Well, that was a ride that ended in vast disappointment.
Okay, let's get this out of the way first. No, this does not, in any way, invalidate the wonderful run US Soccer went on starting in the Egypt game. This Confederations Cup was unquestionably a success, whether you stop watching after the first half of this game or at the actual end of the tournament. And the first half was what you point to when you envision US Soccer having success in this type of environment. Get some chances, convert early, and let their counterattack put the pressure on the opponent trying to catch up. And for most of one half of play, that is what happened.
That all being said, the second half of play was a major disappointment. First, giving up the first goal less than 2 minutes into the second half brought back the beginning of the game demons the US has suffered from coming into this Confed Cup. That it happened in the second half doesn't change the fact that the US got caught either flat footed or complacent against their opponent, and it cost them dearly.
Once that goal happened, the cracks in the US foundation split open. Not all at once, but every minute they grew wider and wider. It started with the attack. If you can find evdidence of a sustained US attack in the second half, please post a comment below and point me to it. Part of this can be explained by the overall defensive mentality the US employed in the second half. But another part looked like general tightness and fear of making the big mistake. It's hard to fault the US team for this fear, as bad giveaways led to a couple of Italy's 3 goals, but no team can withstand 45 mintues of Brazil's attack without some sustained possession, just to give the defenders and goalkeeper an occasional rest (even if it's just a mental one).
It's hard to draw the line between what the US didn't do and what the US simply cannot do. The US isn't Brazil, it isn't Spain. It's not going to overwhelm the opposition with ball possession and constant attacks (well, maybe against Barbados or Guatemala). The US will need some lucky bounces, and will need to convert a smaller amount of opportunities. But the US is much better at possessing the ball and launching sustained attacks than they were 8 or 12 years ago, and they have to keep pushing themselves to get even better at this facet of the game.
There is a lot of talk about how this tournament was a stepping stone for the US. It can be, but I won't call it that until I see the Aug 12 game against Mexico. Mexico is a team in disarray and the US is fresh off of this Confed Cup. If there was ever a year for the US to finally break through with a win in Mexico, this is the year. Win THAT game, against what can only be described as a currently inferior opponent, and we can talk about stepping stones. For taking the next step doesn't just mean advancing at the World Cup, it starts within the USA's region, on the road to South Africa in 2010.
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