The aftermath

The overwhelming feeling after Sunday's 3-0 defeat in the Confederations Cup final: the USMNT got beat by a better team.

Sure, blowing a 2-0 lead is disappointing and frustrating. But there was no reason to think Brazil couldn't match what the U.S. did in the first half. Their attack is phenomenal.

Heck, the Samba Boys had a 3-0 half against Italy (historically the best defensive team in the world) without even trying!

I certainly thought the USMNT would need a goal in the second half to be safe.

The biggest thing I wanted to see Sunday was competitiveness. If you're gonna lose, make a game of it. Show some fire, show some emotion. And watching Clint Dempsey on the podium accepting his awards with tears in his eyes told me everything.

Losses suck, but the U.S. competed with the world's elite. How can you not be proud of your team taking out Spain and pushing Brazil to the brink?

That's what it's all about.

I'm not even going to get into the HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE substitutions on Chivas USA chumps Sacha Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein after the equalizer. WTF?!? The game was lost there. Sacha played the worst game I've ever seen at the national team level, and Bornstein on the left wing was supposed to be a game-changer? Should have forfeited the game right there. Not happy with those moves by ex-Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley. Altidore and Feilhaber should be able to play more than 20 minutes in the second half. Even tired, they are better playmakers, especially when you need a goal. I still definitely want a new coach. But I'm not going to get into it.

Some ratings: Tim Howard 8.5, Jonathan Spector 6.0, Oguchi Onyewu 7.0, Jay DeMerit 6.0, Carlos Bocanegra 5.0, Landon Donovan 7.5, Clint Dempsey 6.5, Ricardo Clark 6.0, Benny Feilhaber 5.0, Charlie Davies 6.0, Jozy Altidore 5.0, Sacha Kljestan 0.5, Jonathan Bornstein 5.0, Conor Casey Inc.