A tale of two halves (Recap: USA vs Brazil)

It would not be Greece vs Portugal today. Rather, the United States' run resembled the familiar underdog story exemplified in its homeland by teams such as the Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Rays: a breathtaking run that ultimately runs inches short of glory.

There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the US's 3-2 loss to the reigning Confederations Cup champions. The first and most important one is that the Americans can compete on the same field as the big dogs. Bob Bradley's side continued their stellar play from the semifinal into the first half of today's match. Strong positional defense limited the Selecao to mostly outside shots and goalkeeper Tim Howard proved strong when needed. On the offensive side, the quartet of Charlie Davies, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, and Landon Donovan were able to not only keep the Brazilian defense on their toes, but also make strong breakthroughs that resulted in two beautifully executed goals. Both Dempsey's deflection and Donovan's strike showed that technical ability is not at a shortage on the American side.

Unfortunately, the same American team did not show up for the second half. After Luis Fabiano's quick strike in the 46th minute, one could feel the beginning of a comeback. To their credit, Bradley's men provided a few counterattacks that, with a few better placed balls, could have easily restored the two-goal lead. After the 60th minute, however, there was only one team on the pitch. After the referees missed Kaka's tying goal, the Brazilians showed why they are a world class side. Chance after chance was created, and it seemed inevitable when Fabiano capitalized again in the 73rd. After this goal, Bradley finally brought in some fresh legs when he subbed in Sacha Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein for Altidore and Benny Feilhaber, moves that were perhaps 15 minutes too late. The Americans' lack of explosive talent from the bench, partly attributed to the questionable suspension of Michael Bradley, proved pivotal in the second half. Lucio's perfect header on questionable corner kick coverage by Howard sealed the game 7 minutes before full time.

Even with the disappointing ending, the US should be proud with its efforts in the tournament, and rightly so. One can hope that FIFA will look at their result against Spain and reward them with a top seed for the upcoming World Cup. The Yankee side was hurt badly by their placement into the last World Cup's "Group of Death" and would benefit greatly if they were immune to having a team such as Brazil or Argentina in their group. Even so, Americans must realize that the Confederations Cup means absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of things. The real test comes one year from now and this was a good first step to get the American public excited. I look forward to what the US can do in a real tournament and I hope we see more of the first-half play rather than the second.