US vs. Brazil!

I'm a day late on this one, but it was announced yesterday that the US MNT (that's soccer, how many times do i have to tell you?) will be playing a match against the number 1 ranked team in the world, Brazil, here on our very own soil in Chicago next month. Billed as the 'Clash of The Champions', it pits the winner of the two teams regional tournaments against each other. The US got there by virtue of a fantastic run through the Gold Cup, while Brazil took their own Copa America tournament last month. The US was scheduled to face off against Mexico on Sept. 9th in Mexico City, as was announced just last week. However, due to contract disputes, that game was cancelled and the game against Brazil in Chicago was decided upon instead on the same date.

The good news? The US is getting some quality competition, with Brazil expected to bring their full roster, including world-class midfielder Ronaldinho. The US is also expected to play with their full roster, something they did not do while competing in Copa America last month. Brazil has not played a game in the US in quite some time, though has fared very well against the Americans in the past. Their only loss to the US side was a 2-1 defeat in the Gold Cup in 1998, in which Brazilian legend Romario called American Goalkeeper Kasey Keller's effort 'the greatest performance i have ever seen from a goalkeeper'.

The US will gear up for this game by travelling to Sweden to take on the national team there on Aug. 22nd. That match will be telecast live on Fox Soccer Channel and Galavision. The game against Brazil will be broadcast live on ESPN2 on Sept. 9th. I urge everyone to tune in to both of these games and show the US MNT some support. They will soon be entering into World Cup 2010 qualifying, and these two matches will prove important tune-ups heading into that gauntlet.

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So the US gets a shot at the best in the world. I for one couldn't be happier, and you better believe i'll be watching live. Hell, if i wasn't going to be in Chicago the weekend before, i might even fly up there just for this game. It's not often you get to see the best team in the world come to your house to take on the best you have to offer. The game should be fantastic, and should be a good gauging point to see how our young team is developing. Assuming we have our new, young midfield tandem of Michael Bradley and Benny Feilhaber, paired probably with Pablo Mastroeni playing a tad deeper in there, it will be interesting to see how they fare against Ronaldinho and Kaka, perhaps two of the best midfielders in the world. And a defense that has looked shaky in recent outings will have its hands full with Robinho from Brazil, but will be fun to watch.

I'm ready to put down here that i expect the US to lose by a count of probably 3-1, but for some reason i have a good feeling about this game. It may be a bit of homer-ism, but i think the Americans can hang with the Brazilians in this game, and maybe catch a lucky break or two. I expect the US to be ready to play and bring it, and think they may be able to sneak a couple of goals past the Brazilian defense. So, i'll go ahead and call it. 2-2 tie, with the Americans giving up a late 2-1 lead when Brazil starts pressing in the last 15 minutes of the game or so. A tie is not exactly a stunning result, but against this team it would be a tremendous result, and one to build on heading into qualifying and World Cup 2010. Let's go Yanks!