Barf. That game didn't just make me want to throw up, I actually threw up. The US came into this game against powerhouse Brazil needing a result... either a tie or if luck would have it, a win. Within the first 20 minutes, the USMNT was down 2-0 and looked like they didn't really even want to be on the field. They couldn't string a series of 3 or more passes together to save their lives. Bob Bradley opted to start DaMarcus Beasley on the left wing, where he turned in his worst performance ever for the national team. Beasley was a train wreck. His touch was poor, his speed was reduced from what it was last year, he couldn't complete passes, and his defensive decisions were appalling. For a guy who is not currently in form and is receiving no playing time at the club level, it was an absolute headscratcher for Bob Bradley to start him against Brazil. Things got better when Bob subbed out Beasley for Conor Casey in the second half, but then an old friend showed up for an uninvited visit.
Another red card. Sacha Klejstan picked up a straight red card for a hard challenge early in the second half. It was another BS red card from a Confederations Cup officiating crew, and my mind is really starting to think about conspiracy theories here. Do people just hate USA that much? Klejstan definitely fouled the Brazilian, Ramires, and it was probably even a yellow card because of the voracity of the challenge, but Klejstan came sliding in from the front of the opposing player (spikes down) and really just missed the ball by a split second. To show him a straight red card is a joke, and I wouldn't have blamed Klejstan if he thought that was the case and headed back out to his position to play some more. "Ha Ha! Funny joke sir! I've never seen anyone get tossed from a game for a tackle like that, so I'm just going to head over here to mark this Brazilian dude." What a shameful display from that referee.
At that point, Bradley made a smart move to get a player in with some skill on the ball and brought in Benny Feilhaber. From that point on, the US looked much more dangerous than they had at any point prior to the substitution. It's a shame that it took another bogus red card to get the team fired up. A nice display of one touch passing between Landon Donovan and Jonathan Spector led to a nice leave for Feilhaber, who hit a shot against the bottom half of the crossbar that wouldn't go in. The US hit the crossbar again a few minutes later on a free kick from Donovan to Conor Casey. In the end though, the final score was 3-0 Brazil, and it easily could have been worse than that.
The personnel decisions by Bob Bradley were a total mystery to me. My brilliant powers of deduction fail to see why either Beasley or Klejstan would earn the start over in-form and offensively talented players like Jose Francisco Torres and Benny Feilhaber. With a meaningless game against Egypt still left on our slate, I'd love to see Bob Bradley give Torres and Freddy Adu a chance to show what they can do against an excellent national team in Egypt. It should also be noted that Jay DeMerit is no Carlos Bocanegra and the fact that the US did not have Boca for its games against Italy and Brazil cannot be disregarded. Boca is the captain of our US team and our most stable defender, and his presence was sorely missed.
Honestly though, the good that I can take away from these two games is that I think we have a new right back in Jonathan Spector, who has made good runs and has defended solidly (on just about every play except letting his man beat him to the goal on a free kick for Brazil's first tally). Spector's size, crossing ability, and speed make him an optimal upgrade over guys like Steve Cherundolo and Frankie Hejduk. I also think the US has a decent (not great, just okay) option at left back in Jonathan Bornstein. He's fast and has good ability, but I'd just like to see him make fewer mental errors.
As for the World Cup in 2010... I think we'd need to get into a poor group in order to have any luck in getting out of the first round. That's the biggest thing I have learned from these past two games.
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