FOR 45 minutes, the United States threatened to turn the football world upside down. The Americans, who are rarely taken seriously in the international scene, had five-time World Cup champion Brazil in trouble. They were up 2-0 in the Confederations Cup finals. A nifty touch off a cross had the US up, 1-0, in just 10 minutes while a counter attack by Landon Donovan—ignored in the Spanish Liga where Brazil’s best play—had the US ahead by two. This, from the same team the Brazilians buried, 3-0, in the elimination round. The same team that was last in its group going into the final elimination round matches. Then the second half happened. The Brazilians showed why they are the best in the world and piled three goals in the second half—four if you count the one the referee didn’t see—to set things in order again. Despite the loss, the US gained a lot in the Confed Cup, showing they can be at par with the world’s best players, and even beat them, in the case of their win over Spain. NOT FP