heartbreaking

sunday was a momentous day for the US men's national team. they faced Brazil in the Confederation's Cup Final. why was this big? because it was the 1st ever time the US made it to a FIFA sanctioned final. FIFA is the international governing body of world football. they also organize the World Cup. it was also big because at the end of the 1st half, the US was beating Brazil 2-0. 2-0! do you know how crazy that is? the US, which is ranked #14 in the world, leading the #5 ranked Brazil. not to mention a few days earlier the US defeated Spain 3-0 in the same competition. Spain is ranked #1.

back to the game. at the end of the 1st half, the US had everything in their favor. they were controlling the game, they had momentum, they were shutting down the Brazilian offense, not to mention penetrating the Brazilian defense. the US defense was working beautifully as a unit. it was amazing to see. but then, the 2nd half happened. Brazil quickly scored their 1st goal, followed by a 2nd. then, with less than 10 minutes to play, they scored their 3rd.

what happened? the US has a lot of growing up to do. they lack consistency, stamina, and the ability to hold their own against the world powers of football for 90 minutes.

if you missed the game, you missed history. hopefully the US will take the lessons they learned from this match and use them as they gear up for the World Cup next year.