A Duquesne Student's Blog

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Brazil barely defeated South Africa today in the semi-finals of the Confederations Cup. Brazil, the 5th ranked team in the world will now face the 14th ranked United States squad for the second time in this tournament. In the first match between them, Brazil outshot the U.S. 23-9 and won 3-0. The U.S. never had a chance to beat Brazil, but played well against first ranked Spain in their semi-finals match.

The game will be played in Johanesberg, South Africa and will air at 2 pm EDT on ESPN. The U.S. was not expected to make it this far into the tournament, especially after losing their first two matches of the tournament by healthy margins. They were fortunate enough to defeat Egypt 3-0 in their third match to gain entry into the semi-finals. They played their best soccer of the year against Spain, and will need a similar effort to be Kaka, Robhino, and the rest of Brazil's soccer stars.

The U.S. will need efforts similar to those in the Spain match from scorers Joze Altidore and Clint Dempsey. Altidore, only 19, will need to use his size and athleticism in order to out manuever Brazil's veteran defensemen. Also look for Landon Donovan to step up if the U.S. has any hope of winning their first ever FIFA tournament in their first ever FIFA tournament final appearance.