Wow. The United States men's soccer team has advanced to the finals of the FIFA Confederation's Cup by beating Spain 2-0. Spain is currently the number one soccer team in the world, this is just amazing and may be one of soccer's biggest upsets of all time.
Going in to the game, Spain was riding high on several different streaks, the most impressive being their 35 match unbeaten streak. Yes, I said thirty five games without a loss. Their last loss was in November of 2006, two and a half years ago. They are 32-0-3 since then...Well now they are 32-1-3! Also, in twenty five of those games they had not allowed a goal to their opponent and they came into this match with a 451 minute streak of not allowing a goal.
The scoring started in the first half with a goal by Jozy Altidore in the 27th minute, a nineteen year old forward for the US. For the rest of the first half and much of the second half, Spain desperately tried to even the score, but US goalkeeper Tim Howard made some great saves and the US defenders held.
The US attack was successful in the second half with a goal by Clint Dempsey in the 74th minute. For the rest of the game, Spain made several attacks but came up with nothing.
The US will face the winner of tomorrow's match between Brazil and the host nation of South Africa on Sunday.
This was an incredible achievement by the US team and will no doubt be talked about for years to come. For all intents and purposes, they were dead in the water going in to their last group play game against Egypt, needing close to a miracle in order to advance to the semifinals. Hopefully they will make a strong showing in the final on Sunday as well.
I can't wait for the World Cup next summer. Go USA soccer!
Sorry if this has nothing to do with politics, but we're a community here, right?
Update [2009-6-24 17:32:0 by jtb583]: "Is this the Obama effect?" sirclown asks snarkaliciously in the comments...Well, he has endorsed the US bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup. So who knows?
Obama's comments below:
The USA Bid Committee’s efforts have earned the support of President Barack Obama, who has reached out to FIFA – the world's governing body of soccer – earlier this spring to endorse the efforts to bring the world’s largest sporting event back to the United States. In a letter to FIFA President Joseph "Sepp" Blatter and U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati, President Obama noted the role soccer played in his life as a youth, and its ability to unite people, communities and nations from every continent.
"Hosting another successful World Cup is important for the continued growth of the sport in the United States. And it is important to me personally," President Obama wrote in his letter. "As a child, I played soccer on a dirt road in Jakarta, and the game brought the children of my neighborhood together. As a father, I saw that same spirit of unity alive on the fields and sidelines of my own daughters’ soccer games in Chicago."
"Soccer is truly the world’s sport, and the World Cup promotes camaraderie and friendly competition across the globe," President Obama added. "That is why this bid is about much more than a game. It is about the United States of America inviting the world to gather all across our great country in celebration of our common hopes and dreams."
Link
Update [2009-6-24 19:52:9 by jtb583]: If you'd like to catch the replay of the game it will be on ESPN 2 tonight at 11:00PM Eastern and its available on ESPN 360.