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Still time to improve with the World Cup in South Africa less than a year away

BY MIKE VORKUNOV

NEWJERSEYNEWROOM.COM

It was at the very least a valiant effort by the United States soccer team. For 82-plus minutes Sam's Army was able to keep up with arguably the best eleven in the world. For 73 of them they were, according to the only arbiter that matters — the scoreboard, the better team. But the miraculous run had to end sometime because a miracle is nothing more than a glorified anomaly.

Maybe that's what was being overlooked about the United State's second-place showing at the Confederation's Cup. Their advancement out of the group stage was by all means a spectacular confluence of events. Its subsequent victory over Spain was a great feat, that cannot be argued. Yet, this was also a Spanish side that struggled with South Africa in the third-place game, needing extra time to topple the host county.

Then they pulled off the almost-but-not quite moral victory against Brazil. Ultimately it was a heartbreaking 90 minutes for the Americans and their fans, but what exactly could be gained from it?

What's lost in the fervor of their success, is that the U.S.' accomplishment is overrated. The Confed Cup is not a major tournament, and is not treated as such. It is simply a test run for the host country of the World Cup, and the world's best teams know that.

That's why Brazil used its five-game run as a way to try out its younger unproven players. The Spanish looked lackadaisical at times. And Italy turned in a 3-0 stinker that never would have happed in the Euros or World Cup.

Still the U.S. could spin a few benefits out of its stay in South Africa.

Playing soccer sharks like Brazil, Spain, and Italy was definitely an upgrade over its usual CONCACAF lineup of minnows.

Positives could be gleaned in that perhaps Landon Donovan is finally ready to live up to his overinflated reputation on the world stage. Clint Dempsey is an above-average forward, something the U.S. has never had. Livingston's Jozy Altidore showed glimpses of becoming a powerful goal-scorer.

North Brunswick's Tim Howard solidified himself as a world-class goalkeeper. His performance against Spain and Brazil was top of the line. He is good enough to carry the United States deep into a major tournament.

But there was a reason he was so heavily tested. The back-line is still not up to snuff. Once Brazil turned it on after Donovan's goal, the defensive backs were no match for Kaka, Fabiano and the rest of the attack. The Americans also lost the battle of the midfield and possession. So for the second straight game, the U.S. was heavily outshot. This time 24-8.

Almost as important as its success on the field, was the waves of new fans the US Soccer gained. By the start of the Brazil game, the bandwagons were waiting-list only. But even its popularity seems dubious. Less than two hours after the loss, ESPN's front page had already given top-billing to NASCAR. Not exactly a vote of confidence.

Can this success last for the U.S.? Who knows. They followed up their 2002 World Cup quarterfinals appearance, the last time America was ready to take over the soccer world, with a stink-bomb in 2006.

348 days from now the U.S. will be in South Africa once again. This time to prove whether the last two weeks were an anomaly or an announcement of their arrival.