DOMINGO! 2:30pm Eastern USA Time, EUA vs. Brasil - FIFA Confederaciones FINAL - LIVE, Johannesburg, South Africa

UPDATE. 1st half: USA 2, Brazil 0. 2nd Half: Brazil 3, USA 0. Final: Brazil 3, USA 2. The USA were shown why Brazil is #1 in the second half, totally taking control of the game. Brazil is the new #1 after Spain lost to us in the semifinal. We went to the tournament and were originally nearly shown the door when we discovered we should try to compete. The team, as the tournament progressed, improved dramatically after pulling themselves together, playing their best game ever in today's final against Brazil. Brazil BEAT us, we didn't give the game away. That is significant. It was Team USA's first ever FIFA tournament final, and it earned them silver medals. The world will gather again in Johannesburg, South Africa, next summer, for the big one: the World Cup. The road there is not certain. To get in, we will need to qualify. I think the US team is expected to at least qualify to get in this time, after their showing in the Confederations Cup. And that is different. Quite frankly, Team USA is by default never expected to qualify for the World Cup, but that has changed.


BE THERE! 11:30 am Pacific Time! Live from Johannesburg! MUST SEE TV! ESPN or ESPN2, depending on how much buzz about this gets out. Less buzz = kicked off to ESPN2. Much buzz=ESPN, the premier sports network of basic cable. TONS of buzz= upgrade to ABC Sports on network TV. Well, that's not expected to happen. Anyway, why am I so excited?

The TEAM USA Men's Soccer team is the best I've ever seen play this week when they beat #1 Spain to in the FIFA Confederations Cup semifinal to advance to the final. No, I've never heard of the Confederations Cup either until now. But the Main Event, the World Cup, takes place next year in host country South Africa. I had no idea there was a pre-World Cup. Anyway... Not that long ago Team USA had fallen from respectable also-ran to worst joke of all time, playing nauseating soccer both boring to watch but just plain bad. Now they are not only back, they have been kicking ass all over South Africa.

The Soccer universe came to at least respect Team USA in the World Cups held here in the USA and then the one in South Korea. Losing to the USA is no longer considered a national shame to other traditional soccer-playing countries. The last one, held in Germany, the USA sucked again. It was sad. And it got worse as our team continued to suck badly all over the world since Germany the last 3 years. If what I've seen so far in the Considerations Cup real, Team USA is for the first time a team to watch out for.
If you wanted to see really bad soccer, you just had to watch Team USA play just 1 year ago.
But something has happened. The Team started playing decent, high energy soccer.
But Team USA has never, ever beaten BRAZIL. We've played them when they were good and when they, by their standards, sucked. They've always won. We are, like, 0-16 against Brazil! Well, guess who we have to play for the Championship on Sunday?
BRRRRAAAAAZZZZIIIIIIILLLLLL!
Will we beat them this timne or will it be GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLL do BRRRRRRRAZZZZIIIIIILLLLLL!!!!! Again. Here's some previous footage of USA vs. Brazil.

Oh, God, we sucked. See Beasley lose the ball after receiving a horribly bad choice for a corner kick???? See how we are half-heartedly always chasing the ball around as Brazil takes it to our goal? Which Team USA will show up on Sunday? The one in the embedded video or the good one that showed up Thursday in the semifinal vs. España? For one time in my LIFE, I want to see Team USA really TAKE IT to Brazil!! I'll be cheering Team USA Sunday. Hope you'll be too.