http://people.bakersfield.com/home/Blog/TheNoiseFactor/46484 Yesterday the United States stunned top-ranked Spain, shutting them out 2-0, along with goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, advancing to the Confederations Cup final for the very first time in US history with one of the Americans’ biggest soccer victories of all time. The chances of a US victory seemed impossible just a few days ago, when the 14th-ranked Americans lost their first two games in the Confederations Cup, and were on the verge of elimination. Now they are headed to the finals. Team USA played their socks off for the full 90 minutes and shut down every opportunity Spain had of winning the match in what was a truly heroic performance, that some are dubbing as the "Miracle on Grass"-- reminiscent to the US hockey team victory over the Russians in the 1980 Winter Olympics. But has the US become a legitimate contender on the World Soccer stage? Spain, the European champion, had set an international record of 15 straight victories and had tied Brazil’s record unbeaten streak of 35 games, from December 1993 to January 1996. The US is the first team to defeat Spain since Romania in November 2006. As a soccer fan I was really happy to see the US beat Spain, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. Let’s not forget that teams like Germany, Italy, England, France, and Holland are far superior to Spain. So measuring the United States’ soccer success by Wednesday’s victory could be a misconception. The real prize from the victory over Spain will come on Dec. 4, at the World Cup draw in Cape Town, when FIFA divides the 32 qualifiers into four ranks of eight. In recent draws, the United States has been seeded below its regional rival Mexico, which effectively meant the US, would have to face two tiers of tough opponents. Now that the US has held off the quick and talented Spaniards, FIFA will have to also remember that the United States has drawn ahead of Mexico and is the best team in its region. The US will play defending champion Brazil on Sunday in their first-ever men’s final at a FIFA competition. Brazil already beat the US 3-0 in the first round. This will be a hard fought match, as the Brazilians only exist on this planet to score goals in soccer games. Can the US heart and will overcome soccer supremacy? Yesterday the United States stunned top-ranked Spain, shutting them out 2-0, along with goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, advancing to the Confederations Cup final for the very first time in US history with one of the Americans’ biggest soccer victories of all time. The chances of a US victory seemed impossible just a few days ago, when the 14th-ranked Americans lost their first two games in the Confederations Cup, and were on the verge of elimination. Now they are headed to the finals. Team USA played their socks off for the full 90 minutes and shut down every opportunity Spain had of winning the match in what was a truly heroic performance, that some are dubbing as the "Miracle on Grass"-- reminiscent to the US hockey team victory over the Russians in the 1980 Winter Olympics. But has the US become a legitimate contender on the World Soccer stage? Spain, the European champion, had set an international record of 15 straight victories and had tied Brazil’s record unbeaten streak of 35 games, from December 1993 to January 1996. The US is the first team to defeat Spain since Romania in November 2006. As a soccer fan I was really happy to see the US beat Spain, but even a blind squirrel finds a nut every now and then. Let’s not forget that teams like Germany, Italy, England, France, and Holland are far superior to Spain. So measuring the United States’ soccer success by Wednesday’s victory could be a misconception. The real prize from the victory over Spain will come on Dec. 4, at the World Cup draw in Cape Town, when FIFA divides the 32 qualifiers into four ranks of eight. In recent draws, the United States has been seeded below its regional rival Mexico, which effectively meant the US, would have to face two tiers of tough opponents. Now that the US has held off the quick and talented Spaniards, FIFA will have to also remember that the United States has drawn ahead of Mexico and is the best team in its region. The US will play defending champion Brazil on Sunday in their first-ever men’s final at a FIFA competition. Brazil already beat the US 3-0 in the first round. This will be a hard fought match, as the Brazilians only exist on this planet to score goals in soccer games. Can the US heart and will overcome soccer supremacy? en-us Thu, 25 Jun 2009 17:11:25 PDT