U.S. upsets Spain, reaches Confederations Cup final

June 25, 12:39 AMMLS ExaminerCharlie Corr

Previous Next

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the MLS Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

  AP photo / Clint Dempsey celebrates his goal in the second half.

Practically the unfathomable occurred as the world's top-ranked men's soccer team was upset Wednesday. The U.S. Men's National Team topped Spain, 2-0, to reach the FIFA Confederations Cup final in what certainly is one of the most historic victories in U.S. Soccer history.

Former New York Red Bull Jozy Altidore and ex-New England Revolution midfielder Clint Dempsey were the goal scorers in a surprising outcome that even had most of ESPN's afternoon and evening talking heads chatting about this epic win. This victory marks the U.S.'s first-ever final appearance in a FIFA tournament.

"In my career, it's definitely the biggest (victory) we've had," Los Angeles Galaxy forward Landon Donovan said in a phone interview on ESPN's SportsCenter.

Donovan assisted Dempsey's goal in the 74th minute, while Dempsey assisted Altidore in the 27th. Those two shots were the only ones on goal for the U.S.

The U.S. plays in the final this Sunday, June 28, in Johannesburg, South Africa. The U.S. awaits Thursday's semifinal winner between Brazil and host South Africa. Sunday's final will be broadcast live at 2:25 p.m. EST on ESPN2 and Univision.

There is no question that many people - fans, critics, press, you name it - felt the U.S. was on its last leg with this tournament at several stages. Some carried this sentiment before the tournament. Many before the 3-0 victory over Egypt. And even more heading into the Spain match. The die-hard fans cluttered message boards with their "fire Bob Bradley" remarks directed to the U.S. head coach.

But the U.S. never wavered. They mustered just enough offense, and the defensive unit faced its toughest challenge head-on. Former N.Y./N.J. MetroStars goalkeeper Tim Howard was an absolute rock, making eight saves and keeping the clean sheet as Spain dominated possession of play.

"We've had our share of critics, and I think everyone, including the coaching staff, stood up and took it on the chin," Howard said. "We just kept going. The press was hard on us, maybe rightfully so. But it never phased (Coach Bradley); it never took its toll on him and he continued to prepare the team as though he believed we could do something like we did tonight. And that was infectious."

The win is one for the history books, but the job is not done. They face either Brazil or South Africa in the final, and they won't be at full strength for this match. Uruguayan referee Jorge Larrionda gave U.S. midfielder Michael Bradley a highly questionable red card when Bradley fouled Spain's Xavi Alonso in the second half.

Everyone's talkin' about it: If you are a Twitter follower, quite a few people outside of the typical soccer world commented on this victory. Here are several tweets:

• Bob Glauber, NFL columnist for Newsday: USA 2, Spain 0 ... Holy crap ...

• Danica Patrick, IRL driver: I saw the usa soccer team won........thats awesome!

• Tony Reali, Around the Horn host on ESPN: One thing today's show won't have: US Soccer's win. We're a taped show and it hadn't happened yet. This kills me. Kills me.

• Bill Simmons, ESPN's Sports Guy columnist: I'm fired up that we beat Spain, but what the hell is the Confederation Cup? Is this better or worse than winning an ESPY?

* * *

Send a message: E-mail your comments or thoughts to charliecorr@gmail.com.

Charlie Corr is a freelance sports writer based in Chicago. In addition to his Major League Soccer duties, he is the Chicago Sports Examiner and the creator of a Chicago-based soccer Web site, SlideTackles.net.

Follow Charlie on Twitter!