U.S. Soccer finally starting to come back around

The United States soccer team, currently ranked 14th in the world by FIFA, defeated the #1-ranked Spanish national team by a score of 2-0. Without question one of the biggest victories in U.S. soccer history. To put this in perspective, it still wasn't in a World Cup, but ESPN soccer analyst Alexi Lalas said it is definitely one of the top ten wins of all time.

Just to give you an idea of how these teams stack up, look at this comparison. The best soccer league in the world is the UEFA Champions League, which is comprised of the top teams from all over Europe, including teams such as Chelsea, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Barcelona (this year's champion), and the fabled Manchester United. This is where the best players in the world play, and one of the reasons why the United States is not a highly regarded soccer "hot bed." Of the players on the Spanish national team, 80% play in the UEFA league. How many play from the U.S. team? Just one. That's like the Australian basketball team taking out the U.S. basketball team (not the one the team that got bronze, the redeem team from this year.)

On the foot of Jozy Altidore, only 19-years-old, the U.S. scored in the 27th minute to strike first. Altidore single-handedly made a terrible ball, an excellent pass by shielding his defender around 180 degrees to get a one-on-one against Spanish goalie, Iker Casillas. After withstanding an onslaught of Spanish pressure that hasn't been seen since the Spanish Armada, Clint Dempsey buried a goal in the 74th minute of a lucky bounce that put the ball in front of an empty net. Even after losing Mike Bradley to a red card in the 86th minute, playing with only ten men for the rest of regulation, the U.S. held on for a 2-0 lead.

But the real story was the play in goal of Tim Howard and the defensive wall by Oguchi Onyewu. First, Howard got his first ever Confederations Cup victory, posting eight saves in the shutout as he leads all goalies in the Cup in saves made. He was confident, poised, and overall just able to weather any storm Spain threw at him. Next, Onyewu looked like a hockey defender blocking shot after shot, and cross after cross by the talented Spanish forwards and midfielders. It seemed like every time Spain would get a chance in the box that Onyewu came out of nowhere able to neutralize the Spanish attackers. Whether with his head, feet, or sometimes body, Onyewu was a cross between a one-man wrecking crew and one-man wall.

The U.S. played their style of soccer. Strong defensive scheme to keep the Spanish attack at bay, while taking advantage of the overaggressive Spaniards. Basicallly, the U.S. didn't get lucky. They didn't control the game by any means, but they knew going into it, they were not the best team. But with a solid game plan, and almost flawless execution, the United States pulled off one of the biggest upsets in their history.