The U.S. national team already has beaten the odds. Now it will try to beat the world's No. 1 team.
Hey, what does it have to lose?
The Americans, who had all but packed for their return trip from South Africa, instead are an unlikely semifinalist at the Confederations Cup with a megagame Wednesday against No. 1 Spain (2:25 p.m., ESPN). The Spaniards have won 15 matches in a row and are riding a 35-match unbeaten streak dating to November 2006, which ties the record set by Brazil in 1996.
Twenty-two of Spain's 23 players make their living on teams that qualified for European championship tournaments, compared with four on the U.S. roster.
As if that weren't daunting enough, the Americans will be playing on two days' rest after a long trip to Bloemfontein from Rustenburg, while Spain has been training near the stadium for a week. The United States is coming off a 3-1 loss to Italy, a 3-0 loss to Brazil and a hard-fought 3-0 win over Egypt, which, coupled with Brazil's 3-0 victory over Italy, pushed the United States into the semis. Spain has barely broken a sweat with easy wins over New Zealand, Iraq and South Africa.
Though the odds are heavily stacked against them, expect the Americans to go for broke.
The way they see it, they're playing with house money at this point.
''The team is on a high for sure,'' coach Bob Bradley said. ``From a football standpoint, it's a great challenge. We certainly understand the challenge of playing Spain. But we couldn't be more excited for this chance.''
A BIG STAGE
It doesn't get much bigger in a non-World Cup summer than playing against Spain for a shot at a potential final against Brazil, which plays South Africa in the other semifinal. Most people are expecting a Spain-Brazil final, but the United States is determined to play spoiler.
Last summer, the United States and Spain played in a friendly in Santander, and the Spaniards struggled and came away with a 1-0 victory.
Spain coach Vicente del Bosque insists that his team is not taking the United States lightly.
''All the games now will have a certain level of difficulty; we know there is no easy rival at this point,'' del Bosque told reporters in South Africa. ``[The Americans] have lost two games with 10 men, and even so they made Italy work hard. When they had 11 and a full team, they beat Egypt. They have a very aggressive midfield, and they don't play around. All four midfielders can have an offensive effect, and [Landon] Donovan is very dangerous when given space.
``Dempsey is another one with a good aerial game, and he can hurt you in many ways. The other day, they played with a player next to [Jozy] Altidore that we hadn't seen before, [Charlie] Davies, and he created a lot of danger, as well. We have to be careful of their strengths, and a quick attack is one of them. We saw how Egypt played against Italy, and the other day they were completely swept away by the speed of the American attack.''
Xavi agreed that the Spanish players are taking the Americans seriously.
''The truth is, they look stronger, [and] their football has evolved,'' he said. ``In Santander, they made it difficult for us. It's a surprise for them to make it to the semifinals, but they have players with a lot of talent, especially in the midfield.
``They have less pressure. They have nothing to lose. For them, it's a positive that we assume the title of favorite, the responsibility and the pressure. We assume the mantle of favorites, but it won't be an easy match. Not at all.''
The U.S. defense will have its hands full with Xavi and forwards Fernando Torres and David Villa. Torres, the Liverpool striker, scored a hat trick in 17 minutes against New Zealand and scored 14 goals in 20 games for his club.
Tim Howard will be back in goal for the United States after resting the game against Egypt. And captain Carlos Bocanegra is expected to return to the back line after missing the three group games with a hamstring injury.
A MATTER OF PRESSURE
The key, says Bradley and his players, is to keep pressure on the Spaniards and not be intimidated by their deft ball-handling.
''A big part of playing them is not getting frustrated because you don't have the ball,'' Donovan said.
``The other side of that is trying to put them under pressure. That's our goal, and if we can do that we have a chance.''
