One step back, then moving forward

There is nothing more frustrating than a buzz kill. And just as there is nothing more derisive than a German laughing at you, there are few things more condescending than being dismissed by an Englishman.

To whit: a good time was had by all when the US beat Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinal last Wednesday. Well, maybe a few (million) Spaniards, and some Liverpool fans (cheering for Torres and Alonso, hah), were put out. Most football watchers, however, enjoyed a good match. Who, after all, doesn’t enjoy watching an underdog beat the Big Bad Bully? Record-setting unbeaten Spain was as big a bully as they get.

So the reaction in the States about the win was over the top. Suddenly soccer was in the news. American soccer was in the news. One can excuse a little irrationality -- like some saying that the Men’s National Team were legitimate contenders to win next year’s World Cup -- from US soccer fans and media. They have been constantly overlooked, reviled, treated like third-class citizens. Heck, even ESPN, the channel fighting for international soccer broadcasting rights, seem to favor the X-Games more. Why else would ESPN condemn US fans to broadcasts with Tommy Smythe?

A good result against a Very Good Team was always going to be a release for long-suffering MNT fans. It would be the same anywhere, to be honest, to beat the top-ranked team in a FIFA tournament. Celebration and a little chest-thumping is the norm. Enter Football365’s sarcastic Mediawatch, buzzkillers.

The day after the historic win, Mediawatch wrote:

Perhaps understandably, the three people that care about football in America are quite excited this morning after their brave collection of Bobby Sues and Jimmy Maes beat Spain in the Very Important Confederations Cup last night.

'U.S. Victory Was a Miracle on Grass,' reads the headline from the usually sober New York Times.

The paper goes on to say: 'A performance like Wednesday's, if it can be repeated often enough, could change the way the world views American soccer and perhaps even the way American players view themselves, not as merely able to challenge the top international teams but to beat them.'

Hmmm. Steady on there chaps.

Sigh. “Miracle on Grass” is something that any American sports fan recognizes, echoing as it does the then-equally improbable 1980 Olympic win against the Soviet hockey juggernaut. And duh -- those are girls' names. Mediawatch piled on:

Finally, Fox News comes up with the goods to reassure any confused Yankee Doodle who didn't understand why they weren't picking the ball up with some textbook, utterly baffling and largely meaningless numbers:

'Meanwhile, the United States had been 1-7-1 against No. 1 teams, beating Brazil in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup and tying Argentina last summer in an exhibition at Giants Stadium.'

It is that last bit that really got to the CounterAttack. Yes, there are times when American soccer media resorts to the need for statistics but bringing up previous performances is legit. (And yes, we are fully aware it is a Sarcastic Site. No matter -- CounterAttack still wanted to punch the English column. Figuratively.)

The English football forums were little better. After the US let a 2-0 half-time lead slip away to Brazil in the championship match, even non-Americans were impressed. One forum started a ‘The US Comes of Age!’ thread. Most of the comments were positive, commiserative in the “join us in the bitter taste of defeat” mold, and supportive. Like most things, however, it was the few ruiners that, erm, ruined it (typos in original, but sadly, no way to properly convey the tone):

• Soccer ball rules. Fuck yeah!
• fuck football...its all about SOCCER!!!! get your baseball caps on lads and crack open your miniture cans of beer…
• What an awful thread
• They are just deluded

Ugh. It is tired. It is annoying. It is...frustrating because to a certain extent, it is still true. The irony is that the US does have a history. One of the oldest FAs, semifinalists in the 1930 World Cup and…. Ok, it is quite a thin history.

The US is on course to qualify for its sixth consecutive World Cup. Still, it is a no-win situation, those pesky results getting in the way of consistent respect. That is a bit galling. Weak confederation, never-win-in-Europe, Mickey Mouse tournaments…

The team is getting better. Media coverage is improving -- the Confederations Cup was the first time that the American soccer media went after the coach for poor tactical decisions. Never before has a USSF president had to give an MNT coach a vote of confidence. Players were criticized, and then responded by word, perhaps by deed.

Soccer fans in the US are great. They are often knowledgeable about the overall game beyond the shores of England, even as they are loyal to their (usually English) adopted clubs. On that note, Americans demonstrate an inspirational level of dedication to follow their adopted teams. East Coast fans get up as early as 7 am (that's 4 am in California) to watch those games.

But because they did not grow up in the shadow of a stadium, they are considered ‘plastics’, fake fans, by English media types looking for an easy target. Accidents of birth do not impress most Yanks, but this is another annoyance they have to bear.

Unloved at home. Dismissed abroad. A schizophrenic national team that alternates between flashes of could-be-good and embarrassing. One might ask: is it all worth it?

Last week in South Africa, for 90 minutes on a Wednesday evening, for 45 minutes and 20 seconds on a Sunday evening, including one world-class goal, it surely was.

Here endeth the rant, as the CounterAttack looks forward to the game v Mexico, and another chance for the MNT to make history. Again.

Photo via Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images, @Soccernet.com

Smiling through the tears

The better teams simply know how to step it up.

In tonight’s Confederations Cup championship match, the US men’s national team played a brilliant first half, taking a 2-0 lead at the half, only to fade and let it slip away. The difference between fifth-ranked Brazil and the US, at #14 just one tier below: the better side knew how to raise its game when forced. Brazil roused itself and dominated the second half, winning 3-2 and taking the tournament championship.

The MNT nevertheless took a step forward tonight because it clearly won the first half. Small consolation but an enormous step for a team that had never held a two-goal lead against Brazil. The Americans continued to show that they know how to play intelligent, tactical soccer. For 45 minutes and 30 seconds, the MNT frustrated the Seleção to a standstill.

Pouncing on counterattacking opportunities, the US scored two unanswered goals, including a beautiful breakaway goal that would have made any Italian proud. The MNT clogged Brazil’s passing lanes and maintained defensive discipline, just as it had against Spain. The CounterAttack had hoped that the US fullbacks would hold a high defensive line to force Brazil to shoot from distance, as they had done against Spain. The American defenders did just that, forcing Brazil to shoot from distance because they simply could not get into the penalty area or create one-on-one opportunities.

But in soccer as in warfare, “good offense” will usually defeat “great defense”. The US defense was only good, not great while Brazil’s offense was unstoppably great -- in the second half. The final score was an inevitability. What the Americans still have not learned is how to close out opponents. This manifests itself in many ways, not least of which is the inability to stomp on minnows it plays in friendlies or World Cup qualifiers.

There are plenty of positives to take from this tournament. First, the US maneuvered through the vagaries of tournament play. Down two losses, goal differential and goals allowed got the MNT into the semifinals, scoring enough goals to give the team a chance to advance if other situations worked out. That is how tournaments are. The end-results are all that matter, not how the side played. Even if the MNT had not gone through (after all, how many times will Italy give up three goals, the last from an own-goal), the play against Egypt was encouraging. The MNT continued this impressive tactical display v Spain and then in the first half v Brazil.

So second was a consistent demonstration that the US is starting to play tactical soccer. It is not enough to just show up and play balls to the wall. Against Egypt and Spain, the US demonstrated patience in waiting for opportunities to pour forward in attack. The defense really stepped up, marking attackers out and overlapping when necessary. Spector showed that the US can play an effective wingback, while Gooch Onyewu, Bocanegra and DeMerit showed that they can play in the center. Spector and Boca, however, also showed their limitations when they are on the right and left backs. Both were beaten by Brazilians in this match. Overall, however, it was a good defensive showing. It is telling that only Brazil was able to penetrate the American defense to score from short-range, in both games. The opposition does not get more difficult than Italy, Brazil and Spain, so this was no one-off.

Third, as the tournament progressed, the midfield got stronger. Michael Bradley showed why he is an integral part of the US lineup. He makes players around him better, including Ricardo Clark, who finally stopped giving the ball away cheaply. The US now has a starting playmaker in Bradley and with the arrival of Jermaine Jones, will have a defensive midfielder to partner with Bradley.

Donovan and Dempsey continue to improve as an attacking tandem behind the forwards. Both scored against Brazil, with the Donovan goal coming five touches after the US stole the ball from Brazil in the US penalty area.

Tim Howard is a category unto himself. He is already one of the best goalkeepers in the world. He made critical saves in the last two matches that gave the MNT a chance to win against two of the world’s toughest teams. The spine of the US lineup, from keeper to the center-halfs on through the midfield is set for at least the next year and perhaps as far as 2014.

The strike force, however, is still being worked out but there is room for cheering here. Jozy Altidore, definitely the future of the US attack, is demonstrating he is worth the hype. He was shut out against Brazil tonight and only scored one goal in the tourney but it was a big one, v Spain. His partnership with Charlie Davies looks as if it may pay dividends in the future. At the very least, the US has another option to Brian Ching to play up front. The team scored 8 goals this tournament -- since they scored only one in the first two games, that is a massive output from a side that tends not to score in tournaments.

FIFA.com interviewed Landon Donovan after the match. This tournament will not mean anything for the future of the MNT if it does not build on its positives. When asked what the US has to do as a next step, Donovan’s response holds promise:

“(W)e need to learn from what happened today. If we don't learn from it, then all this achievement will have been for nothing. Hopefully the next time...we can kill the game off and hold the trophy over our heads instead of wearing silver around our necks.”

Photo by Antonio Scorza/GettyImages via Soccernet.com

Is that opportunity knocking?

As the Confederations Cup championship match looms, the CounterAttack is getting bored with all the talk of “miracle” about the US victory over Spain.

The American media, which doesn’t pay attention to soccer, has no idea how good its Men’s National Team is. The foreign media, on the other hand, is still stuck in 1998.

Fair enough. After all, the MNT performances are not anything you can call consistent. In order for the US to gain the proper respect it should receive, it needs to start win the matches is has to, dominate the sides it should beat, and if necessary, lose while playing smart, attractive football.

The loss to Italy was a tough one. Playing a man down for an hour, the US actually had the better play most of the first hour. Against Brazil, though, it reverted to history. Carlos Bocanegra, captain and a defensive anchor, admitted the US “came out a bit timid”, bedazzled by the canary yellow shirts.

Against Egypt, the team buried three opportunities created in the run of play. Similarly against Spain, the MNT played to its potential, scoring when it could, creating opportunities without leaving itself exposed, and creating a defensive wall that the Spaniards could not breach.

But which is the real US team? Earlier this year the MNT scored late goals to save a point in a World Cup qualifier against El Salvador. This was a positive but the need for a comeback was an indictment in itself. Then a WCQ against Costa Rica, where the hostile crowd, artificial turf and better-prepared Ticos took apart the MNT.

A review of MNT World Cup performances: 0 victories (1990), second round (1994), 0 victories (1998), quarterfinals (2002), 0 victories (2006). The last two Cups were formed around young players still on the MNT, so the shutout in Germany was so devastatingly disappointing. Taken together, the question remains: When will the real US Mens team show up?

So when a Dutch friend asked for a prediction of how the US would do against Brazil, the CounterAttack deferred. The US can win this match, make no mistake. The first five minutes will tell all. If the MNT comes out cocky, it will get careless and there will be a replay of Brazil’s 3-0 win two weeks ago. The key, as ever, is the midfield. If the MNT can stall Brazil in the midfield, it could upset the Brazilian rhythm. Not having Michael Bradley will be a problem, so Rico Clark will have to play intelligent ball again. It will likely be Benny Feilhaber with Clark, but Feilhaber has to step up and play like its 2007, not his recent injury-plagued form.

Brazil has individual talents that can win matches on their own. The US will need to be vigilant against individual breakaways. The problem is that chasing down a Kaka or Robinho could open up holes that trailing Brazilians will fill. A drop-off pass, an exposed hole in the back, and a goal is sure to come.

Brazil is also tough because it has strength and size to match its skill. The US will be hard pressed to create openings and find opportunities. The MNT has to do what all good teams do when pressed: one-touch football, cross in and out of the wings, shoot from distance when a window opens, and press without losing defensive shape. Simple, no?

The CounterAttack expects the defence to maintain its qualtiy play. DeMerit, Boca, Gooch and Spector are a formidable back line. All play in Europe and know how to handle sophisticated attacks. Staying in a flat back formation, however, will gift too many opportunities to Brazil. The backs need to defend high, above the penalty area, but ready to sprint back if a Brazilian breaks through. Pushing a high line would also allow the midfield to play higher, which could disrupt the Brazilian flow.

Feeding the ball to Landon and Dempsey, the US has to force Brazil to come out to defend. For whatever reason, Bob Bradley has decided not to use JF Torres, an adept ball handler, but Bradley can hardly risk a new partnership in a championship match. So the midfielders need to hold onto the ball because giveaways will sink the squad.(Incidentally, one drools over a Jermaine Jones-Michael Bradley partnership that would present quite a formidable midfield.)

Based on tournament form, there are no concerns about Altidore and Davies. Could the US have created a prolific partnership? Davies is the Energizer bunny to Altidore’s more traditional striker play. Jozy showed against Spain that even close man-marking is not enough to stop the 19-year-old. There was enough power and swerve on the shot against Iker Casillas that getting a hand on the ball could not stop it. Against Brazil, Altidore will have to be more selfish, hone a predatory instinct that has resulted in seven goals in just 15 international matches.

Ironically a win would not mean much to the US preparation for next year’s World Cup. The press and TV claim this is the first FIFA championship game for the US but four Gold Cup medals beg to differ. Put it this way: Spain has never made it to a “FIFA championship match” either, by that definition. Win or lose, a strong performance will have a much longer effect than a simple win. Let’s not forget that in tournament play, results do not need to mean good performances.

So playing to potential again, followed by dominating performances in WCQ matches and warmup friendlies, will do more to improve the MNT standings among the world’s elite sides. It would help get some bandwaggoners to start watching US games. And maybe MLS will stop scheduling matches on days when the MNT plays.

Ah, who are we kidding? Pardon the unprofessional emotion but the CounterAttack wants a win. That would stick it to Jim Rome and Giuseppe Rossi.

What can we say? Soccer is all about passion....

Photo via Chris Brunskill/isiphotos.com, @ USSoccer.com

Making history and moving ahead

What a match. The US toppled Spain, FIFA's top-ranked side, 2-0. A side that just one week ago was being buried for poor play has instead made it to the championship game of the Confederations Cup. An improbable result, a thrilling one, but not a shock to some.

This match was all about US discipline and tactics. As the CounterAttack had hoped, the US consistently stepped into Spanish passing lanes, breaking up plays in the midfield and thwarting attacks in the American defensive third. The Spaniards owned the lion's share of the statistics. Spain had three times as many corner kicks, shots and shots on goal. But the Men's National Team owned the two most important statistics: six saves to Spain's zero, and of course, two goals to none.

Spain clearly had the better individual talent, no surprise. The MNT, however, played better as a team. Time and again, US defenders overlapped to protect a beaten teammate. The discipline in the back line was the key. What the US had to do was keep formation and not overcommit against any one player. As a result, there were few one-on-one opportunities where Spain's superior individual talent could break through.

The return of Carlos Bocanegra to the lineup was an immense help. His experience was critical in keeping the backs calm, a fact that became more important as Spain stretched the MNT defence throughout the second half. Moving DeMerit to left back was a vast improvement over Jonathan Bornstein, who looked overmatched in his previous outings. DeMerit's time at Watford has allowed him to grow into a capable, versatile fullback. Gooch Onyewu made his presence felt, particularly on corners. His size was a factor but his ability to read plays is rapidly making him one of the best backs in the world. Fenerbace is getting a fantastic defender, if they finalize his transfer there.

And although Spain had seemingly endless opportunities from corner kicks, those were never a problem for the stronger, taller American defenders. This was a feature the CounterAttack was hoping the US could use to its best advantage.

In attack, the US played it perfectly. Two shots on goal, two goals. MNT strikers tracked back to fill holes on defence, but were ready to spring counterattacks when they could. Charlie Davies had the first best chance of the match, his bicycle kick in the fourth minute beating Iker Casillas but just wide. Altidore had his seventh international goal, in 15 games. Enough said.

The biggest difference between the poorly-played games of the MNT - which, including World Cup qualifiers, was three of their past five - and the past two games was the improvement in the midfield. Spain were the more talented midfielders but the US stepped up the pressure, denying passing lanes. When Spain did break through, the American midfielders tracked back and held formation to create another defensive line.

It is therefore poetic that the killing 79th minute second goal was created off an intercepted pass from Dempsey, which fell to Michael Bradley, who fed Feilhaber, and the goal was put away by Dempsey. Throw in Donovan's tireless efforts and it is obvious that the MNT midfield has come of age. With the hoped-for arrival of highly-rated defensive midfielder Jermaine Jones, this is a midfield that can start to become a force.

What are the implications of this match, besides the championship game on Sunday? Well, it is only the second time the MNT has beaten a FIFA number-one ranked side. Unlike that 1998 scrambling defeat of Brazil, however, this match shows what the US can do when it plays to its abilities. Yesterday, the US had less shots on goals than Spain but created more higher-percentage opportunities - most of Spain's shots were from long distance, and few were one-on-one. The US has a sophisticated and for some reason highly underrated defence. That perception should change.

Most importantly, this tournament has demonstrated to the MNT - and its fans as well - that in tournament play, the results are the most important thing if the team doesn't play to form. You can play like crap but then you have to get the results you need. Play like crap, no results = slating in the media and disgust from the fans.

Does this win make the US more dangerous? Not really. The team did not play above itself but rather played to what they could do. Until the team becomes more consistent with finishing its strike opportunities, moving to the next level, where teams fear you, will not happen. This game did show, however, that it can play and does belong with the highest competitors. It is a big step in the maturation process. It was also the best tactics that Bob Bradley has put together in the face of superior talent.

Some of the players - Donovan, Dempsey, Howard (who had a fantastic night in goal), Bocanegra, Onyewu - are rounding into their peak playing years. Others like Bradley, Altidore and Davies are still in the early days of their careers. The next five years could be a lot of fun for both the US and its fans.

Photo via Soccernet.com

And now, the Spanish Armada

This afternoon, the CounterAttack and Fellow Football Junkie Friend were discussing the improbable: how the US can beat Spain in the Confederations Cup semifinal on Wednesday.

Almost all will say, that's impossible, and with good reason. This is the hottest team on the planet: European champions, winners of a record 15 consecutive international matches, unbeaten since November 2006, FIFA's top-ranked team, home to the attacking force that includes Fernando Torres, David Villa, Andrés Iniesta, Xabi Alonso, Cesc Fabregas....

No, we're not insane, on drugs or for some reason thinking that it's actually a basketball game (or this basketball game) coming up. It is definitely a long shot and admittedly several factors have to go right, but it is not impossible that the Men's National Team beat Spain. We are not the CounterAttack for nothing, after all.

First, it was exactly 12 months ago that the US fought Spain to a veritable standstill for 80 minutes. It took an excellent effort from Xavi to bring the MNT down, 1-0. In this match, the US played smart and disciplined, cutting off Spanish passing lanes and preventing the Spaniards from spreading out and overwhelming the US.

That's one of the keys for the US to beat Spain: squeeze the Spanish attack so that they cannot use their killing speed. It can be done but it would take the same discipline as in last year's game. This time, however, they must also concentrate the entire match.

Michael Bradley will have to be the link between defence and attack. He has to sit back a little, in front of the defenders, shoring up the back and cranking up the attack. His job will be the most critical of all. As important, Donovan and Dempsey will have to fill the slots ahead of Bradley, spinning out to the wing when necessary, crashing inside as needed. All three have demonstrated they can fill these roles, which is encouraging.

Up front, coach Bradley has to pair Jozy Altidore with Charlie Davies again because skilled attack will be vital. Davies' work rate can complement Altidore's goal-facing style. But Jozy has to step it up. He has wasted opportunities in this tournament. This could be the coming-out party for the 19-year-old, but he has to make it happen.

The CounterAttack would have wanted Mastroeni as the midfielder behind Bradley for this match, for his size. By rights, that spot should fall to Jose Torres, who would have the chance to play the game of his nascent international career. There is no margin for error, and Kljestan and Clark just make too many mistakes. Torres can play on the ball and he knows Spanish style football, playing in the Mexican league.

The backs simply have to play as they have but without overcommitting. Gooch Onyewu and Jay DeMerit have created a physical presence in the back. If they can play physically against the smaller Spanish forwards, it might be enough to throw Spain off track. Spector needs to know when to stay home and when he can cruise up in the wingback role.

Most of all, the US has to finish its passes and take their shots on goal. Score early, inside the first 15 minutes, and then keep attacking without getting careless. The squad will be harassed and harried by the Spanish midfielders. If Bradley and (hopefully) Torres can hold the ball and spray it around, it will keep the Spaniards on their heels. Then the US has to score. Altidore showed in the Beckham Game that he can take over a high-profile match. If ever there was a time for him to explode onto the international scene, to prove he deserves a starting role for club and country, this would be it.

The tactics have to be set according to what the US can do, not what they will try to stop Spain from doing. That has proven to be impossible over the past 35 matches. So the MNT mentality must be to play their own game, adjust as needed, and play to the limits of their talents. The physical gap is not enormous, it is the mental hardness that the US has not yet honed consistently. It could be done for this match.

To be honest, while the CounterAttack and FFJF can see a potential US win, it is not likely. It would be enough to suffer a loss in a match where the US goes toe to toe for 90 full minutes. Let the MNT slug it out with the European champions, to show that they do belong. That would be sufficient. But why not try for it all?

After all, mighty Spain had similar overwhelming odds going for them 421 years ago, against another wannabe power, and look how that turned out.

Fine Michael Bradley, now get it done

After leading the Men's National Team to a 3-0 win v Egypt, Michael Bradley rounded off on all MNT critics. His legitimacy was the squad's improbable advance to the Confederations Cup semifinal:

"All the fucking experts in America, everybody who thinks they know about soccer, they can all look at the score tonight and let's see what they have to say now. Nobody has any respect for what we do, for what goes on on the inside, so let them all talk now. You play Brazil and Italy. Breaks don't go your way. We play down a guy for 90 minutes out of 180 minutes against two of the best five teams in the world. It's not easy. We didn't for one second feel sorry for ourselves. We didn't give up. We kept running, We kept fighting. We did the same thing tonight. So what goes on in the team the last two or three days? Nothing different. Guys get ready for the game. Guys believe in one another. Guys are ready for 90 minutes to go out and run and fight and give everything they have for the next guy, put their heart and soul on the field."

Fair enough, Michael, fair enough. A historic win, a tough result v Italy, all true. But now, the CounterAttack's rebuttal:

You talk about heart, running, fighting, giving everything, putting heart and soul on the field?

Prove it.

Play lights out when you're up against a team like Spain, in a match no one thinks you deserve. Show them you do belong. Give the fence-sitters a reason to jump on the MNT bandwagon. Be flashy, athletic, clever, attractive... be American. Own your shirt, your status as an elite player going up against other elites. Be the ball.

You want to say "up yours" to all the critics? Good, me too. Give me a reason to not be disappointed. Because it wasn't about the scores, it was about the silly send offs, the casual goals surrendered, the botched passes, the missed crosses. But we want to believe, desperately and with all our hearts.

Because we're the ones that have to hear the mocking laughter from the other countries' supporters. We're the ones that have to rage against the SportsCenter machine when they list the scorers of the ITA-BRA match... but not of our own national team. We're the ones that have to see our countrymen wear the shirts of other national teams but are embarrassed to wear that of the US. We're the ones that are bothered because American players get valued less or are relegated to the bench, simply because they are American. We seethe, silently.

You see Michael, we're in this together but you're the one that can get it done. Specifically you, Michael, you lovely cocky bastard, you are the one who can make your teammates better because you are that good, the best of your generation, the best on the Men's National Team, one day the best-ever American player. All we can do is try to hold your feet to the fire.

So don't rest on last night's fantastic laurels. Get it done again on Wednesday. Whatever it takes, just get it done. And know that to the true fans, 'getting it done' doesn't mean winning. It just means giving us a chance to win.

It's all we ask and honestly, it's as much as we deserve.

Photo via ISIphotos.com

A great result and a saving performance

Wonderful result, absolutely wonderful on so many levels. The US indeed did win their match v Egypt, 3-0.

Brazil did the US a favor by beating Italy by the same score, so as improbable as the MNT's performance in its first two matches were, the US will advance to the Confederations Cup semifinals v Spain.

This is by dint of having scored four goals in the first round to Italy's three, and having given up one less goal than Egypt. Donovan's PK v Italy turned out to prove that in tournament play, all goals matter.

Considering the CounterAttack's last proclamation, the MNT stepped up when the opportunity presented itself. The US seized the moment, while Italy and Egypt folded, either of whom needed just one goal to advance. It was the most improbable win in US national team history for 59 years, since the 1-0 World Cup victory over England in 1950.

So is Bob Bradley's job safe? Yes but not because of the results. It mattered that the US won and that they scored three goals. More important, however, was the way in which they played. It was intelligent football, attacking when the opportunity opened, staying in formation when falling back to defend. It was mature football, the kind that gets results during international tournaments. Indeed... it did.

The give-and-go between Donovan and Bradley on the second goal was pretty, and the cross that resulted in Dempsey's goal eight minutes later was equally picturesque. It is this sort of upfront partnership that is needed if the MNT is to improve its stature on the international stage.

Playing with this sort of discipline is well within this squad's ability. The problem was that it hadn't been on display in the first two matches. It could be a matter of "playing the shirts", awestruck by Brazilian yellow and Italian blue. Or it could simply be that the US did not have anything to fear in Egypt, a side that the US rightly reckoned it could outplay. This manifested itself in more deliberate play. The MNT did not stumble even when losing the ball. Egypt held onto the ball for stretches at a time but the US never panicked. Disciplined, the defence held against Egyptian incursions.

Still, Egypt had stifled Italy just three days earlier, 1-0. It was a result the US might have been able to get had they been able to finish. Without question, the US should have offered more of a result to the Italians. So American presumption of winning against the Pharaohs was by no means a certainty. Still, the MNT appeared more confident, relaxed, if not swaggering.

This time, Bob Bradley made the right player selection, putting Davies up front with Altidore. It was energetic and physical, with skill on display. With Dempsey, Donovan (who really thrives in the wing support role) and Michael Bradley behind Charlie and Jozy, it was a pyramid that formed a wedge that could spread out when necessary. Coach Bradley also made the right substitutions, particularly with the 82nd minute insertion of Conor Casey. The bull-chested forward was able to hold the ball and keep the Egyptians from retaking possession immediately upon stepping onto the pitch.

Things got a little dicey at the last few minutes, but only because the ball is round and anything can happen when you need to keep a team from getting even a fluke goal. But this was the MNT's day and the ball bounced their way. The MNT has plenty of talent. Not as much as some, certainly not a Brazil or Spain, but definitely enough to consistently get through to the knockout rounds of the World Cup and Confed tournaments.

Hopefully, the US will recognize that tournament play is about intelligence as much as talent. This afternoon, both were clearly on display. Teams build their futures off improbable results such as this one, and the US got it right when it mattered.

And that's why Coach Bradley deserves to continue on.

A fighting chance or out he goes

The last match of the Confederation Cup's first round is later today.

Prediction: the US will score first, and will defeat Egypt.

Whether they have the talent and more importantly, the will and desire, to try to overcome the goal deficit to have a chance to move on is another story entirely.

But this US squad is more talented than previous MNT squads. They can play against the top international sides. What they cannot do, yet, is win games against those sides.

That failure comes down to several things, not least of which is coaching. If the US does not beat Egypt, the USSF should seriously consider removing Bob Bradley. The losses against Brazil and Italy are nothing to be ashamed of - that sort of thing happens. What is inexcusable though, is that the losses were primarily due to mental lapses. The CounterAttack will not claim the US should have won either match, but both should have been more of a match.

After the Brazil match, Clint Dempsey said that he and the other players were "not nervous" against Brazil, a direct contradiction to Bradley's earlier assessment. The thing is, they certainly played that way. So either the MNT and their coach are out of synch, or they feel the need to speak against him. If it's the latter, it's not open revolt, by a long shot. But either way, there is clearly something missing between the coach and the squad.

It would be late to remove the coach at this point, 12 months before the World Cup. It would be worse, however, to stay the course because the Federation wants to hide its head in the sand under the auspices of "stability".

USSF did that once before, with Steve Sampson in 1998. The results: the worst showing in the tournament.

Very interesting that one match can have a huge implication, but that's where the MNT has progressed.

Welcome to the Big Times, boys. Let's see what happens.