READ ON:

Debt-to-income ratios are bad for English teams

Dave George asks: Is soccer getting more popular here?

And Miami’s Greg Cote answers: “There is sheer, jingoistic arrogance in the idea that the mighty United States must dominate every sport to which it sets its mind.”

“Uncle Phil” maintaining low profile

The rise, fall, and death (?) of Setanta

African football boom? So sez SI

And, Bloomberg points out that colour line still exists

Keep in mind: New arenas mean more empty seats. A cautionary tale

Harrisburg bounce Revs in Open Cup

Bail revoked for cricket magnate, accused fraudster “Sir” Allen Stanford

Interesting:

Here’s how you can be bankrupted, yet insured

As letterhack, doctor & soccer fan Patrick Ward often notes to me in letters, the active ingredient in Tylenol can kill. Now, the FDA looks to ban "combo" pills.

Hi folks! More to come later on today with our wrap-up of what the USA needs to do to improve upon its performance in South Africa. We'll link that up later as well as our "Best XI" for the American team going forward.

Right now:

THE DAILY READS

Why soccer doesn’t have to be the NFL

Blatter gives Confed Cup passing grade; problems remain…

…for example, one of those problems is slum mob rule…

…but people are very friendly (unless they are carrying guns)

Germany whips England U-21s

Southampton close to going out of business

MLS: Jon Conway cut; Bouna Coundoul joins RBNY

Edgar Castillo changes his mind about Mexico; now seeks to join USA

And just a reminder: Castillo’s defection raised eyebrows last year

Thierry Henry tells Sport.es that he wants to go to RBNY is 2011

We'll have more on the Confed Cup later on today, but for now:


THE DAILY READS
The Times led the sports section with the headline: “Gone in 45 minutes”

While columnist William Rhoden says: “Another loss on a major stage”
“There must come a point in the discussion of soccer in the United States when the training wheels must be removed. Either this is youth soccer, in which the goal is to let everyone play, or this is the big time, in which second or third place is no longer acceptable.”

Grahame Jones reminds us that the women HAVE won a Cup, or two. When this was noted a few years back to then-coach Bruce Arena, the coach went beserk.

Landon Donovan agrees: “It’s not good enough to lose 3-2 and say ‘Good try.’”

What I said: Loss doesn’t take away what the USA has learned, but about those subs...

Never is a very long time. But, hey, that's ok because it's soccer, right?

Feinstein on the game.

Simon Austin on South Africa’s “no-go” areas and the Confed Cup


TV WATCH: U-21 final (England vs. Germany) today at 1445 on Setanta

    If you overslept this morning, missing, let’s say, the first hour of the third place match in South Africa this morning, which aired at the churchly hour of 9 am for many (and the ungodly hour of 6 am for some,) allow me to assure you that you didn’t miss much. So feel no guilt about those extra zzz’s.

  However, if you missed the last hour of the game — and yes, it was an hour as it went to overtime — then you have no one to blame but yourself for missing perhaps the most compelling 3rd place final in recent memory. The result was a 3-2 win for Spain, but the excitement of the last ten minutes will make the highlight reels for years to come as the teams traded sublime and unpredictable goals before Liverpool’s Xavi Alonso finally nicked the win with a remarkable long-range effort.

  In fact, as I type this, I am sure some enterprising fellows in Madrid and Rustenberg are assembling clips on You Tube, and Daniel Guiza’s cross/pinball-shot in the 88th is likely to lead off the bunch. Remarkably, it was Guiza’s second goal in about a minute, coming amdist a back-and-forth tussle that saw the lead change twice and two substitutes take charge of a match that until that point, had been more athletic than entertaining.

  So let’s start from the top: South Africa met a Spanish side that really, really didn’t look too keen to be there. All the excuses served up by their media after that bitter loss to the USA? Well, even the most acrid comments can have a ring of truth. This team, while certainly eager to redeem themselves, was a tired bunch with one eye on the beach. When you consider that their roster is stocked by men from clubs like Real, Liverpool, Arsenal and Barcelona, it’s hard not to cut guys who have already played 60 games this year a little slack.

  Still, South Africa managed to put on the same show they displayed against Brazil, challenging every ball and repeatedly outworking a somewhat standoffish Spanish defense. Iker Casillas was tested more than he would have liked, but to little effect. And the truth is, that the Bafana Bafana never really looked able to score despite creating chances.

  That is, until the introduction of sub Katlego Mphela. Mphela, who had played just one minute, total, in the competition up to this point, entered the game in the 64th minute — and scored nine minutes later. Belgium-based Elrio van Heerden got Siphiwe Tshabalala racing behind Alvaro Arbeloa, and his ball in was first controlled by Mphela, who bounced it into the turf with his knee, and then volleyed past a frustrated Casillas. The stadium erupted into a hornet’s nest of vuvuzelas, and it seemed the boys had their hands on the bronze.

  But Guiza, who came on the pitch just after Mphela, had other ideas. He leveled the game with three remaining on the clock with a superb strike off Santi Cazorla that silenced the crowd. And then, that floater: It looked like a cross… until it just ducked inside Itumeleng Khune’s net. That one had the fans heading for the stands.

  Fortunately, they have a lax enter-exit policy, because those same fans were rushing back the other way when Mphela — with no time left on the clock — sent a wicked free-kick swerving into the top-left corner from almost 40 yards out. The Bafana Bafana were back in it, and added time was up.

  In a just world, both sides would have shook hands and both would have gotten nice medals. But, this is FIFA, which continues to stage third place games for reasons that honestly remain unclear. And so, after a gripping first 15 minutes, that saw Mphela test Casillas twice, a foolish foul by Matthew Booth at the edge of the box on Fernando Llorente allowed Alonso to score the winner.

 There was no more left in the tank for South Africa.

   For Spain, it was bittersweet: They thought they would be in the final. But they will have other games. For South Africa, this was the final competitive match they will play before next summer. Having not qualified for the African Cup of Nations, the Bafana Bafana will be forced to make preparations for the Cup with a series of friendlies.

   They certainly can take heart in today’s performance as they displayed a resilience many thought was absent. But it is clear coach Joel Santana has a lot of work to do as well.

---

DAILY READS:
Are they ready? Maybe.

Good takeout on Jay DeMerit, key man in the back for the USA

Vuvuzelas still hot talking point

Portsmouth “on the brink” as takeover flounders

Gangs still the major force in Argentine football

Just when it couldn’t get any worse up north…

Hi folks! Later on today our take on the upcoming Brazil-USA game will be up. When it goes live, we’ll link to it here, so check back around 1PM EDT.

More on the Great Confed Cup Ticket Giveaway

The view from abroad (with a special guest appearance)

Fans showing USA the love

Chatting about said love, and other topics (MLSTalk podcast)


Backups in for Gold Cup

RIP colleague and caustic NME scribe Steven Wells

DEPT OF CULTURE: Best new-old comic book out now; best new album as well

Atul Gawande responds to critics (another must-read)

THE WEEKENDER: (All times EDT, our picks in bold)
Friday
England vs Sweden (U-21 Champs)    1200    Setanta
Italy vs Germany (U-21 Champs)    1445    Setanta

Saturday
Columbus vs. NYRB            1930    FSC/FSE
Fire vs Tigres (Superliga)        2000    Telefutura
Toronto vs. RSL            2130    DK
Chivas vs. San Luis (Superliga)    2200    Telefutura

Sunday
Spain vs. South Africa (3rd place)    0900    ESPN/ESPN 360/Univision
USA vs Brazil    (Final)            1400    ESPN/ESPN 360/CBC/RTS
Revs vs Atlas (Superliga)        1630    Telefutura
Sky Blue vs STL            1800    FSC/FSE
KC vs Santos (Superliga)        1830    Telefutura
Mexico vs Guatemala (F)        2030    Telemundo

For 86 minutes, it looked as if the soccer world might have yet another upset at what has been a very strange Confederations Cup. South Africa was holding Brazil to a scoreless draw and the locals could smell the finals. Entering the match, Brazil had won all ten games they’d played on the continent, but could the 11th be different?
            
The Bafana Bafana were actually putting the South Americans on notice, testing keeper Julio Cesar from the opening and coming closest in the 21st minute with a near-miss header from captain Aaron Mokoena.
           
The hosts had managed to catch Brazil on an off day: Was this really the same side that had crushed the world champs 3-0 on the weekend? Where was the fluid passing? The control of Robinho and the fire of Kaka? Tiny Steven Pienaar had single-handedly extinguished them, displaying a control of tempo usually reserved for the men in yellow. And was that Teko Modise, of the unheralded Orlando Pirates, bedeviling Lucio and Andre Santos? Indeed it was.

South Africa, with its disappointing attendance, reports of crime, and the revelation that even a giveaway of 70,000+ tickets by FIFA could not fill Ellis Park, seemed ready to finally shrug all that baggage off.       
  
Reader, it was not to be. That same Mokoena made a bad mistake with four minutes remaining, upending Ramires on the edge of the area and giving Barcelona marksman Dani Alves a clear look at the net. The wall was no use, as Alves expertly beat Itumeleng Khune at the far, top corner.

It was a wrenching ending to what had not been the best-played game of football, but surely a compelling one. As the minutes ticked by, fans began to feel that perhaps the Africans could break Brazil in the same manner as the USA had beaten Spain the day before. Surely the loyal South African fans deserved a bone, after having watched their heroes skulk through the group stages?
           
The cliché is that good teams get lucky, but great teams manufacture their luck. That is exactly what happened tonight. It might seem unjust, but this is a cruel sport. So, tonight, Johannesburg is left to ponder what might have been, while the Americans get set to face the Brazilians on Sunday.
 

GOALKEEPERS (3): Jon Busch (Chicago Fire), Troy Perkins (IK Start), Luis Robles (FC Kaiserslautern)
DEFENDERS (7): Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96), Jimmy Conrad (Kansas City Wizards), Clarence Goodson (IK Start), Jay Heaps (New England Revolution), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Michael Parkhurst (FC Nordsjaellands), Heath Pearce (Hansa Rostock)
MIDFIELDERS (8): Davy Arnaud (Kansas City Wizards), Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake), Colin Clark (Colorado Rapids), Sam Cronin (Toronto FC), Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders), Stuart Holden (Houston Dynamo), Logan Pause (Chicago Fire), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)
FORWARDS (5): Freddy Adu (AS Monaco), Brian Ching (Houston Dynamo), Kenny Cooper (FC Dallas), Charlie Davies (Hammarby IF), Santino Quaranta (D.C. United) 

THE DAY AFTER:
Biggest win? yep.

The front page of the Times and what it said.

Is this the greatest upset ever?

Poor sports? Spain fail to exchange jerseys, Puyol reportedly stomps off

"We are scratching our heads just like you guys are” –Tim Howard

Twitter: FreddyAdu11 whattttttttt. greatest win in US Soccer history straight up. finals here we come.

Elsewhere:

FIFA demands clarification on alleged punishment of Iran players; Iran now denies punishments took place

Whoops! Overaged boys get India in trouble

---

HISTORICAL NOTE:

USA 1, Costa Rica 3 (June 3, 09)
USA: 1-Tim Howard; 6-Marvell Wynne, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.), 7-DaMarcus Beasley; 4-Pablo Mastroeni (11-Freddy Adu, 63), 12-Michael Bradley, 9-José Francisco Torres (16-Sacha Kljestan, 46); 8-Clint Dempsey (15-Charlie Davies, 80), 10-Landon Donovan, 17-Jozy Altidore ?Subs not used: 18-Brad Guzan, 2-Ricardo Clark, 13-Jonathan Bornstein, 14-Jay DeMerit ?Head Coach: Bob Bradley

USA 2, Spain 0 (June 24, 09)
USA:  1-Tim Howard; 21-Jonathan Spector, 5-Oguchi Onyewu, 15-Jay DeMerit, 3-Carlos Bocanegra (capt.); 10-Landon Donovan, 13-Ricardo Clark, 12-Michael Bradley, 8-Clint Dempsey (2-Jonathan Bornstein, 88); 9-Charlie Davies (22-Benny Feilhaber, 69), 17-Jozy Altidore (4-Conor Casey, 84)
Subs not used: 18-Brad Guzan, 23-Luis Robles, 6-Heath Pearce, 7-DaMarcus Beasley, 11-Marvell Wynne, 16-Sacha Kljestan, 19-Freddy Adu, 20-Jose Francisco Torres
Head Coach: Bob Bradley

Let’s compare: Against Costa Rica, Marvell Wynne and Pablo Mastroeni started, while Carlos Bocanegra was in the middle. Jose Francisco Torres got the nod (and the blame) while Jay DeMerit sat on the bench. Oh, and DaMarcus Beasley played.

Against Spain, DeMerit was in the middle. Jonathan Spector started out and Bocanegra went out wide. Charlie Davies ran alongside Jozy Altidore. No Beasley, no Wynne, no Mastroeni, no Torres. Clark started and Benny Feilhaber was available off the bench. Beasley stayed in his tracksuit.

Here’s the thing: Through a fortuitous combination of injury and happenstance, Bob Bradley was forced to make some changes he apparently didn’t want to. He didn’t want to give DeMerit a role in the middle — and we’ve seen how that worked out. For whatever reason, he didn’t want to play Bocanegra where his club plays him, either. When he was at left back, he was a rousing success. And having Beasley sent off to stack the cones instantly made this team better.

The truth is simple: Spector, DeMerit, Davies and Feilhaber have made the team better. Only one of those men — Feilhaber — seemed to be on Bradley’s preferred list. And yet, when they got on the field, they seized the reins, making it very difficult for the coach to yank ’em.

Important blog note: Due to a system upgrade over here at Fox, this blog will be on hiatus from Thursday at 3 am EDT until July 1st. Hopefully, the new interface will be easier for y’all to use. Until then, look for stuff on the front page and peek back here next week when it’ll be business as usual!

UPDATED: Because of the USA's stunning win against Spain, we're holding off a bit on this blog. It will now be down from the 29th-1st ONLY.

Mission impossible? Improbable – but not impossible.

ESPN will set up new UK channel

Minor leagues, Scotland, reeling from Setanta UK collapse

…while SPL announces record-breaking $50m profit

After making the scene at my local, Dirty Projectors in car wreck.

A USA-Spain preview by our esteemed colleague Robert Burns will be up shortly, and we'll link to it here when it goes live. Meanwhile, your erstwhile reporter is today fixing an exterior wall in the 90º heat of summertime Chicago. With that, here's the reads:

DAILY READS

ESPN to air EPL games in UK; American rights, broadcasts unaffected (That means they’re right here on Fox.)

ESPN and GolTV team up for La Liga

And: Setanta misses payment to SPL; Sky said to be planning rescue of league

After Gillett sells Candiens, Liverpool close to debt re-fi.

FIFA giving away tickets to USA-Spain. (Flights are available, BTW.)

Apple and secrecy.

Naturally, our attentions have been on South Africa and a most strange FIFA Confederations Cup. But there are other things going on while we enjoy on the marvelous play of Brazil and Spain, the remarkable USA saga and the continuing travails of the “Bafana Bafana” (which apparently means "not very good" in several local languages).
    
Consider:
   
1)Manchester United has kissed Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez goodbye within two weeks. For any other team, that would be deadly.
   
Ronaldo apparently was gone last summer but was allowed to stay around for a chance at a Champions League repeat. Tevez, whose original transfer to West Ham United still has never been completely explained, apparently couldn't be satisfied with inheriting the "go to" mantle at Old Trafford. Or maybe he was just smart enough to know that nobody was going to replace Cristiano in the fans' minds so why sign on for five years of that burden?

Yet, it might be premature to think that SAF and Co. will spend 2009-10 in a rebuilding mode. Keep an eye instead on the status and effectiveness of Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs, the two men who have kept the Man U engine turning over for so long.
   
2) What appeared to be a decent idea a couple of years ago now ought to be up for further review. We refer to Superliga, that ersatz MLS-Mexican League showdown which was never more than pre-season for Mexicans and has managed to almost completely escape the attention of American fans.

Sure it was hot in St. Louis and raining in Foxboro Sunday but if you tuned in to Telefutura you'd have thought they were showing a soap opera called "Empty Seats".

MLS needs to grow internationally, but Superliga is no longer worth it. The creation of the CONCACAF Champions League killed the idea and that CL is where MLS must place its emphasis. Games that between MLS and Mexican teams that draw few fans are a distraction. Next season, with a World Cup on, will be even worse. So, now, the Commish should table Superliga. He also should tell his clubs to make sure they out perform the USL this season in the CONCACAF show.

DAILY READS:
USA get a break and take it. (Arguably, this was last night's theme song)

In emotional post-game Bradley defends his father; Sunil days email box jammed (Not a shock.)

Dempsey had “no idea” team could qualify

Bids close today for Setanta games. For those of you who have asked, Setanta USA is a separate outfit.

Obama to attend World Cup opener

Interesting. (Literally.) How destroying unions hurt all of us.

 

Group A of the Confederations Cup wrapped up on a sour note this evening in South Africa, with a dour 0-0 draw between Iraq and New Zealand; combined with an expected 2-0 loss by the hosts to Spain.
 
Both games were in play, but as Spain have run away with the group, the European champions’ meeting against hosts South Africa in the Free State Stadium was expected to be a stroll. South Africa, on four points after beating the Kiwis, didn’t need a result; they just needed to hold the score as low as possible in case Iraq beat New Zealand. They did just that, with both teams noodling about much of the first half.
 
The one flash of excitement came ten minutes into the second, before David Villa finally broke the deadlock in the 52nd minute. Aaron Mokoena conceded a penalty kick in the 51st, pulling down Cesc Fabregas, which Villa stepped up to take, only to see keeper Itumeleng Khune make a huge save, and then keep Carlos Puyol’s rebound out as well. But on the ensuing restart, Villa chested downa fine Cesc lob, turned sharply and fired it past the helpless Kaizer Chiefs keeper to the far corner. A terrific goal to decide a walking pace game with Fernando Llorente adding the insurance in the 72nd.
 
The loss wouldn’t matter, as an exhausted-looking Iraq were tested by an already eliminated New Zealand side with nothing to lose in Johannesburg. The All-Whites’ Glen Moss, who had had a miserable tournament to date, made three major saves to preserve a 0-0 draw and consign the Asian side to the tourney dustbin.
 
The Kiwis never looked much above the level of say, St. John’s, which is not a compliment. Yet, against an Iraq team that needed to go forward, they had some chances — nearly all of which were spectacularly whiffed by Celtic man Chris Killen. Shane Smeltz also had a chance on a late breakaway, only to utterly miss the ball. Iraq at least put the ball on net in the final ten minutes, with Salih Sadir forcing Moss to make a huge stop, but the comedy gold moment came when Karrar Jassim’s shot stuck Moss in the head, and stayed out. Iraq also had one cleared off the line, but that small bit of effort couldn’t make up for 80 minutes of impotence.
 
The matches put to an end the poorest group stage in the tournament. Spain scored eight goals, while the Kiwis conceded seven. Neither Iraq nor New Zealand scored a single goal. And South Africa? They got a 2-0 win against a lousy New Zealand side. They look dreadful, and for their trouble are likely to face Brazil in the semifinals.

DAILY READS:

CONFED CUP STUFF:
Security issues plague South Africa

Beasley mans up

“The sky is not falling.” Old boys line up for Bradley.

And speaking of: This page has doubled in size from yesterday

---

See ya, Carlos (Tevez)

Blatter says MLS must move schedule

Setanta may go dark, leagues to take the hit


THE WEEKENDER
Saturday
Montreal vs Vancouver    1330 CBC
Spain vs. South Africa    1430 ESPN 2, ESPN 360, Univision
Iraq vs New Zealand        1430 ESPN 360, Telefutura
San Jose vs Galaxy        1630 ESPN2/D/360
NYRB vs Sounders        1930 DK/RSN
Fire vs San Luis        2000 Telefutura
Dynamo vs RSL        2030 DK/RSN
Dallas vs Crew        2030 FSC
Rapids vs DC            2130 DK/RSN
Chivas USA vs Tigres        2200 Telefutura

Sunday
Italy vs Brazil            1430 ESPN360/RTS/Univision (delay on 2)
Egypt vs USA            1430 ESPN2/360/Telfutura
Huracan vs Arsenal        1600 FSE
KC vs Atlas            1630 Telefutura
Sol vs Gold Pride        1800 FSC
Revs vs Santos        1830 Telfutura

Twitter: FreddyAdu11 damn! JozyAltidore17: ummmmm?

No more monitors after Egypt brouhaha

Confed Cup: As hoped, whites are attending a traditionally black sport

How much was that worth?

Sir Alan Stanford turns himself in

Blatter rips USA, MLS

Top brands in sport

How to take a Facebook page from 40 people to 550 in six hours