Red, white, and BLUE ...

Boston, still not summer ...

Growing up in soccer-mad New Jersey in the late 1960s and early '70s, I harbored typical childhood dreams of one day suiting up for the United States national team. At the time, the US of A was a perennial doormat in international competition, and it didn't seem that far-fetched that someone with my passion for the game could make the squad. Not even a 15-2 thumping from a visiting German side when I was 12 could dampen my enthusiasm. Unfortunately, my foot speed (or lack thereof), a somewhat limited skill set, and eventual injuries all conspired to curtail any hopes I might have entertained about playing soccer professionally. I just didn't have the wheels -- from either a quickness or a durability standpoint -- to play at a high collegiate level. But my love for the game never waned, and I was rewarded with a chance to watch the USA team as it blossomed over the ensuing three decades into a legitimate international contender. Not top-tier, perhaps, but a contender nonetheless.

In 1994, the United States hosted the World Cup, and though they weren't a legitimate threat, they didn't embarrass themselves either. They had a great run in the Korea World Cup in 2002, and most recently, they tied Italy, 1-1, the only blemish on the record of the eventual champs in the 2006 World Cup. They had a string a superb goaltenders, from Tony Meola to Brad Friedel (still my favorite) to Kasey Keller and Tim Howard. The old guard of Alexi Lalas, Thomas Dooley, Tab Ramos, John Harkes, Brian McBride and Claudio Reyna gave way to promising new stars, including Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Brian Ching, and Demarcus Beaseley. With the addition of young studs like Michael Parkhurst (please put him on the team! Now!), Jose Altidore, Oguchi Onyewu, Benny Feilhaber, Sacha Kljestan, and even Freddy Adu, things looked bright indeed ...

All of which helps explain why I'm so feeling so depressed today about Uncle Sam's boys. After getting throttled by Italy, 3-1, on Monday (with a New Jersey-born striker burying two for the Azzuri, just to add insult to injury), the US squad looked utterly outclassed today by Brazil. The Samba Boys appeared to toy with the Americans, and the final score could easily have been 5-0, even 6-0, had the Brazilians not taken their foot off the gas. This match definitely had the look of the varsity taking on the JV, as Brazil gave the US upstarts a good spanking. The fact that the Americans needed a result to have any hope of advancing to the Confederation Cup semifinals, following Monday's debacle against Italy, added to the sense of absolute resignation. When Kljestan got a straight red card for a ticky-tack foul in the second half, he barely put up a fight. He just turned away, resigned, and walked off the pitch. It was a microcosm of the USA's game. Making matters worse, Egypt -- hardly a doormat but no powerhouse either -- edged the Italians later in the day, 1-0, essentially ending any hope that the USA would advance. USA fans expecting the national 11 to have any success on Sunday against the Pharaohs, who played with poise and passion (they put three shots past Brazil on Monday), are kidding themselves.

The United States are still second-class citizens on soccer's world stage. Until they start showing a little more fire, and start stringing together a few results against futbol's big boys, that's all they'll be. Which, for the fans back home, is a shame ...

Best,
-Brion