12Jun/0910:44 AM

US Men Head to ConFed Cup

By twsmith23

Landon Donovan Fresh off the latest round of World Cup Qualifying last week, in which the team went 1-1, The United States Men’s National Team (US MNT) opens play in the Confederations Cup Tournament in South Africa on Monday. Playing in a very difficult group with the likes of Italy, Brazil, and Egypt, the chances of advancing to the semi-finals are slim for the US. But that’s not really the focus for this team…

Just over a week ago the team travelled to a very hostile stadium in San Jose, Costa Rica for their first of two qualifying games in four days. The team was sluggish and uninspired, and got thoroughly thumped to the tune of 3-1. The Costa Ricans scored early on the US, in the 4th and 13th minutes, putting the Americans behind the eight-ball early in a stadium they have never won in. They never recovered, falling behind 3-0 in the 2nd half before a penalty kick by Landon Donovan in extra time gave the American’s their only goal.

Three days later the US MNT returned home to the States to take on a Honduras side that has been surging of late. Though the number of Honduran supporters out-numbered the American supporters in Chicago’s Soldier Field, the Americans felt more comfortable there than in Costa Rica, and it showed. Despite another early goal by the Hondurans in the 5th minute, The Americans looked much more composed and controlled play most of the game. A penalty goal from Donovan shortly before halftime tied the game, followed by the winner on a header by Carlos Bocanegra in the 68th minute.

The 1-1 record over the latest batch of qualifying games leaves the US in 2nd place halfway through World Cup Qualifying in CONCACAF, with the top three teams automatically qualifying. The US MNT now takes a break from Qualifying to participate in a couple of tournaments over the next two months.

Which brings up back to the ConFed Cup next week. The US opens on Monday 6/15 against an Italian squad that looks loaded and is the defending World Cup Champion. These two teams met in that World Cup in 2006, playing a memorable 1-1 tie. That game was the only game in the entire tournament the Italians did not win.

Next up for the Americans is Brazil on Thursday 6/18. While the Brazilians have unveiled a slightly different brand of soccer from their usual lately, it has been particularly successful as they storm through World Cup Qualifying in South America. Relying more on a defensive approach with focus on counter-attacking, instead of their trademark Juego Bonita (Beautiful Game) style of stringing together passes with flare and precision, has been met with criticism and doubt from the most of Brazil but seems to be effective.

Last up in the round robin style first round is Egypt on Sunday 6/21. While not considered a traditional soccer power, Egypt has played well of late and won the Africa Cup of Nations last year to be in this tournament.

As i said earlier, the Americans are not really expected to get out of the first round. Only the top two teams advance, which means the favorites are Brazil and Italy. The best chance for the Americans is to somehow scrape out a win against either Italy or Brazil, then go into the final game against Egypt and pick up another win.

While it would be nice for the Americans to pull this off, their main focus is not necessarily on winning on advancing. It’s all about the experience. This tournament will put the Americans against two of the top 5 teams in the world, in the country, cities, and stadiums that the World Cup will be played in next year. It is the exact type of atmosphere that will surround the World Cup, with far less pressure and expectations on the Americans. A kind of dress rehearsal for the real thing next year.

This fact is not lost on head coach Bob Bradley, or most of the players. Bradley called this tournament a ‘great opportunity’ for the team, mentioned that it was a goal to qualify for this tournament specifically for the experience it will give the team.

But just because they’re looking at it that way does not mean they are not there to compete and try to win games. The Americans brought their ‘A’ squad to South Africa, and look to make some noise as a ’spoiler’ to either Italy or Brazil. It will make for great games, all of which will be televised on ESPN. So i urge you all to watch, not just for the Americans but also to see some of the best players in the world on the field against the Americans. And to bone up for the main event, next year’s World Cup.