The United States men's soccer team defeated No. 1 ranked Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinals Wednesday, the Spaniards' first loss in 36 international matches and one of, in not THE, biggest wins ever for the U.S. team.
But does this make the Americans a contender for the 2010 World Cup title?
In a word, no.
Nine times out of ten, the Spaniards win or tie a game played the way Wednesday's match was. The Americans' offense was spotty, relying on just one or two touches for scoring chances, and their midfield defense was nonexistent. If not for the back line of the U.S. and keeper Tim Howard, Spain would have scored at least two goals, if not three.
However, no matter what happens in the Confederations Cup final, this could put the U.S. on a path to contention.
Their young players now know what it feels like to beat a better team, and have an idea of how hard they have to play to get there. The older players can have confidence that the young players, especially their young strikers, will step forward when they need them.
And confidence is the key word. If the U.S. can take their experience from this tournament and dominate the Gold Cup, playing like the best team on the field and expecting to win every match, they would be considered a favorite to at least advance from group play.
However, they must shore up their midfield defense, as Spain had no problem advancing the ball from the midfield stripe to the penalty box during the entire game. Granted, Spain is one of the best possession teams in the world and excels at one-touch passes that throw defenses off, but the U.S. cannot allow that type of play if they want to win against the best the world has to offer.
As well, they must be able to hold on to the ball better. The Spaniards enjoyed nearly a 60-40 edge in possession, most of that in the attacking third on the U.S. side, and led in shots (11-4), shots on goal (6-2) and corner kicks (9-3). As earlier stated, those stats typically lead to victory for the other side.
It may take many more victories such as this for the American populace to wake up and take a look at their international team, but for those of us who already live and die with this squad, it is a day to celebrate. Hopefully, there will be more to come.
Star of the match: Tim Howard, goalkeeper
One stat shows why this man is the reason the Americans are moving on to the final: Six saves for the U.S., zero for Spain. For visual evidence, however, turn to the firs ten minutes of the second half. Only down 1-0 at the time, the Spaniards came out in full attack mode, spending almost the entire span in the attacking end, throwing shot after shot toward Howard. But the ferocious Howard battled back, keeping the score steady until the Americans could score the clincher and earning his first Confederations Cup win.
Other stars
Oguchi Onweyu: This award could almost certainly go to the entire back line of the United States team, who were asked to cover up for horrible defense in the midfield and did so beautifully. Onweyu always seemed to be in action in the box -- blocking passes and shots, defending wings and clearing out dangerous balls.
Landon Donovan: The obvious leader of this team held his young teammates together, played tough defense and made some great runs.
The young strikers: Jozy Altidore scored the first goal -- the eventual winner -- but he was not as tough as Charlie Davies, who was much better at advancing the ball down the pitch. Together, they created all the offense in the first half and showed the Spaniards that the match would not be easy.
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