U.S. versus Brazil

Second-half stumble against Brazil haunts U.S.

June 28, 2009
By Luke Cyphers
JOHANNESBURG -- In a Confederations Cup tournament full of firsts for U.S. soccer, the Americans claimed everything but first place.

They finished second because of a second-rate second half.

The Americans cruised, yes, cruised, to a 2-0 lead over Brazil, the first time in their history they'd scored two goals in the first half against the world power. But they saw a chance for their first-ever international title slip away after intermission, when they were outgunned and outmanned ...

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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

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