Stars and Stripes Shocker

Well, that was amazing.

The United States men's soccer team beat incredibly long odds to advance to the semifinals of the FIFA Confederations Cup, being played in South Africa. Coming off a disheartening loss to Italy and a beatdown at the hands of Brazil, the Yanks needed a ton of help to advance out of group play and into the knockout stage of the tournament. I'll save you the confusion of explaining the situation and the tiebreaker rules, but know that the United States had to defeat its opponent today (Egypt) by 3 goals, and Italy had to lose to its opponent today (Brazil) by 3 goals. Considering Italy had given up 2 goals total in their previous two games and the United States had scored 1 goal in their previous two games, there wasn't much hope on our side.

But sometimes, a little hope is all you need.

Playing with a fervor and energy unseen all tournament long, the Americans attacked offensively more than they had in recent matches and beat Egypt 3-0 with goals being scored by Charlie Davies (21'), Michael Bradley (63'), and Clint Dempsey (71'). By handling their business, the United States team needed a miracle in the game being played simultaneously between Brazil and Italy. And a miracle they got, as Brazil scored 3 goals early and then held on at the end to shut out the Italians, 3-0. I sat there in disbelief as the seconds wound down on the US-Egypt game (it finished slightly after the Brazil-Italy game) as the team that appeared to be in a freefall only days earlier had now clinched a spot in the semifinals of a major international tournament. What a turnaround.

The Sams had been much-maligned for their recent struggles, including a one-sided loss to Costa Rica in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying and the losses in South Africa. However, they managed to put all of that aside, focus on the improbable task at hand, and deliver a memorable performance for all of Sam's Army. And for that, they should be commended. The semifinal matchup against Spain is another uphill battle, considering Spain is one of the best teams in the world, but the fact that we're in the game is an achievement all its own.

I know you're not supposed to "just be happy to be there" but that's the attitude I'm taking into Wednesday's game against Spain (2:25 ET on ESPN). Spain, fresh off their dazzling performance in Euro 2008, hasn't lost in international competition in quite a while. They have substitutes that would start on the United States team and top-level players that are beyond any talented players we have. If Spain were to play the United States ten times, they'd win nine at least. But maybe Wednesday will be that one game. Last summer, in an international friendly in Spain, the Spaniards beat the US 1-0 in a somewhat competitive game. The United States didn't provide much offense, but did a solid job defending the high-powered Spanish team. If they can defend that well again and steal a goal early, who knows what might happen.

With the way things shook out today, I'm not giving up on anything similarly miraculous happening in South Africa on Wednesday. Go get 'em, Sams.

~~ Lank