USMNT ANALYSIS

A chance for the U.S. to measure up against top-class opposition

June 12, 2009
By Jeff Carlisle, ESPNsoccernet
Practically from the moment Bob Bradley took over as head coach of the U.S. men's national team, it was evident what players would comprise the core of his squad. The defense would be anchored by goalkeeper Tim Howard, as well as defenders Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu. The attack would depend largely on Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey, while Michael Bradley would be one of the linchpins in the center of midfield.

Yet filling in the remaining pieces has proved more difficult than ...

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2009 Confederations Cup

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The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup will be the eighth edition of the event, and will be held in South Africa from June 14-28. All games will be aired live on the ESPN network.

Previews

• Mosse: Spain the tournament favorite
• Carlisle: A chance for the U.S. to measure up
• Carter: Team-by-team capsules

Features

• Seigel: Expats in Johannesburg rally around U.S.
• Altidore: Mood upbeat ahead of Italy game
• Cyphers: Dry run for 2010 World Cup
• Alvarez: Has Spain found its formula?
• Dasey: New Zealand's African adventure
• Peters: South Africa provides a welcome

Tournament Index

• Standings | TV schedule

Group Stage

June 15, U.S. vs. Italy

• Preview | Recap | Play-by-play | Highlights
• Carlisle: Short-handed U.S. runs out of steam
• Latham: Clark's dubious ejection alters balance
• Cyphers: Rossi shows U.S. fans his class

June 18, U.S. vs. Brazil

• Preview | Recap | Play-by-play | Highlights
• Carlisle: U.S. taught a painful lesson
• Latham: U.S. tries to draw positives
• Cyphers: Plethora of mistakes

June 21, U.S. vs. Egypt

• Preview | Recap | Play-by-play | Highlights
• Galarcep: U.S. shows passion to rout Egypt
• Latham: Davies provides a huge boost
• Cyphers: U.S. team fires back at critics

Confederations Cup semifinal

June 24, U.S. vs. Spain

• Preview | Recap | Play-by-play | Highlights

• Davis: U.S. win sends shockwaves across Europe
• Latham: Altidore gets the last laugh on Spain
• Cyphers: Bocanegra leads defensive effort

Confederations Cup final

June 28, U.S. vs. Brazil

• Preview | Recap | Play-by-play | Highlights

• Carlisle: Selecao rally to break U.S. hearts
• Cyphers: Second-half stumble haunts U.S.
• Latham: Donovan proves his talent

Post-tourney reaction

• Mosse: Confederations Cup ends with a bang
• Carlisle: U.S. team takes away positives
• Chang: Reviewing the U.S. team's performance
• Davis: U.S. team finds its identity

Also See

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