How Did U.S.A. Soccer Pull Off Shocking Victory?
The US-Spain match perfectly illustrated why soccer is sometimes called a beautiful game, but can also be oh-so-cruel in determining a victor. Spain had most of the run of play for 90 minutes but couldn’t find the back of the net despite having played attractive one- and two-touch soccer complete with overlapping runs, pinpoint accurate crosses and plenty of individual flair. The Spanish starting line-up reads like a who’s who of European league soccer: Fernando Torres and David Villa up top, Xabi Alonso and Xavi in the midfield, and Sergio Ramos and Carles Puyol in the back, among others. But if the U.S. was intimidated in anyway, it didn’t show. The Americans came out with high energy and pressured early. U.S. forward Charlie Davies had an exciting bicycle kick off of a Dempsey cross that went just wide of the goal. Dempsey had a dangerous shot of his own that caught the defense off-guard, but it went wide left of the goal. The Spaniards gathered their composure by the 10th minute an
