United States Stuns Spain in Confederations Cup Semis
BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa – The United States pulled off the upset of the Confederations Cup, defeating Spain 2-0 Wednesday to advance to the tournament final and end the Spaniards’ long undefeated streak.
Spain’s first defeat under head coach Vicente Del Bosque came when it was least expected, against an opponent that seemed overmatched and figured to be just a minor speed bump in the defending Eurocup champions’ path to the final.
But the Americans refused to cooperate, devising a strategy based on a suffocating defense and an opportunistic counterattack.
The first goal came in the 27th minute when 19-year-old Jozy Altidore used his big frame to keep defender Joan Capdevila – his teammate at Spanish club Villarreal – at bay and send a shot past Spanish goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
That was a critical strike because it allowed the Americans to lock down in defensive mode even more and give Spain little or no room to operate near their own goal.
Even so, the talented Spanish side still tested U.S. goalie Tim Howard, who kept the ball out of the back of the net with some impressive saves.
For the match, Spain outshot the U.S. team 29-9.
The second goal of the match came in the 74th minute when Clint Dempsey gathered a ball that had bounced off two Spanish players and fired a shot from close range that gave Casillas no chance.
“It’s exciting, a great team effort. To beat an amazing team like Spain and make the final. It’s big,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “We played as hard as we could and that’s what it took. Every guy contributed, so it’s a very good feeling.”
“They had huge energy, were very quick in attack and caught us by surprise,” Del Bosque told reporters after the match.
The Americans only found themselves in the semifinals after a shocking pair of games at the end of the round-robin phase. Their 3-0 win against Egypt combined with Italy’s 3-0 loss to Brazil allowed the U.S. squad to advance based on more goals scored.
Spain’s loss was its first in 35 consecutive matches, a record it shares with Brazil. The defeat also ended the Spaniards’ record string of 15 straight victories in international competition, set in Saturday’s 2-0 win against South Africa.
La Roja had won every game dating back to June 22, 2008, the day it beat Italy on penalty kicks to advance to the Eurocup semifinals.
The United States will face either Brazil or host nation South Africa in Sunday’s final.
Brazil is the defending champion of the Confederations Cup, which is held every four years and is hosted by the same country that will also be the venue for the following year’s World Cup.
The United States lost to Brazil 3-0 in the round-robin phase of the tournament. EFE
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