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Caster Semenya
Tests show that controversial runner Caster Semenya is a woman ...and a man!
The 18-year-old South African champ has no womb or ovaries and her testosterone levels are more than three times higher than those of a normal female, according to reports.
The tests, ordered by The International Association of Athletics Federations after Semenya's 800-meter victory in the World Championships, determined she's a hermaphrodite - having both male and female organs.
Semenya could be stripped of the gold medal she won in Berlin last month and her competitive future is in limbo, according to Australia's Daily Telegraph.
The athletics governing body is also expected to advise her to have surgery to fix the potentially deadly condition, the paper reported. The IAAF would not comment on the results that have yet to be released.
According to a source with knowledge of the IAAF tests, Semenya has internal testes - the male sexual organs that produce testosterone.
Testosterone is a hormone responsible for building muscles and for producing body hair and a deep voice.
Confirmation of the test results is sure to stoke the controversy that erupted after the university student's sensational track triumph.
She has been embraced in her home country - where she was declared "our girl" - and appeared on a magazine cover after a feminine makeover.
"God made me the way I am and I accept myself. I am who I am and I'm proud of myself," she told You Magazine, which ran a photo spread.
"I don't want to talk about the tests. I'm not even thinking about them."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2009/09/10/2009-09-10_caster_semenya_.html#ixzz0acpABoIz
Caster Semenya
Tests show that controversial runner Caster Semenya is a woman ...and a man!
The 18-year-old South African champ has no womb or ovaries and her testosterone levels are more than three times higher than those of a normal female, according to reports.
The tests, ordered by The International Association of Athletics Federations after Semenya's 800-meter victory in the World Championships, determined she's a hermaphrodite - having both male and female organs.
Semenya could be stripped of the gold medal she won in Berlin last month and her competitive future is in limbo, according to Australia's Daily Telegraph.
The athletics governing body is also expected to advise her to have surgery to fix the potentially deadly condition, the paper reported. The IAAF would not comment on the results that have yet to be released.
According to a source with knowledge of the IAAF tests, Semenya has internal testes - the male sexual organs that produce testosterone.
Testosterone is a hormone responsible for building muscles and for producing body hair and a deep voice.
Confirmation of the test results is sure to stoke the controversy that erupted after the university student's sensational track triumph.
She has been embraced in her home country - where she was declared "our girl" - and appeared on a magazine cover after a feminine makeover.
"God made me the way I am and I accept myself. I am who I am and I'm proud of myself," she told You Magazine, which ran a photo spread.
"I don't want to talk about the tests. I'm not even thinking about them."
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/2009/09/10/2009-09-10_caster_semenya_.html#ixzz0acpABoIz
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In August he lowered the mark yet again. 9.58!!
BERLIN -- Usain Bolt crossed the finish line, saw his record-setting time on the clock and spread his arms as if he were soaring like a bird.
About all this guy can't do is fly. And by saving his celebration until after the finish line this time, he showed how fast a man really can go on two feet.
The Jamaican shattered the world record again Sunday, running 100 meters in 9.58 seconds at the world championships to turn his much-anticipated race against Tyson Gay into a one-man show.
That was 0.11 seconds faster than the mark he set last year at the Beijing Olympics -- the biggest improvement in the 100-meter record since electronic timing began in 1968.
Gay, his closest rival, broke the American mark with his 9.71 performance and still looked like he was jogging -- finishing a few big strides behind Bolt in second place.
[+] EnlargeUsain Bolt
Thomas Lohnes/AFP/Getty ImagesJamaica's Usain Bolt cruises to the finish of the 100-meter final Sunday in Berlin, smashing the 9.69 mark he set winning gold at last year's Beijing Olympics.
Bolt's only competition these days is the clock.
And when he's really trying, not hot-dogging it over the line the way he did in China, even time itself doesn't stand a chance.
"I don't run for world records," said Bolt, who crossed the line with a slight breeze at his back.
Yet those records always seem to find him.
He thinks he can go even lower.
"I know I said 9.4," Bolt said, grinning. "You never know. I'll just keep on working."
Last summer at Beijing, Bolt shut his race down early, waving his arms and celebrating about 10 meters before he got to the line. Some, like Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee, viewed it as a sign of bad sportsmanship. Most saw it as a welcome sigh of relief for a sport that needed some good news after years of doping and scandal.
Even this week, the Jamaican track team was making headlines for the wrong reasons -- a complicated doping case. Then a group of athletes who were uninvited to the worlds by the country's track officials because they didn't participate in team training camp got reinvited at the request of international officials.
Bolt made everyone forget about that and showed, once again, what a great sport track can be when the focus is on the track, not doping control and the meeting rooms.
Bolt ran his latest unforgettable race at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the history-filled home of the 1936 Olympics where Jesse Owens became the world's biggest track star. Bolt lives in Owens' stratosphere now, having set the 100 world record three times and also owning the 200-meter record thanks to the 19.30 he ran in Beijing to break Michael Johnson's 12-year-old mark.
Now he has added the world championship, last won by Gay in 2007, to his Olympic title.
A Stanford professor estimated he could've gone 9.55 if he'd run full out through the line in Beijing. Bolt almost made that guy look like a genius.
"He's like a created game person," American Darvis Patton said. "I can't imagine going 9.71 and not winning. That will win every race in history except for today [and at the Olympics]."
Tyson Gay
Kirby Lee/US PresswireTyson Gay set the American 100-meter record in 9.71 seconds Sunday, a time that would have set the world mark a year ago.
It's easy to see why Bolt is such a crowd favorite. He's a colorful character who loves to entertain. The track is his stage and he didn't disappoint Sunday.
Before climbing into the blocks, Bolt gave spectators a quick wave and did his trademark bow-and-arrow pose.
That drew big applause.
Then the real show started.
Unlike the Olympics, when he skidded from the blocks, Bolt burst out this time in his yam-colored Pumas, opening a sizable lead on the field after 20 meters.
From there, it could have been a stroll in the park. But there was no letting up this time. Before crossing the line, he glanced to his right to check on Gay once -- not in the picture -- and then back at the clock. His face lit up as he spotted the digits "9.58" appear on the screen next to the track.
The party was on. He grabbed a flag and did a victory lap with countryman Asafa Powell, who finished with the bronze (9.84).
They even stopped midway down the track and did a little dance number. Too bad the song wasn't from rapper Akon, who wrote about the sprinter in a song, the lyric going, "Quicker than Usain Bolt, the fastest thing runnin'."
Next came pictures -- lots of flashes popping -- and hugs as Bolt greeted everyone who called his name -- and they were numerous. The entire victory lap took about 20 minutes.
Or about 19:50.42 longer than it took to run his 100.
Standing back at the finish line, waiting for him to finish up, was Gay. He paced around, clearly agitated.
Not in anger at losing, though.
No, he wanted off the track, but wasn't allowed by an official. Gay was quite complimentary of his rival in a race that lived up to the hype.
"I've been telling you someone could run 9.5," Gay said. "I'm happy he did it, it showed a human can take it to another level. Unfortunately, I wasn't the one to do it, but I still have confidence I can do it one day."
Gay didn't have much of a chance. Not against Bolt. And certainly not with a groin injury that he admitted to Saturday. He said it was worse than he let on, but refused to use it as a convenient excuse.
"I showed a lot of heart," Gay said. "I put it together the best I could."
Powell was right beside Bolt his entire journey around the track, then through the mixed zone.
For Powell, Bolt is a blessing. It takes all the pressure off his shoulders. He doesn't have to carry the weight of a country by himself.
"He really knows how to perform under pressure," Powell said. "I need to take a page out of his book."
That might not be a bad idea for all the sprinters. British sprinter Dwain Chambers, who tested positive for the steroid THG in 2003 and served a two-year suspension, got to see Bolt's spectacle from the back of the field.
It was rather enjoyable.
"As you get older, you start to realize when you're put into these situations that you can't be upset," said Chambers, who wound up sixth. "You can't put that into words. Many guys said to me that it's demoralizing to be apart of a world-record race. For me, it was exciting."
BERLIN -- Usain Bolt crossed the finish line, saw his record-setting time on the clock and spread his arms as if he were soaring like a bird.
About all this guy can't do is fly. And by saving his celebration until after the finish line this time, he showed how fast a man really can go on two feet.
The Jamaican shattered the world record again Sunday, running 100 meters in 9.58 seconds at the world championships to turn his much-anticipated race against Tyson Gay into a one-man show.
That was 0.11 seconds faster than the mark he set last year at the Beijing Olympics -- the biggest improvement in the 100-meter record since electronic timing began in 1968.
Gay, his closest rival, broke the American mark with his 9.71 performance and still looked like he was jogging -- finishing a few big strides behind Bolt in second place.
[+] EnlargeUsain Bolt
Thomas Lohnes/AFP/Getty ImagesJamaica's Usain Bolt cruises to the finish of the 100-meter final Sunday in Berlin, smashing the 9.69 mark he set winning gold at last year's Beijing Olympics.
Bolt's only competition these days is the clock.
And when he's really trying, not hot-dogging it over the line the way he did in China, even time itself doesn't stand a chance.
"I don't run for world records," said Bolt, who crossed the line with a slight breeze at his back.
Yet those records always seem to find him.
He thinks he can go even lower.
"I know I said 9.4," Bolt said, grinning. "You never know. I'll just keep on working."
Last summer at Beijing, Bolt shut his race down early, waving his arms and celebrating about 10 meters before he got to the line. Some, like Jacques Rogge of the International Olympic Committee, viewed it as a sign of bad sportsmanship. Most saw it as a welcome sigh of relief for a sport that needed some good news after years of doping and scandal.
Even this week, the Jamaican track team was making headlines for the wrong reasons -- a complicated doping case. Then a group of athletes who were uninvited to the worlds by the country's track officials because they didn't participate in team training camp got reinvited at the request of international officials.
Bolt made everyone forget about that and showed, once again, what a great sport track can be when the focus is on the track, not doping control and the meeting rooms.
Bolt ran his latest unforgettable race at Olympic Stadium in Berlin, the history-filled home of the 1936 Olympics where Jesse Owens became the world's biggest track star. Bolt lives in Owens' stratosphere now, having set the 100 world record three times and also owning the 200-meter record thanks to the 19.30 he ran in Beijing to break Michael Johnson's 12-year-old mark.
Now he has added the world championship, last won by Gay in 2007, to his Olympic title.
A Stanford professor estimated he could've gone 9.55 if he'd run full out through the line in Beijing. Bolt almost made that guy look like a genius.
"He's like a created game person," American Darvis Patton said. "I can't imagine going 9.71 and not winning. That will win every race in history except for today [and at the Olympics]."
Tyson Gay
Kirby Lee/US PresswireTyson Gay set the American 100-meter record in 9.71 seconds Sunday, a time that would have set the world mark a year ago.
It's easy to see why Bolt is such a crowd favorite. He's a colorful character who loves to entertain. The track is his stage and he didn't disappoint Sunday.
Before climbing into the blocks, Bolt gave spectators a quick wave and did his trademark bow-and-arrow pose.
That drew big applause.
Then the real show started.
Unlike the Olympics, when he skidded from the blocks, Bolt burst out this time in his yam-colored Pumas, opening a sizable lead on the field after 20 meters.
From there, it could have been a stroll in the park. But there was no letting up this time. Before crossing the line, he glanced to his right to check on Gay once -- not in the picture -- and then back at the clock. His face lit up as he spotted the digits "9.58" appear on the screen next to the track.
The party was on. He grabbed a flag and did a victory lap with countryman Asafa Powell, who finished with the bronze (9.84).
They even stopped midway down the track and did a little dance number. Too bad the song wasn't from rapper Akon, who wrote about the sprinter in a song, the lyric going, "Quicker than Usain Bolt, the fastest thing runnin'."
Next came pictures -- lots of flashes popping -- and hugs as Bolt greeted everyone who called his name -- and they were numerous. The entire victory lap took about 20 minutes.
Or about 19:50.42 longer than it took to run his 100.
Standing back at the finish line, waiting for him to finish up, was Gay. He paced around, clearly agitated.
Not in anger at losing, though.
No, he wanted off the track, but wasn't allowed by an official. Gay was quite complimentary of his rival in a race that lived up to the hype.
"I've been telling you someone could run 9.5," Gay said. "I'm happy he did it, it showed a human can take it to another level. Unfortunately, I wasn't the one to do it, but I still have confidence I can do it one day."
Gay didn't have much of a chance. Not against Bolt. And certainly not with a groin injury that he admitted to Saturday. He said it was worse than he let on, but refused to use it as a convenient excuse.
"I showed a lot of heart," Gay said. "I put it together the best I could."
Powell was right beside Bolt his entire journey around the track, then through the mixed zone.
For Powell, Bolt is a blessing. It takes all the pressure off his shoulders. He doesn't have to carry the weight of a country by himself.
"He really knows how to perform under pressure," Powell said. "I need to take a page out of his book."
That might not be a bad idea for all the sprinters. British sprinter Dwain Chambers, who tested positive for the steroid THG in 2003 and served a two-year suspension, got to see Bolt's spectacle from the back of the field.
It was rather enjoyable.
"As you get older, you start to realize when you're put into these situations that you can't be upset," said Chambers, who wound up sixth. "You can't put that into words. Many guys said to me that it's demoralizing to be apart of a world-record race. For me, it was exciting."
Caldwell Dominates Metcalf to Win NCAA Title
[FONT=times new roman,times]The consensus heading into the championship round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships was that Iowa’s Brent Metcalf was just plain unbeatable, that no one could stop him in his quest to repeat as champion at 149 pounds.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]NC State’s Darrion Caldwell apparently didn’t get the memo.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Caldwell took the defending national champion down twice in the first period and was in control of the match throughout, defeating Metcalf 11-6 to become NC State’s fifth national wrestling champion and its first since Sylvester Terkay in 1993. And the final score does not indicate just how one-sided the match was. Caldwell, who improved to 38-1 with the decision, took Metcalf down just seconds into the match to take a 2-0 lead.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Metcalf escaped, but Caldwell got him in a headlock and threw him to the mat for the second takedown of the period, the first time Metcalf had been taken down twice in a period in more than a year. Metcalf escaped again near the end of the period and Caldwell took a 4-2 lead into the second period. Caldwell started in the down position in the second period, escaped, then scored a takedown on a counter move off a Metcalf shot to take a 7-2 lead.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Caldwell cruised from there. He got one more takedown in the third and led 9-3. Metcalf got an escape and a late takedown in the third period, but the issue was decided by that time.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]“Metcalf’s a great wrestler and I knew he was going to come at me hard,” Caldwell said. “There was nothing he was going to do to take this national title from me. He’s tough, but he’s human. It’s just a wrestling match. It wasn’t like he had a gun and I had a knife.”
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Caldwell never wavered in his belief that he could beat Metcalf, regardless of what popular opinion said.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]“I felt that I was going to win, because I envisioned myself as a national champion when I prepared for that match,” Caldwell said. “I believe in my abilities and I thank God to give me the ability to do what I did.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Following the match, as Caldwell began his victory celebration, Metcalf gave Caldwell a big shove and was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, costing Iowa a valuable team point in its quest to repeat as team champions.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]The loss is only the second of Metcalf’s career and ended a 69-match winning streak. Metcalf’s other loss also was to Caldwell, who pinned him on November 24, 2007. Metcalf finished the season 37-1.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]“I think I broke him a little bit during the match," Caldwell said. "I could hear him moaning. I could tell he was tired just like I was. His fuel was going down. I just had to stay in good position in the third period. I had a five-point lead going into the third period and I knew I was going to win.”[/FONT] [FONT=times new roman,times]
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]No doubt in part thanks to the victory over the heavily favored Metcalf, Caldwell was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. He won once by fall and three times by major decision during the tournament, and allowed just 12 points in five bouts, all on escapes. He did not allow a takedown until the final seconds of the championship bout. Counting the 7-1 lead he had when he pinned Penn’s Cesar Grajales in the opening round, Caldwell outscored his five opponents by a combined 52-12.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]With Caldwell's championship, NC State finished 19th at the NCAA Championships, the program's highest finish since a seventh-place finish in 1993.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]The consensus heading into the championship round of the NCAA Wrestling Championships was that Iowa’s Brent Metcalf was just plain unbeatable, that no one could stop him in his quest to repeat as champion at 149 pounds.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]NC State’s Darrion Caldwell apparently didn’t get the memo.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Caldwell took the defending national champion down twice in the first period and was in control of the match throughout, defeating Metcalf 11-6 to become NC State’s fifth national wrestling champion and its first since Sylvester Terkay in 1993. And the final score does not indicate just how one-sided the match was. Caldwell, who improved to 38-1 with the decision, took Metcalf down just seconds into the match to take a 2-0 lead.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Metcalf escaped, but Caldwell got him in a headlock and threw him to the mat for the second takedown of the period, the first time Metcalf had been taken down twice in a period in more than a year. Metcalf escaped again near the end of the period and Caldwell took a 4-2 lead into the second period. Caldwell started in the down position in the second period, escaped, then scored a takedown on a counter move off a Metcalf shot to take a 7-2 lead.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Caldwell cruised from there. He got one more takedown in the third and led 9-3. Metcalf got an escape and a late takedown in the third period, but the issue was decided by that time.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]“Metcalf’s a great wrestler and I knew he was going to come at me hard,” Caldwell said. “There was nothing he was going to do to take this national title from me. He’s tough, but he’s human. It’s just a wrestling match. It wasn’t like he had a gun and I had a knife.”
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Caldwell never wavered in his belief that he could beat Metcalf, regardless of what popular opinion said.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]“I felt that I was going to win, because I envisioned myself as a national champion when I prepared for that match,” Caldwell said. “I believe in my abilities and I thank God to give me the ability to do what I did.
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]Following the match, as Caldwell began his victory celebration, Metcalf gave Caldwell a big shove and was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, costing Iowa a valuable team point in its quest to repeat as team champions.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]The loss is only the second of Metcalf’s career and ended a 69-match winning streak. Metcalf’s other loss also was to Caldwell, who pinned him on November 24, 2007. Metcalf finished the season 37-1.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]“I think I broke him a little bit during the match," Caldwell said. "I could hear him moaning. I could tell he was tired just like I was. His fuel was going down. I just had to stay in good position in the third period. I had a five-point lead going into the third period and I knew I was going to win.”[/FONT] [FONT=times new roman,times]
[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]No doubt in part thanks to the victory over the heavily favored Metcalf, Caldwell was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler. He won once by fall and three times by major decision during the tournament, and allowed just 12 points in five bouts, all on escapes. He did not allow a takedown until the final seconds of the championship bout. Counting the 7-1 lead he had when he pinned Penn’s Cesar Grajales in the opening round, Caldwell outscored his five opponents by a combined 52-12.[/FONT]
[FONT=times new roman,times]With Caldwell's championship, NC State finished 19th at the NCAA Championships, the program's highest finish since a seventh-place finish in 1993.
[/FONT]
North Carolina Wins NCAA Basketball Championship
In front of a tournament record crowd, the favored University of North Carolina has claimed the men's national collegiate basketball title.
North Carolina, which was making its record 18th appearance at the Final Four, started Monday night's title game in high gear. Unfazed by the wildly partisan Michigan State crowd, the Tar Heels hit six of their first seven shots and jumped out to a 17-7 lead. The 72,922 fans set a new record for the tournament championship game.
Michigan State helped by turning the ball over 14 times in the first half. North Carolina Coach Roy Williams gave credit to his defense and Ty Lawson's record eight steals.
"Down the stretch this year, we've been pretty doggone good," he said. "And, Ty was a huge part of that tonight. When he is really active, it is the front line of our defense and he is fantastic."
North Carolina continued to dominate, getting 17 points from Wayne Ellington to go up by as much as 24 points before ending the first half, with a 55-34 lead. The team's offensive explosion broke the old NCAA record of 53 points in a half. Michigan State's Travis Walton talks about falling behind early.
"Every time we made a decent run and our crowd got into it, they made a great play," he said. "That is why they won the national championship, [Be]cause they [are] a great team."
North Carolina slowed down the pace of the game in the second half, content to take time off the clock and maintain the lead. Michigan State never really threatened, getting no closer than a 13-point deficit before North Carolina took the title, 89-72.
Ty Lawson led North Carolina in scoring with 21 points, while Ellington - who ended the game with 19 points - was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. He talks about winning the award.
"Ahh, it feels good," he admitted. "You know, early in the season when my shot was not falling the way I wanted it to, I just stuck with it, fought through it, and it came back to me. And, it feels good. It shows hard work pays off and you really cannot give up on yourself. "
Goran Suton led all Michigan State scorers with 17 points. The victory was North Carolina's fifth national championship.
:toast:
In front of a tournament record crowd, the favored University of North Carolina has claimed the men's national collegiate basketball title.
North Carolina, which was making its record 18th appearance at the Final Four, started Monday night's title game in high gear. Unfazed by the wildly partisan Michigan State crowd, the Tar Heels hit six of their first seven shots and jumped out to a 17-7 lead. The 72,922 fans set a new record for the tournament championship game.
Michigan State helped by turning the ball over 14 times in the first half. North Carolina Coach Roy Williams gave credit to his defense and Ty Lawson's record eight steals.
"Down the stretch this year, we've been pretty doggone good," he said. "And, Ty was a huge part of that tonight. When he is really active, it is the front line of our defense and he is fantastic."
North Carolina continued to dominate, getting 17 points from Wayne Ellington to go up by as much as 24 points before ending the first half, with a 55-34 lead. The team's offensive explosion broke the old NCAA record of 53 points in a half. Michigan State's Travis Walton talks about falling behind early.
"Every time we made a decent run and our crowd got into it, they made a great play," he said. "That is why they won the national championship, [Be]cause they [are] a great team."
North Carolina slowed down the pace of the game in the second half, content to take time off the clock and maintain the lead. Michigan State never really threatened, getting no closer than a 13-point deficit before North Carolina took the title, 89-72.
Ty Lawson led North Carolina in scoring with 21 points, while Ellington - who ended the game with 19 points - was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. He talks about winning the award.
"Ahh, it feels good," he admitted. "You know, early in the season when my shot was not falling the way I wanted it to, I just stuck with it, fought through it, and it came back to me. And, it feels good. It shows hard work pays off and you really cannot give up on yourself. "
Goran Suton led all Michigan State scorers with 17 points. The victory was North Carolina's fifth national championship.
:toast:
USA Defeats Spain 2-0
Written on June 24, 2009
Here's a question that's been asked over the years: Why watch the FIFA Confederations Cup?
Here's the answer for the 2009 tournament: Because the USA are competing in it.
Many thought the Americans would learn their lesson from Group B and accept a rollover from the current best-ranked team in the world, Spain.
But as they proved in the last game of Group B against Egypt with a six-goal deficit in goal difference gone, once again the USA were not interested in reading the Hollywood script.
Ranked 13 places down from Spain in the official FIFA World Rankings, hardly anyone (except the extreme American optimist) expected the USA to win in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup in Bloemfontein.
But against all the odds, the USA managed to beat Spain 2-0, with goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey.
In a country that still calls the world's most popular sport "soccer" as opposed to "football," the win would undeniably work wonders for boosting its profile throughout the nation.
It will also give confidence to these American players, who can believe that anything is now achievable, having won against a team that hasn't lost since November 2006 and is currently meant to be the best in the world.
Speaking of being the best in the world, one thing the USA should be wary of is silly mistakes, inexperience, and allowing the opponent to dominate play.
It's not the most popular thing to write, but the gulf in class was apparent in Bloemfontein, and it was clear who was generally the better team.
Spain, with their star-studded cast of players, looked stronger out on the pitch, with slick passing slicing open the defence and providing more and more goal-scoring opportunities.
However, no matter how slick and accurate the Spanish passing was and how quickly they moved the ball, by the time of the second half, it seemed clear they wouldn't win.
In Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, the USA have arguably one of the finest shot-stoppers in the world, as the ex-Manchester United keeper was instrumental in shutting out the likes of David Villa and Fernando Torres.
Without Howard, the Americans would have that game lost, and the script would've run along nicely.
In the Spanish defence, despite having arguably one of the best back-lines in the world, with the likes of Real Madrid right-back Sergio Ramos and FC Barcelona legend Carles Puyol, a severe lack of concentration is what separated the wheat from the chaff.
Through excellent goalkeeping, desperately effective defending, and the ability to capitalise on opponent's mistakes, it was clear the USA did not need to be the better team.
In a country where "soccer" is not on top, and mostly everyone supports the favourite, the American players once again did not follow the script for the new Hollywood film "The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup."
That is what makes this tournament so unexpectedly exciting—the underdog fights the odds, and wins.
Written on June 24, 2009
Here's a question that's been asked over the years: Why watch the FIFA Confederations Cup?
Here's the answer for the 2009 tournament: Because the USA are competing in it.
Many thought the Americans would learn their lesson from Group B and accept a rollover from the current best-ranked team in the world, Spain.
But as they proved in the last game of Group B against Egypt with a six-goal deficit in goal difference gone, once again the USA were not interested in reading the Hollywood script.
Ranked 13 places down from Spain in the official FIFA World Rankings, hardly anyone (except the extreme American optimist) expected the USA to win in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup in Bloemfontein.
But against all the odds, the USA managed to beat Spain 2-0, with goals from Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey.
In a country that still calls the world's most popular sport "soccer" as opposed to "football," the win would undeniably work wonders for boosting its profile throughout the nation.
It will also give confidence to these American players, who can believe that anything is now achievable, having won against a team that hasn't lost since November 2006 and is currently meant to be the best in the world.
Speaking of being the best in the world, one thing the USA should be wary of is silly mistakes, inexperience, and allowing the opponent to dominate play.
It's not the most popular thing to write, but the gulf in class was apparent in Bloemfontein, and it was clear who was generally the better team.
Spain, with their star-studded cast of players, looked stronger out on the pitch, with slick passing slicing open the defence and providing more and more goal-scoring opportunities.
However, no matter how slick and accurate the Spanish passing was and how quickly they moved the ball, by the time of the second half, it seemed clear they wouldn't win.
In Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard, the USA have arguably one of the finest shot-stoppers in the world, as the ex-Manchester United keeper was instrumental in shutting out the likes of David Villa and Fernando Torres.
Without Howard, the Americans would have that game lost, and the script would've run along nicely.
In the Spanish defence, despite having arguably one of the best back-lines in the world, with the likes of Real Madrid right-back Sergio Ramos and FC Barcelona legend Carles Puyol, a severe lack of concentration is what separated the wheat from the chaff.
Through excellent goalkeeping, desperately effective defending, and the ability to capitalise on opponent's mistakes, it was clear the USA did not need to be the better team.
In a country where "soccer" is not on top, and mostly everyone supports the favourite, the American players once again did not follow the script for the new Hollywood film "The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup."
That is what makes this tournament so unexpectedly exciting—the underdog fights the odds, and wins.
