament and allow the Americans passage to the knock out round and their eventual shock result over Spain. So if Brazil get to the final and lose to the United States of America, perhaps they will look back and wish they had not done such a convincing job of demolishing Italy.

Tight Defence South Africa’s Only Hope
That said, the host nation hasn’t done too badly, with only one defeat in their three group games which included a 2-0 victory over New Zealand. A clean sheet was also kept against Iraq so there may be a chance that they will be able to keep Brazils attacking flair to a minimum and if they do this, they may have a chance of qualifying for the final.

The Confederations Cup is never going to be the most exciting or important tournament in the Fifa roster but this summer’s event will live long in the memory of those who watched it and there is a strong chance that there may be one or two shocks still in store.

by Andrew Reilly

for The Silver Circle at www.footballtip.co.uk

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