After the nastiness of the last few days, I've been on the lookout for a palate cleanser. I suppose the MLS Re-Entry Draft player list could have done the trick, but that felt a bit too dry. Around here, we either do lots of words or image overkill. It's time for a bit of the latter.


Arena Amazonia is one of Brazil's planned stadiums for the 2014 World Cup; built on the site of the recently demolished Estadio Vivaldão Lima in Manaus, it will hold 46,000. Construction costs are budgeted at R$ 499.5 million, roughly 300 million USD.

Grant at Some Canadian Guys brought up one of my pet issues today: the continued inability of the US National Team to draw a crowd that gives the feel of a true "home" environment. The Brazil game is the impetus of course, with the conclusion drawn that USMNT fans were outnumbered by Brazil fans at the New Meadowlands on Tuesday night.


I wasn't there, so I can't say for sure, but it looked/sounded to me via ESPN like there were plenty of US-backers in the stadium; whether the breakout was 50/50, 60/40, or something worse/better, I'm not sure it really matters. The fact that Americans were able to make a ruckus and be heard at a game in the US involving one of the world's most popular teams is a clear step in a positive direction.


Because, let's face it: even without the front-running that is a natural part of the deal with soccer in America, immigrants, children of immigrants, and even those further down the line are more likely to spend their entertainment dollars on an international friendly than Americans just coming to the sport or who did so without the framework of familial tradition. In other words, USMNT fans are not as culturally inclined to value a game like Tuesday's as highly as Brazilians.


The same goes for fans of the Mexican National Team living in the US; when the USMNT plays Mexico at an easily-accessible venue, an overwhelming majority of the crowd is going to be of Mexican descent. I don't see this as a failing on the part of US fans as much as it is a credit to the commitment of El Tri's; without an unbroken tradition of support passed down from parent to child, which there can hardly be considering the American history prior to 1990, US supporters just can't compete with Mexico for numbers.


So while USA-Brazil on American soil wasn't the home game we all wanted it to be, it does show the support is growing. Part of the draw was Brazil; if the Americans had been playing a lesser team in New Jersey midweek, I'm sure the number would have been reduced dramatically. But this is a baby step process, not something that will change overnight. For all of the talk about the modern attention span, Americans are still slow to change their habits. We should recognize a 50/50 crowd on a Tuesday night in a 75k+ capacity stadium for what it is: improvement.


And I'll take issue with Grant over his headline: "U.S.A. still waiting for that true home game." Does Columbus not count? Sure, it's a third the size of the New Meadowlands, and it takes some controls on the part of US Soccer to ensure a partisan crowd for the US, but it still represents a true home game. Call it "cheating" if you want, but I see no problem with manipulating the system, within the rules mind you, to gain a home field advantage in World Cup qualifying when it's clear that the stadium would be 90% Mexico fans without doing so.


I want a change to happen overnight, I really do. I don't want to know that every time the US plays Mexico, Brazil, Honduras, Argentina, etc. on American soil our boys will be booed by a large portion of the crowd while the visitors are feted as conquering heroes. But wanting it to change does not justify righteous anger or forgive pointless whining. It is what it is, and small steps are better than no steps.


Grant wonders how a nation of immigrants that turns so many newcomers into proud patriots can find it so hard to fill up a stadium with a majority supporting its own national team. There's a point of logic there, but Grant is looking at it from the wrong angle; while many of those immigrants are happy to be here and proud to call themselves American, they're also supremely proud of their roots. Soccer is a bridge to those roots, a way to celebrate their the culture they left behind when they left home for a new start. This reality is why it's hardly common for the next generation to switch allegiances to the USMNT, despite spending all or most of their lives here.


The Brazilian population of the US is much smaller than the Mexican one; but with passion just as fervent and the match set in the country's most populous metropolitan area, a large Brazilian contingent was a foregone conclusion.


Augmented by Americans who just like Brazil, of course.


Nevertheless, I'm going to throw on my rose-colored glasses and view Tuesday's night's crowd as a small improvement. Besides, only time will turn the tide; we've only been respectable for the last 25 years. It takes much longer than that to grow the roots that lead to sold out stadiums of passionate supporters in a country filled with people cheering for the other team.


Apologies, since much of this is covered ground. I just couldn't help myself.

Am I obligated to write about last night's depressing US performance? I'd really rather not, all things considered, and since no one is paying me to do so, I'm tempted to just forget about it and move on to something else. Aren't there MLS games tonight?


But everyone else is talking about it, so I suppose I should share a few thoughts. I'm not going to break down every performance; the level of disinterest on the part of the Americans was obvious, and I'm finding it difficult to draw any real conclusions from the match.


I was happy to see Omar Gonzalez get a shot to start, and the same for Alejandro Bedoya. Last night should have been a move towards the future rather than a rehash of usual, but I'll take a few new ingredients for the time being. The overriding problem is that we simply don't know who will be leading this team towards next year's Gold Cup and beyond; last night's showing only reinforced the belief of some that US Soccer needs to move on from Bob Bradley. I hardly think his job should hang on that game, but it's difficult to drum up the energy to argue the point.


It's the uncertainty that's killing me here. This isn't 2006, when Bruce Arena's time was clearly over and the search was on for a replacement the minute the team returned from Germany; I wonder if US Soccer is conducting the process as behind-the-scenes as possible because of how the Klinsmann drama ended in '06, but even that doesn't forgive letting Bradley twist in the wind while games are played. As much as I want to discount last night's result, every time the team comes together is a chance to take a step forward. Major leaps won't happen every time, but there should at least be an attempt at doing so; if Bradley doesn't know his status, it's hard to see how he could put his full effort into setting his team out when he's not sure if his plan will be in effect come 2011.


Brazil, young squad or not, was the wrong opponent for the first friendly post-World Cup. Sure, their presence almost guaranteed big ticket sales, but facing off against a world power at home put pressure on everyone to call up the strongest side possible in an effort to win. But it couldn't be a full-strength squad with Dempsey, Onyewu, DeMerit, Holden, etc. better suited staying in Europe or actively looking for a club; what we saw last night was a seventy-five percent US team with green players in key spots. Because Brazil youngsters were so keen to impress for new head coach Mano Menezes, and because they're pretty damn good to begin with, we probably should have seen the result coming.


My positives from last night are the blooding of Gonzalez, mediocre performance notwithstanding, the commitment from Donovan despite the rest of the team failing to follow his lead, and the second half performance of Brad Guzan, who was under attack throughout.


Now for moving forward...


There are October friendlies in the pipeline. Bradley's future must be determined as soon as possible so that those games are not wasted. Each one is an opportunity to build on a long term plan, and the Gold Cup is only ten months away.

From a "fan of the game" standpoint, tomorrow night's USA-Brazil friendly brings the opportunity to see the next generation of Brazilian talent stake their claim to the nation's fortunes moving forward. Pato and Neymar alone are worth the price of admission from this angle, and I'd be willing to wager that it's a combination of the shirt and those names that will fill the New Meadowlands.


But from an American perspective, focused solely on the fortunes of our ever-improving (we hope) international efforts, tomorrow is just a place-holder. Bob Bradley's status is unclear. Several players are either on their way out or are already established as future contributors. For the US, the game is half big time money making/exposure event, and half...well, I'm not really sure. Bradley and company will absolutely want to win, but even if they do, I'm not sure what it will mean.


I do expect it to be a competitive match.


Check out my match preview piece at Soccerlens for more on what this game is...and isn't...for each side.


Ultimately the value of this game has very little to do with the US program's on field progress.

Goff at Soccer Insider has posted the ESPN ratings for the Confederations Cup final, and they're predictably pretty good.

2.74 overall, which per my basic match, means that 3.1 million homes were tuned to the match. That sounds pretty good, but I can't shake that feeling that it seems a little low. I've heard nothing but anecdotal stories about Americans watching the match yesterday, from both inside and outside the soccer community, and that would lead me to believe that 3.1 million doesn't quite represent the total number of TVs tuned to the game. Maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.

Remember, this number is only for ESPN and does not include the Univision Spanish-language TV numbers; I would expect that Univision number will more than double the total households that watched the match.

I also don't off hand have anything to compare this to; my guess is that the number is inline with many regular-season games from baseball or basketball, and well behind even the lowest rated NFL game.

Check Goff's blog for an interesting list of the cities that watched the game in the greatest numbers (or perhaps its percentage, I'm not really sure).

Anyone have insight on this number? Do you share my feeling that it might not represent the total ESPN audience?

I think we're all wallowing in disappointment right now. Not only were the United States in the final of a FIFA tournament, they had shocked the world to get there. The first half didn't help, of course, as the US jumped out to a 2-0 lead after forty-five minutes.

They lifted us up and gave us hope, only to let us crash back down to earth when the final whistle blew and the scoreline read 3-2.

But it was one hell of a ride. They greatest victory in the modern history of the United States as a soccer nation took place in this tournament, and that alone should give us solace.

So we're not quite there yet. S0 we don't have the horses to finish it out, especially against a team as skilled as Brazil. But what we've clearly shown is that the future is bright for American soccer, Confederations Cup in our trophy case or not. A new bar has been set for the national team, and while that means a new set of expectations, it's also a significant step on the road to becoming a player on the world stage. If this is what the United States is after only twenty years of significant commitment to the game, then we're really not doing too badly.

Today is a day to be frustrated, crestfallen, and yes, perhaps even a little angry. It's difficult to celebrate the overall effort immediately after a loss, especially when victory was so tantalizingly close. Maybe that will come tomorrow.

Perspective is better found from a distance. We have none yet.

Brazil 3, United States 2, damn it all to hell.

And now I have to somehow get myself ready to record the new podcast.

I, along with the all-star roster of contributors to the newly formed Epic Footy live blog depot, will be live blogging the USA-Brazil Confed Cup final today. Start time is 2:15 Eastern.

Here we are, only a few hours ahead of the United States Men's National Team's first shot to win a trophy in a FIFA tournament. My head is still a little foggy, so I probably won't have any profound statements or biting insight; but what I do have, and in abundance, are butterflies.

The backlash has already begun, with the old guard of American sportswriters lashing out against a sport they don't understand. While I think it's easy to overstate the impact a victory today might have on the relevancy of soccer in the United States, it's clear that there has already been an effect. Making the final of a competition that includes Brazil is enough to raise the eyebrows of many.

As for the match, I've promised myself that I won't make a prediction. I don't want to color my expectations of the match with any preconceived notions of what might happen. I simply want to watch the game, root hard, and let the result be what it is. No punditry today, because nothing I could come up with will be any more original or insightful than what anyone and everyone else says. The talking points, the things the Americans must do if they're to have a chance to win, are well known at this point; I won't bore you or stress my brain by rehashing them.

So. Only hours away now, and the American soccer community is just beginning to really get itself worked up. Twitter is abuzz with comments about the game, discussions on the treatment it's getting by the traditional media, and exhortations of exciting and anticipation. Whether this will be a tipping point for soccer in America is a discussion for another day; today is just a day to be a fan, to revel in the Americans making a final in a world tournament for the first time, and to do everything in our power (lucky shirt anyone?) to help our boys get another shocking victory.

A beautifully hit free kick goal by second half substitute Dani Alves helped Brazil defeat hosts South Africa 1-0 in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup yesterday. The Brazilians will now go on to face the high flying Americans in Sunday's tournament final.

For the USMNT, its fans, and the profile of soccer in the United States, it was the best possible outcome.

For me, there were two distinct ways to look at the Confederations Cup final as a USMNT fan. Either you hoped for South Africa to pull off a massive upset, setting up a USA-South Africa final, and while playing in Johnannesburg would make Bafana Bafana tougher than usual, the US would have a better chance to win, bringing them their first ever FIFA trophy. Or you hoped for a Brazil win, the expected result, because it would both give the US a chance at redemption against the Samba Boys, as well as test them with the strongest challenge possible. Beating Brazil in the final would only make the Confederations Cup triumph that much sweeter.

That was the goal before the tournament, right? To run the side through a gauntlet? The competition was talked up as a test of the squad as it is currently constituted, and as a chance for Bradley and his staff to gain a sense of their readiness ahead of next year's World Cup. Brazil, a team that ran roughshod over the Americans in the second game of the tournament, is simply a better measuring stick than the South Africans.

The win over Spain, win or lose against Brazil, will remain the USMNT's watershed moment for 2009 (even a victory at Azteca won't measure up); so for a team whose biggest achievement is behind them, what else is there? Beating Brazil and hoisting the Confederations Cup, of course.

If it was South Africa, no matter how difficult it might be to play them in front of a partisan crowd in Johannesburg, it just wouldn't live up to the standard of intensity the Americans have reached.

The Americans thumped the Egyptians when they had to and sneaked into the semi-finals. They rose up as one and played a near-perfect game against the top team in the world when no one thought they stood a chance. How fitting would it be to finish their streak by beating the team that made them look so bad in the group stage? How better to announce to the world "We here and we're good, so don't take us lightly"?

It had to be Brazil.