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.