Champions Cup final: Brazil beats US 3-2
This game could have gone a lot better, but it also could have gone a lot worse. The US broke away to an early lead, and certainly looked like a world-class team for the first half of the game. Of course, the Brazilian coach Dunga must have put the fear of God into them at halftime because they certainly brought their top game from then on. I think that the US still played a great game, deflecting a lot of potential goals and just generally playing an excellent game, but the Brazilians just stepped up and showed why they're counted among the top teams in the world. It's not a disgrace to lose to a team as dominant as the Brazilians, especially when you make them fight all the way for the win and only end up losing by one point. The Brazilians were expected to humiliate the upstart Americans, and in the end they simply couldn't do that. There will be debate over the almost-goal that would have tied the game quite a while before it actually did get tied, and all I can say from the American perspective is "thank God for no replay in soccer." Of course, the controversy will be lessened by the fact that the Brazilians won anyway and it didn't really matter that they didn't get that particular goal. Still, any team would rather win by two goals rather than by one.
One can only hope that the US team learns from its mistakes and emerges as a stronger team for the World Cup a year from now. If they could make it this far now then at the very least it increases the likelihood of a strong showing or even a stunning level of victory in the more prestigious championship. At the very least it should increase the profile of soccer in America and hopefully lead to an increased fan base. I am definitely looking forward to the introduction of the Philadelphia Union next year, and it would be nice if they could sell out the stadium on a regular basis with people who are genuinely enthusiastic about the sport. It was nice living in DC where there was actually a strong base of support for United, and it would be nice to see that here in the Philly area even if the stadium is so unfathomably distant from the city from which it takes its name (of course, United may very well be a Maryland team pretty soon).
One can only hope that the US team learns from its mistakes and emerges as a stronger team for the World Cup a year from now. If they could make it this far now then at the very least it increases the likelihood of a strong showing or even a stunning level of victory in the more prestigious championship. At the very least it should increase the profile of soccer in America and hopefully lead to an increased fan base. I am definitely looking forward to the introduction of the Philadelphia Union next year, and it would be nice if they could sell out the stadium on a regular basis with people who are genuinely enthusiastic about the sport. It was nice living in DC where there was actually a strong base of support for United, and it would be nice to see that here in the Philly area even if the stadium is so unfathomably distant from the city from which it takes its name (of course, United may very well be a Maryland team pretty soon).