Confederations Cup emails ...

Confederations Cup emails I sent to my soccer friends after the various games. The USA came out and played a solid first half with Italy, but stunk up the 2nd half and the entire Brasil game. When the USA plays with a chip, it is formidable ... when it doesn't, it is not. The USA then overcame a statistically improbable deficit to advance on weird tiebreakers and took on the best team in the world and one. For the first time ever, the USA will play in the final of a major international soccer tourney that is not simply regional and played in the USA.

After the games with Italy and Brasil I wrote:

Teams are their results.

The USMNT right now is a team that gives up early goals and appears unready to play at the start of games ... so teams come right at them.

The USMNT right now is a team that loses its composure and racks up cards ... so teams come right at them.

The USMNT right now is a team that cannot be confident ... so teams come right at them.

The US right now is a team that has players that need to go, but doesn't exactly have players pushing those players out of the way.

The USMNT right now has the choice between keeping the course that is now currently working and hoping that things sort themselves out or doing some things it does not normally do. Continuity is important, but sometimes things need to be shaken really, really hard. The USMNT does not tend to go for the shaking things up approach. It might be time. I am rarely an advocate of shaking for shaking's sake ... I am turning the corner on that right now.

There are some good players in the USMNT pool. But right now, they are not a good team. They are their results.

And a little while later, this e-mail:

I believe Howard is a good keeper. He has shown it. He is good enough to start for a top team in the EPL and lead them to UEFA Cup play and the FA Cup Final. But club success and international success are different things.

There are a lot of good young players ... the big Q is can they be good international players ... right now the players that were expected to step up have virtually all stalled out ... Howard is good, but he is giving up too many early goals and some of that has to fall on him too ... he is getting beaten early and from long range and teams now are exploiting that ...

The US has some good players and is capable of fielding a good team that can move the ball. At home. Against Mexico. Think back to February and that line up and how well it played and it is hard to believe that 4 months later the same core group with the same coach looks so awful. This is now multiple games in a row with healthy players that are match fit. They have the talent to play better than this. I hold out hope it is a rut.

After Egypt I wrote:

Teams are their results ... and when the USA plays from whistle to whistle and attacks they can play with teams, lead and win ...

unfortunately, they tend to do this less than all the time ...

they did this against Portugal in 02 ...

they did this against England in the 92 US Cup ...

they did this against Italy in 06 ...

they did this against Brasil in the 98 Gold Cup ...

these are easy and noteworthy to remember ...

because ...

unfortunately, they tend to do this mostly against Mexico, at home ...

With their backs to the wall they pulled off a statistically improbable result ... the second similar such result in World Soccer this week (See Toronto FC in the Canadian Championship beating Motreal 6-1 when they needed to make up a -4 GD in order to qualify for Concacaf Champions League play) ... So, when the weird scenarios come up and a team is not truly eliminated, they really aren't ...

It must be brutal for Italy to know that the Own Goal is the statistical margin ...

After Spain I sent this one:

The USMNT is playing the the final of a major international tournament on foreign soil by the virtue of beating the #1 team in the World and reigning Euro champion that had not lost in a long #^(%ing time ...

... and we are there because we stood toe to toe with them and finished better.

Howard had an amazing game after giving up a number of soft goals in recent internationals.

Bob did not mess with the D in subbing out players, he subbed in a possession midfielder when he pulled Davies.

Landon played well.

Dempsey had a moment.

Jozy showed strength.

The Back line weathered a storm brought on by a full strength Spanish team. One of the most dangerous teams of recent years that is absolutely loaded with talent.

Bradley's red was harsh, but even if it was a yellow that would have been two in the tourney and he misses the Brasil rematch anyways ...

The USMNT is in the final ... other than in Gold Cups that HAS NEVER HAPPENED BEFORE TODAY.