Fight for the final

U.S., Brazil set to play Gold Cup semifinal in Miami

Ronaldhino and Brazil got the best of Eddie Lewis and the U.S. at the Confederations Cup. Ben Radford/Getty Images

MIAMI (AP) -- Facing Brazil has typically been a humbling experience for the United States men's soccer team, which has won just one of 11 matches against the world power.

Still, five straight shutouts and three easy wins so far in the CONCACAF Gold Cup have given the U.S. no shortage of confidence heading into Wednesday's semifinals.

"It's a more difficult opponent than we've played in the last three games, but the fear of playing Brazil isn't what it used to be for us," U.S. goalkeeper Kasey Keller said. "You still have to respect them tremendously, but we know we can compete now."

The winner will play either Mexico or Costa Rica at Mexico City in Sunday's final; the loser will play Saturday in Miami in the tournament's bronze medal game.

Mexico and Costa Rica play the other semifinal Thursday at Mexico City.

By the Numbers 712 Consecutive minutes since the U.S. conceded a goal in Gold Cup play. The last time the U.S. gave up a goal during the event was at the 38th minute of the first half in the 2-1 victory against South Korea on Jan. 19, 2002. • Click here for all the stats.

Keller is the only U.S. goalkeeper to beat Brazil, making 10 saves to lead a 1-0 upset in the 1998 Gold Cup semifinals. That, however, came on a chilly, rainy night in front of a pro-U.S. crowd in Los Angeles.

The U.S. won behind a virtuoso performance by Keller and a 65th-minute goal from Preki Radoslavjevic.

This match is being played on U.S. soil, but Brazilian fans are certain to outnumber ones wearing U.S. colors by a wide margin. The Americans are 2-9-3 all-time in Miami, where the city's large Latin population tends to result in them having no home-field advantage.

"Playing in front of a big crowd, whether they're for or against you, is motivating for me," said U.S. forward Landon Donovan, who scored four goals in the quarterfinals against Cuba. "If there's 1,000 American fans and nobody else in the stadium, I'd rather play in front of 30,000 Brazilians. It's incentive and motivation to just quiet them."

Brazil, which sent its under-23 team to the Gold Cup even though the tournament is the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, has looked sharper with each match in this tournament.

It opened with a 1-0 loss at Mexico, then beat Honduras 2-1 to close the opening round and dominated Colombia 2-0 in the quarterfinals.

"They're very good. Extremely good," Donovan said. "I think they probably should have beaten Mexico in Azteca, which isn't easy to do. It'll be difficult but it's a game we think we can win."

The Americans, who won the Gold Cup last year and are unbeaten in their last 11 matches in the event, have been rarely tested in this year’s tournament. They beat El Salvador and Martinique by 2-0 scores in the opening round, then cruised past Cuba 5-0 in the quarterfinals.

Brazil under-23 coach Ricardo Gomes said he has been especially impressed by the Americans' speed.

"Tactically, they are very disciplined," Gomes said. "They are growing tremendously. They are strong and are able to play off the ball. It's going to be an interesting match."

The U.S. hasn't allowed a goal in its last 518 minutes, dating back to its 1-0 loss to Brazil in the Confederations Cup last month. And Keller, whose first national team appearance was in Miami 13 years ago, is unbeaten (18-0-4) in his last 22 matches played in the United States.

"I'm the first to admit that the competition hasn't been of the highest level in this tournament," U.S. manager Bruce Arena said. "But I think there's been enough challenges and we've grown each and every game."

It will have to continue that trend to win on Wednesday. Even though Brazil sent its under-23 team, it still has no shortage of firepower and plenty of players with considerable international experience.

The U.S. is 23-3-3 all-time in the Gold Cup and riding a series of shutouts. Goalkeeper Kasey Keller recently recorded his 33rd, and the team has seven in a row in the tournament.

"Brazil is outstanding even if it is their under-23 team," said Arena.

This Brazil side is an Olympic one but it includes Adriano, who scored the winner in France.

"Obviously it's a difficult task ahead of us," Keller said. "Last time, our semifinal was against Canada. Brazil is a different story than playing a semifinal against Canada.

"We're going to have to play close to perfect," Donovan said. "They're a team that when they don't play well they can beat you. But we're very confident right now."

Mexico riding high

Mexico is also coming off a sound performance on its home turf following a 5-0 pounding against a weak Jamaican side.

Almost unbeatable at home due to a combination of altitude (Mexico City is 7,200 feet above sea level) and some of the most intimidating fans in the sport, Costa Rica has a tough road ahead.

However, Costa Rica is now 9-2-1 under coach Steve Sampson and eager to prove that they are one of the best teams in the region. Sampson rested his players some 20 days prior to the tournament in an effort to get the best possible jump on the competition.

"This Gold Cup has helped our team's confidence," said midfielder Walter Centeno, who scored three goals in Saturday's quarterfinal. "We wanted to have a good tournament and up to the present, things have been going well."

But Mexico needs to win the Gold Cup to restore some confidence. Since their dismissal from the World Cup last summer at the hands of the Americans, the Mexicans have struggled.

Coach Ricardo LaVolpe has been ruthlessly criticized for his team's poor showing and until the side's wide margin of victory over Jamaica, was facing calls for his ouster.

SportsTicker contributed to this report.

 

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