By Brendon Hanley
Washington DC - After their surprising second place finish at the 2009 Confederations Cup, the US national team are dreaming of another spot in the final on their return to South Africa for the World Cup.
During the event, the team co-opted President Barack Obama's campaign slogan of 'Yes, We Can'.
And few who remember their unlikely campaign last summer will doubt that they have the will or tenacity to be dark horses on their return to Africa.
Having lost their opening two matches at the World Cup warm-up event, the USA came back from the dead with a 3-0 defeat of Egypt, which combined with Brazils defeat of Italy by the same score to put the previously pointless Americans into the semi-finals.
In the last four, the US played miracle workers once again, shocking 35-match unbeaten European Champions Spain, 2-0, through goals from emerging strike force Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey.
A two goal half-time lead in the final against Brazil evaporated into a 3-2 defeat, but the best-ever performance at a Fifa tournament was yet another in the long line of signals that the North Americans have the potential to advance far into the later rounds of a World Cup.
Experience gained from having reached the last five World Cup finals should help them in that quest, and the side once again finished top of the CONCACAF qualifying region with 20 points from 10 matches.
Altidore, on loan at Hull in England, was the top scorer in the preliminaries with six goals, while Fulham man Dempsey added five, as did mainstays Landon Donovan and Borussia Moenchengladbach midfielder Michael Bradley.
The balanced attack will be without long-term injury Charlie Davies in South Africa after the promising forward suffered a broken leg in a car accident in October. But the team is nothing if not resilient.
Two consecutive defeats to Mexico in the aftermath of the Confederations Cup, including an embarrassing 5-0 pounding at home in the final of the 2009 Gold Cup, took some shine off the achievement in South Africa, but expectations are high that the side can match their exploits in the 2002 World Cup when they pushed eventual finalists Germany to the brink in the quarter-finals before falling 1-0.
Realistically, much will depend on the strength of their group at the finals. Their bottom finish in a brutal Germany 2006 group that included eventual champions Italy, Ghana and the Czech Republic, is proof that nothing should be taken for granted. But the 2009 Confederations Cup has the U.S. team believing that anything is possible.
The Coach:
Bob Bradley replaced his friend and mentor Bruce Arena as coach of the US national team after the disappointing group stage exit from Germany 2006. A long-time coach at Princeton University, Bradley rose to prominence leading Chicago Fire to the league and cup double in 1998. The 51-year-old has made a point of vetting as many players as possible, with more than 50 winning caps in 2009 and over 85 players lining up for the boss in his three years in charge of the team. His son, Michael, was an early call up, and the promising midfielder has established himself as first choice in the holding role at the age of 22.
The Star:
Landon Donovan continues to be a vital attacking figure for the US and his vision and pace are among the sides biggest threats. The Los Angeles Galaxy player was named US Player of the Year for 2009 in October, the sixth time he's won the award in the last nine years. Despite his disappointing history in European club football, Donovan has consistently performed well for the national team and in Major League Soccer, and he led the Galaxy to this seasons MLS Cup final.
Factfile:
Nicknames: The Yanks; The Stars and Stripes; The Red, White and Blue
Founded: 1913
FIFA affiliation: 1914
Highest FIFA ranking: 4 - April 2006
Lowest FIFA ranking: 35 - October 1997
Previous World Cup appearances: 8 (1930, 1934, 1950, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006)
Best World Cup performance: Third Place (1930) Date qualified for finals: October 10, 2009
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