Miracle #3: USA 2 Spain 0.
Immediately, pundits from around the world started playing down the results. Spain didn't really have the best of the best with them. There was one player out who would have made all the difference. Andres Iniesta had been dropped from the squad before play began due to a thigh injury. This prompted one fan to remark, "Spain aren't themselves without Iniesta tbh, without him their midfield is pretty predictable and boring. He tends to be the creative spark that makes Spain entertaining to watch. One poster lamented after the game." Another added, "[coach] Del Bosque also needs to be questioned on his substitutions: Leaving Torres who does f@ck all except when playing on the break, and not replacing him with Llorente or Negredo - who should've been called up."
The upstart USA team was about to make its first ever FIFA tournament final. And what a final. Against an always potent Brazilian squad, the US led 2 0 at halftime. With just 45 minutes of soccer left, the mother of all miracles seemed to be right on course. The Brazilian team never let up, however, and by the end they won 3 2.
But this was still a tournament for the ages. After two matches, the American squad looked completely anemic and disoriented ............. as usual. They were going down in flames once again. It seems that Americans just can't figure this game out.
And then, miracles start falling from the sky. The US dismantle Egypt, Brazil stomp Italy and the US are into the semifinals. And then even the mighty Spain wilts under the US team, incapable of putting a small round, sphere inside a big, gaping hole for the first time in over 15 games. It's only in the second half of the first finals ever disputed by an American team that lady luck picks up her purse and walks out the door. A second place finish that will long be remembered by American squads to be sure.
So what does this actually mean and what is the future of soccer in America? At this point, it's hard to tell, but one thing is sure, the US team just pulled one of their biggest upset combinations ever. The US provided a one-two-three miracle punch, jab and uppercut that sent the soccer world rocking backwards and almost down for the count. If nothing else, we Americans can hold our heads high for the first time since we passed through to the second round at the World Cup in the US in 1994. Before that, the only other game worthy of note was the win over England 1 - 0 on June 29, 1950, at the World Cup of Brazil. These moments have been few and far between and that makes them all that more special.
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