DownSwinging.com

Wow. If you missed the United States’ 2-0 victory over Spain, I’m sorry. Even the most cynical of the soccer ambivalent would have found the American effort in South Africa, on Wednesday night, heroic. The two goal victory saw Spain, the top-ranked nation in the world, lose for the first time in 35 games, dating back to November 2006. Those 35 games equaled an international record, one that was originally held by Brazil from the mid 90s. Not only did this loss mean that Spain would not become the lone-record holders, but it also prevented Spain from extending their world-record run of 16 straight victories. Don’t think that the 2-0 outcome was necessarily an indication of any American dominance. Simply put, the USA never made a mistake and never let up.

In the first half, the US, who had less time off between matches than the Spanish, came out energized and focused on paying attention to all of Spain’s superstars. Fernando Torres, David Villa and Cesc Fabregas all looked out of ideas from the beginning, because of constant American pressure. After a slew of attacking creativity and positive passing, 19 year-old striker, Jozy Altidore, found himself one-on-one with the Spanish keeper. He coolly slotted it past the goalie, and the US found itself 1-0 up after just 27 minutes. Throughout the first half, the Americans were first to every ball, and the much overlooked American midfield were just stronger than their counterparts. The United States were actually a better team than the European Champions for the first 45 minutes. The second half was what astonished me, though…