USA shows it can compete

Sports

June 29, 2009

Anonymous Picayune Item Mon Jun 29, 2009, 06:28 PM CDT

ANDREW DAMPF

AP Sports Writer

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — The United States should remember the 2009 Confederations Cup as the first time it truly showed it was capable of competing with football's elite teams.

After stunning European champion Spain 2-0 in the semifinals, the Americans' were in a position to do the same to five-time World Cup champion Brazil in the final, only to throw away a two-goal lead to lose 3-2.

"We've shown we can play with these teams. Sometimes that shows for a lot, like in the semifinals, and sometimes that counts for little, like tonight," goalkeeper Tim Howard said after the loss to Brazil on Sunday in the first FIFA final at any level for the American men.

"We can compete, we fight, we can score goals, we defend really well. We just need to start getting the small, little things right. If you look at Brazil, Italy, Spain, they got 11 guys who do a lot of the little things right for 90 minutes, and that creates a heck of a problem. We need to get better at that."

Fortunately for the Americans, time is on their side. The U.S. was the youngest team at this tournament, with an average age of just under 25.

The United States is second in its World Cup qualifying group, with the top three teams qualifying directly for next year's tournament back here in South Africa. It would be the sixth consecutive time the Americans have qualified for the World Cup finals — highlighted by their quarterfinal appearance in 2002.

"I hope we do well for the next five or 10 years. We have a young team," said Howard, at 30 one of the squad's veterans.

The team's growth was evident even within this tournament. After opening with losses to World Cup holder Italy and Brazil — both times ending with 10 men — the U.S. squeaked through to the semifinals with a 3-0 win over Egypt in its final group game.

The semifinal win over top-ranked Spain will go down as one of the Americans' greatest victories. Jozy Altidore, a 19-year-old forward with enormous potential, used his immense physical strength to score the opening goal and Clint Dempsey sealed the victory.

Combined with the emerging Charlie Davies and the talented Landon Donovan — at 27 still with many solid years ahead of him — the Americans showed a poise in attack that it has lacked for years.

The absence in the final of midfielder Michael Bradley, the coach's son who picked up a red card in the final minutes against Spain, was felt heavily in the second half against Brazil.

Perhaps the strongest area for the Americans was in defense. When captain Carlos Bocanegra missed the entire group stage with a minor injury, Jay DeMerit filled in alongside the team's top stopper Oguchi Onyewu, and Bocanegra showed his versatility by moving to left back for the final two games.

"We opened a lot of eyes, and the fact that we just came to the finals, I think we gained a lot of respect in the world with our performance," Onyewu said.

Howard outplayed Spain counterpart Iker Casillas for 90 minutes and Brazil's Julio Cesar for a half in the final, earning him the tournament's best goalkeeper award.

"It's been a great experience for our team. In the same tournament, to play the teams that we played and move on to the final," coach Bob Bradley said. "I think people around the world see that we have a good team, we have good players. Hopefully we can continue to step forward."

While most of the squad will be different, the U.S. can continue its march when it aims for a third consecutive Gold Cup title beginning July 4 against Grenada in Seattle.

Text Only

Sports

Tide teams advance
Both Picayune basketball teams will be playing for Region 8-5A championships Friday night. The Lady Tide returned to the Class 5A South State playoffs for the first time in two years, thanks to a 47-40 win over West Harrison.

February 8, 2012 1 Photo
Season ends for PRC teams
The season came to an end for both Pearl River Central teams in the opening round of the Region 8-4A Tournament Tuesday night. The Blue Devils fought hard against top-seeded West Harrison, before coming up short in a 47-43 loss to the Hurricanes.

February 8, 2012
League tourneys set
With regular season play wrapping up over the weekend, local prep basketball teams now look forward to their respective district tournaments which begin this week.
All area teams will begin postseason play on Tuesday night, with two local teams hosting tournaments.

February 4, 2012
Super Bowl today
MVP quarterbacks on marquee franchises. A rematch of a nail-biter from four years ago, featuring many of the same key characters. Madonna and plenty of Manning — Eli, and Peyton, too.
This Super Bowl certainly has all the makings of another thriller, the perfect finish to a season that began in turmoil and wound up the most successful in league history.

February 4, 2012
Picayune sweeps Pearl River Central
Shemar Williams hit four of six free throws in the final minute and his Picayune teammates completed the task at hand as the Maroon Tide turned back Pearl River Central 70-62 on Friday night.

January 28, 2012
Green County beats Lady Hornets
A small sign in green and gold hung on the fence at the Poplarville High Stadium, reading, “We believe! Go Hornets!.”
And certainly, while a little belief can go a long way, it simply wasn’t enough for the Lady Hornets in Saturday afternoon’s semifinals of the Class 4A South State girls soccer playoffs.

January 28, 2012
Blue Devils face forfeitures
Pearl River Central’s Boys basketball team is in the midst of one of its best seasons on the hardwood in a decade. The Blue Devils, however, face the possibility of having to forfeit many, if not all of their 15 wins.

January 24, 2012
Local teams split hoops games
The struggles continued for both Poplarville High teams Friday night.
Homestanding Ocean Springs swept a pair of games from Poplarville, as the Hornets fell 83-35 and the Lady Hornets dropped a 48-36 decision.

January 21, 2012 1 Photo
River splits
Pearl River Community College splits with Hinds in women’s and men’s MACJC South Division basketball action here Thursday with the Lady Wildcats pulling off a 66-53 victory, while the Wildcats fell 62-59.

January 21, 2012
Moultrie’s big numbers lead MSU
When Arnett Moultrie and his Mississippi State teammates watch basketball highlights on television, the conversation often evolves into a discussion about the lack of respect the 18th-ranked Bulldogs feel they get on the national level.

January 19, 2012
More Sports Headlines

Sports

Search Results

USA shows it can compete

Site Map

Contact Us