Jogo Bonito 3 - Soccer 2

A valiant USA team comes up short in the Confederation Cup Final.

It was simply too much to ask, wasn’t it ? After having scored one of the biggest upsets in their history against Spain, and after holding a 2-0 lead at halftime against the world’s greatest soccer team, it was implausible that the U.S. could really beat Brazil (the same Brazil that had thumped the U.S 3-0 barely 10 days ago). In history and in sport, David only gets to slay Goliath once.

Even with the U.S. up at halftime, you sensed something in the air, that a comeback was imminent, that Brazil wouldn’t let this upstart soccer nation best it at a major FIFA tournament. It’s what makes the Cariocas so great, a team that believes it can win against anyone anytime, able to overturn any disadvantage, able to overcome any opponent with their “jogo bonito.”

Playing in their first FIFA final ever, the USA got off to a flying start.
Clint Dempsey’s innocent little cross/shot found the far post past Julio Cesar’s outstretched fingertips in the 11th minute. The early goal was the tonic that the Americans needed to put the Brazilians back on their heels. The problem was that this early goal lit a fire under the South American team. Except for some havoc in front of the Brazilian goal in the 14th minute where the ball was up for grabs for any American to pounce on, Tim Howard was force to make 3 brilliant saves off of shots of Robinho, Melo, and Maicon. On the two last shots, Howard had no recourse but to knock the ball down to the ground using two hand to remove the venom from the shots.

Surely one felt it was a matter of time before Brazil equalized and the game would simply be too hard for the USA to manage. In the 28th minute, the USA gave the Brazilians a taste of their own medicine. After stopping the Brazilian attack, Donovan advanced on a perfectly weighted pass to the middle of the field, where he spotted Charlie Davies on the left. After the pass, Donovan began a steaming run straight for the middle of the Brazilian 18-yard line. It was a 2-2 and Davies’ 30 yard pass was right on the money to the streaking Donovan, who received it, flicked it to his left completely turning his man around, and the coolly slotted a low shot to Julio Cesar’s left for a 2-0 advantage.



The speed of the breakaway goal was reminiscent of Robinho’s goal against the USA in the teams’ first meeting in group stage. This “blowback” goal was a brilliant moment for the Americans, one of the best and most riveting goals I’ve ever seen a USA squad score in international competition. The blood was boiling, the South African plastic Bubuzela horns were humming, the Yanks were up 2-0 on mighty Brazil. Suddenly the impossible was probable.

As in hockey, a hot goalie can carry a team, especially one who is clearly not as talented as their rival. From that second goal until the end of the half, Howard prove to be Brazil’s foil, playing the part of the goalie who will not be beat to perfection. In the 35th minute, he once again stopped a shot from Santos. In the 38th, after the play was whistled for offside, Howard continued to pay and stopped yet another shot. Tim Howard was locked in, pure and simple. There weren’t going to be any goals, not even a freebie.

Brazil brought on the heat, desperately trying to get that symbolic and psychologically uplifting goal before halftime. But Howard and the American defense swarmed to every goal, blocked plenty of shots. Their constant pressure on the Brazlians when it counted was the key to their success. In the dying moments, a Maicon cross was barely deflected by Dempsey and thus eluded two onrushing Brazilian attackers. The halftime whistle blew, the goal had not been conceded, and things looked very promising.

Part of the American’s success was their ability to counter attack and keep the Brazilian defense off balance. Brazil had plenty of the ball, but due to Howard’s brilliance and a stout defense, they had nothing to show for their effort.

If Brazil couldn’t score that last gasp goal in the first half, they came and did the next best thing: score right away in the second. Fabiano’s wonderful trap and turn in the 46th minute finally conquered the indomitable Howard, and all of a sudden, the Brazilians had a lifeline. I knew right away this game was going to be extremely difficult for the U.S. to manage. If they could only have held on for 10-15 minutes, anything would have been possible, but to concede a second goal right away spelled trouble.

In the next 15 minutes, the U.S. held their composure, didn’t collapse, and actually continued to play Brazil even. Donovan had a beautiful back heel to a streaking Feilhaber, who tried to walk the ball into the net rather than crossing it; the Americans were ebullient with confidence and started to try to do the Brazilian thing.

In the 60th minute, a header by Kaka on the far post off of a corner kick appeared to be well inside the goal (at least Howard was well inside as he cleared it out). There was no official ruling so without instant replay, the game goes on. A huge break for the Americans. In the 65th minute, Dempsey played the ball nicely off a pass, worked it into the middle and fired a left-footed shot that Julio Cesar had to struggle to tip of the bar. In the 71th minute, Howard once again was HUGE, coming off his line to stop Fabiano’s breakaway cold. In the 72th minute, Davies, all alone on top, tried his best Ronaldo’s impersonation attempting to dribble 3 Brazilian defenders and was just barely poked away by Luisao.

The turnaround came in minute 74, when Kaka finally was able to shake off a tired looking Spector to cross a lethal ball into the goal mouth. Fabiano pounced on the loose ball and headed past a diving Howard for the tying goal.

In the next 10 minutes, Brazil relentlessly pursued the game and dominated possession. In the 85th minute, they were finally rewarded off of a set piece when Lucio’s header off of a corner was simply too well placed even for the stellar Howard to deny. The Brazilians celebrated mightly. The U.S. would have one more chance off of a corner but Oneywu’s point-blank header went high.

The Americans played valiantly and almost pulled off their greatest victory every. They were a composed team, even if the face of the Brazillian artillery attack. What’s most impressive is their psychological turnaround in a tournament that saw them start off horribly and end up almost pulling off a second stunning result in as many games.

In the end, Brazil was simply too good, talented, and powerful. Great teams find ways to score in multiple ways, whether it’s off of individual or collective brilliance, or from set pieces, or from just sheer hard work. The predominant myth about Brazil is that they’re simply built on the talent of their individual players, and that somehow the individuals are greater than the sum of their parts. This could be no further from the truth. The Brazilians are undoubtedly technically extremely gifted individual players, but they also are a well oiled machine who pour in as much sweat equity into their game as any other team in the world. They work hard, they do the simple things, and of course, they also perform magic when required. But it is their extraordinary effort, fueled by their sheer love of the game, that is the true source of their magic, the essence of the “jogo bonito.”