Friday, Jul. 03, 2009

Blissfully bleary U.S. returns for Gold Cup

Americans are hoping to build off their success

TUKWILA, Wash. — Bob Bradley was walking off the practice field toward the team bus when a father stopped the coach of the United States national team with a cheerful yell from a playground.

"Hey, good job on the Confederations Cup, man!" the dad shouted through a chain-link fence as a little girl played nearby.

He then raised his coffee cup to salute the coach.

Two weeks ago, the guy might have thrown his mug at Bradley — if he'd even known who he was.

Now, strangers are toasting the U.S. coach and his team.

Just a few days after its stunning success in the Confederations Cup in South Africa, a younger, scaled-down U.S. team was back home preparing for Saturday's game against Grenada, its opener in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Wednesday morning's 90-minute practice on a back field with only a girls' team watching through a fence was a relatively quiet plateau off the peak of becoming the first U.S. team to reach the final of a FIFA men's tournament.

That came after the U.S. looked outclassed while losing its first two matches in South Africa, 3-1 to world champion Italy 3-1 and 3-0 to South American champion Brazil.

Then, the Americans advanced to the semifinals on the second tiebreaker by blanking Egypt 3-0 as Brazil beat Italy. There, the revitalized Americans shocked top-ranked Spain. And they led five-time World Cup champion Brazil, the world's new No. 1, by two goals at halftime before losing 3-2 in Sunday's championship match.

"People are excited," Bradley said. "We all feel good that you get to a big tournament and your performance gets soccer people up and going. And now it gives us momentum to keep it going."

Bradley and players Charlie Davies, Freddy Adu, Heath Pearce — a Modesto native — and Luis Robles were slow to get out of South Africa because of limited flights. Then they traveled more than 10,200 air miles through Amsterdam, Paris and elsewhere across nine time zones Monday and Tuesday before practicing through jet lag Wednesday.

All in an effort to win a fourth consecutive title in the Gold Cup, the championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

"Yeah, traveling halfway across the world definitely has an effect," said Davies, the only American on the Gold Cup roster who appeared in games in South Africa. "It's just a matter of getting refocused. ... It feels really good to be back in the U.S."

Bradley, who is letting most of the national team regulars either return to their clubs or take a break, was home barely long enough to brush his teeth before arriving in Seattle.

"I went Johnannesburg-Dakar-Washington, D.C., to LA," Bradley said. "Come home for three hours, and then into Seattle."

No wonder CONCACAF, soccer's North and Central American and Caribbean governing body, is allowing the U.S. to add players to its Gold Cup roster. Forward Jozy Altidore, backup goalkeeper Brad Guzan and midfielder Ricardo Clark were among seven players added to the U.S. roster for the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Forward Conor Casey, midfielders Benny Feilhaber and Sacha Kljestan and defender Jonathan Bornstein also were put on the roster Thursday.

Bradley and his four weary travelers were met in Seattle by the only two regular national team starters on the Gold Cup roster, Hannover right back Steve Cherundolo and Houston forward Brian Ching, who are returning from injury.