Recently in U.S. Men's National Team Category

Almost as instructive as the U.S. loss to Brazil Sunday in the final of the Confederations Cup if we are looking forward to gauge the national team's chances of future success on the world stage, was the Mexican scoreless draw with Guatemala in San Diego.

The U.S. goes down blazing against the world's best; Mexico struggles to get anything out of a game with a modest soccer nation.

It's all about attitude.

Get caught up on the weekend's soccer in 60 seconds or less:
*The Galaxy had three shots on goal, scored on one of them and beat the MLS-leading Dynamo Sunday at Home Depot Center.

*Highlights:

*Heartbreak for the Americans in South Africa.

*Reaction:

*Mexico and Guatemala drew Sunday in San Diego in Gold Cup warmup.

*SuperLiga is over for Chivas USA.

*The Sol shine on.

It's over: U.S. 2 Brazil 3

Coach Bob Bradley: "It feels pretty lousy to let this one get away."

The Galaxy's Landon Donovan: "We're at the point where we don't want respect. We want to win."

Half time: U.S. 2 Brazil 0

From the "if you thought that win over Spain was massive" department comes the final of the Confederations Cup.

I scarcely dare write this post.

The game is on ESPN.

Perhaps the most important 45 minutes of American soccer coming up since the 1950 World Cup.

Four links for Sunday:
*Chivas USA were dumped out of SuperLiga Saturday.

*Spain beat South Africa in the Confederations Cup today.

*U.S.-Brazil coverage begins at 11 a.m. Sunday live on ESPN. Freddy Adu tweeted at 9 a.m.: "bumping some eminem to get ready for this game. we are hyped right now."

(Updated 11 a.m.: U.S. lineup.)

The Dynamo visit Home Depot Center at 7 p.m. riding a club-record 11 game winning streak against a Galaxy team that is tied for the fewest wins (with NYRB) in MLS - two. Yikes.

I plan to blog from the game.

A busy weekend of soccer with all three pro teams playing at home and the U.S. in the final of a FIFA competition for the first time:

10 a.m. Saturday - The runaway WPS-leading Sol plays its last weekend game of the season at the early hour at Home Depot Center against the Chicago Red Stars. There's a ticket special: two for $30 plus a Marta bobblehead and a $50 ESPN Zone game card. Call 1-877-4-SOL-TIX.

7 p.m. Saturday - Chicago must defeat Tigres Saturday and then Chivas USA must beat San Luis by at least two clear goals to advance in SuperLiga. Tickets start at $15. Call 1-877-CHIVAS-1 for tickets.

11 a.m. Sunday - Coverage begins on ESPN and Univision for the U.S. showdown with Brazil in the Confederations Cup final. BTW, the National Soccer Hall of Fame tweeted that the organization "is requesting a game ball from Sunday's championship match for display What else should we ask for?" What about a U.S. win?

7 p.m. Sunday - $1 beer, $1 dogs as the 2-3-9 Galaxy play the Western Conference leading Houston Dynamo in Carson. Call 1-877-3GALAXY for tickets.

In related news, the Galaxy's Landon Donovan has again been nominated for an ESPY.

So has the Sol's Marta. The current and three-time FIFA World Player of the Year is up against Russian pole vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva, Mexican golfer Lorena Ochoa, Australian swimmer Stephanie Rice and Russian tennis player Dinara Safina in the category of Best Female International Athlete. I'm told only ESPN's international viewers can vote in this one.

ESPN hands out the awards in July at the Nokia Theater at LA Live.

Or should that be Brazil for brunch? After all, the South Americans only narrowly beat South Africa today in the second Confederations Cup semifinal.

Vote below and elaborate in the comments section if you wish.

Only six players on the 23-man roster have caps in the double digits - Freddy Adu, Brian Ching, Jimmy Conrad, Steve Cherundolo, Heath Pearce and Santino Quaranta.

Chivas USA and Galaxy fans will not doubt be more interested in the players not picked; there is no Landon Donovan, Jonathan Bornstein or Sacha Kljestan on the U.S. roster.

There are only four carryovers from the Confederations Cup squad: Adu, Pearce, Charlie Davis and goalkeeper Luis Robles.

Full roster and details here.

Also: Mexico routed Venezuela last night in Atlanta.

One of the greatest performances in national team history (yes, let's veer from horror to hyperbole) even if it is a lightly-regarded tournament.

Box score.

Where have these guys been?

Sheer effort, movement off the ball, closing attackers down, goalkeeper Tim Howard looking unruffled and seemingly increasing in confidence with every save; the U.S. had it all today.

And the world's best team couldn't break down that defense.

Wow!

Updated 3:35 p.m.: Freddy Adu just tweeted - "whattttttttt. greatest win in US Soccer history straight up. finals here we come."

The game will be shown again at 8 p.m. on ESPN2, BTW.

Game story.

Barring two super results Saturday Chivas USA is done with SuperLiga.

Highlights:

Prediction: SuperLiga will soon go the way of this tournament.

U.S.-Spain Confederations Cup preview.

The game starts at 11:25 a.m. today on ESPN.

Just so we're all keeping track:

Tuesday
SuperLiga - Chivas USA at Chicago Fire 5 p.m. on TeleFutura in the second game of the tournament. Chivas USA were outplayed 2-1 game at Home Depot Center against Tigres last weekend. Chivas USA striker Eduardo Lillingston is suspended after his red card. Chicago beat San Luis 1-0 last weekend on a Brian McBride goal. A game preview from a Chicago perspective is here.

Online chat - Galaxy defender Gregg Berhalter chats with ESPN SportsNation at noon. Follow this link.

Wednesday
Confederations Cup Semifinal - U.S.-Spain 11:25 a.m. ESPN. No. 1 ranked Spain, undefeated in 35 games and on a 15-game winning streak. Ulp. Defender Carlos Bocanegro remains "questionable." Absolutely useless factoid from U.S. Soccer: Michael Bradley's goal against Egypt was the sixth of his career; that matches the total scored by Bert Patenaude. He had six goals in four appearances back in 1930, according to my MNT media guide; Bradley has played more than 25 games. Get your finger out, lad!

WPS - Sol (8-1-4) at St. Louis Athletica (4-4-2). The Sol are unbeaten in eight games, a sequence stretching back to May 2; Athletica have yet to score on the Sol in two games this season, a scoreless draw and a 2-0 loss at the HDC in April.

Thursday
Confederations Cup semifinal - Brazil-South Africa 11:25 a.m. ESPN.

Saturday
WPS - Chicago Red Stars at Sol at 10 a.m. (!) at Home Depot Center. Deal of the week to soften the early hour: two tix, a Marta bobblehead and $50 ESPN Zone gamecard for $29.99. Call 1-877-4-SOLTIX. Quality bobblehead, BTW.

SuperLiga - Chivas USA -San Luis 7 p.m. at Home Depot Center.

Sunday
MLS - Best reason to attend the 7 p.m. Galaxy-Dynamo game at the HDC: $1 beers and $1 hot dogs before the game. Also, the first 10,000 fans get a free Galaxy Sinch Sack; the first 7,500 a free Galaxy Car Flag. The Dynamo are first in the West with an MLS-best 28 points; the Galaxy lost last time out to struggling San Jose. I'll have another hot dog, please. Weird fact: the Galaxy's current two-game losing streak is just the second in Bruce Arena's tenure with the Galaxy. ... Notable: Van Nuys' Tristan Bowen, the first player in MLS history to be signed by a club through the league's youth development initiative, made his MLS debut Saturday. The 18-year old forward is the fourth youngest player to ever play a game for the Galaxy; younger were Izzy Sesay, Memo Gonzalez and Quavas Kirk. Not good company.

Busy this weekend?

Get caught up here in 60 seconds (or less):

*The U.S. overcame staggering odds Sunday to see Italy suffer its biggest loss to Brazil in 33 years combined with the first American win ever over Egypt and improbably scoring three after only managing one in the tournament to that point. The no margin for error result: a semifinal berth in the Confederations Cup against Spain Wednesday. The world's No. 1 ranked team are unbeaten in 35 games.

*The Sol continued to shine Sunday.

*Chivas USA tanked against Tigres in SuperLiga Saturday.

*The Galaxy crumbled Saturday against the Earthquakes.

Belated greetings from Carson on a day the Sol is celebrating the game that spawned WPS and the U.S. men are catching their breath after seeing everything go exactly right in South Africa (that "we'll take it" look on Coach Bob Bradley's face at game's end said it all).

Runaway WPS leaders the Sol have never even conceded a goal to FC Gold Pride winning two previous encounters 1-0 and 2-0.

Sol striker Han Duan is on the bench with back issues; the Sol waived defender Greer Barnes earlier this week.

The game is on Fox Soccer Channel.

Updated: The Sol just scored in the 19th minute from a Aya Miyama corner kick. Canadian defender Martina Franko did well to keep the ball in the danger area and poked it toward the goal where Camile Abily appeared to turn the ball inside the post for her league-leading seventh of the season. Right now, officials are giving the goal to Franko though; they plan to review the play at the half.

Chivas USA defender Jonny Bornstein retains his place in the U.S. defense against Egypt on ESPN2.

I'll be paying more attention to Italy-Brazil over on ESPN.

The 2-2-9 Galaxy face the similarly struggling 2-8-3 Earthquakes at 1:30 p.m. today on ESPN2, the start of a seven-game stretch that sees LA play five matches on the road. The Galaxy, seeking to rebound from last week's 2-0 home loss to Real Salt Lake, are without the suspended Eddie Lewis, while Landon Donovan is on national team duty.

More from an Earthquakes perspective is here.

BTW, the Galaxy and Earthquakes have both scored just 15 goals this season (only the Red Bulls have scored fewer), but the Earthquakes have conceded 10 more than LA. Can Edson Buddle and the Galaxy take advantage of that on the road?

Chivas USA, meanwhile, embark on their SuperLiga campaign at Home Depot Center against Tigres. The game kicks off at 7 p.m. live on KFTR.

Game notes here.

CONCACAF has released the 30-player rosters for the Gold Cup.

Here's the U.S. roster.

The Galaxy's Landon Donovan is absent, but Chivas USA Jonathan Bornstein is named as are Southern California products John Thorrington and Robbie Rogers. The most unfamiliar name: Aston Villa's Eric Lichaj.

Chivas USA was named to Canada's squad, BTW, and while we're at it here's Mexico's roster.

I'll blog from the Chivas USA game tonight, so please join me then.