U.S. takes giant steps with defeat of Brazil

Ottawa -- They knew it would take an even better effort, plus a little bit of magic, to beat mighty Brazil in their Group D finale Friday night in Canada's capital. They ended up getting both, as well as only the second meaningful U.S. victory over a Brazilian side -- at any level -- in 18 years.

"It still hasn't sunk in right now," said Jozy Altidore, who scored both goals in the 2-1 win. "It was a great game, a great night."

Altidore may have walked out of Frank Clair Stadium holding the game ball, but the hero once again was Freddy Adu. Adu had a hand in both U.S. goals. Altidore's second came after Adu danced through a pair of defenders on the end line and his ensuing shot was deflected to Altidore -- who put the Americans up for good with less than ten minutes left to play.

"I'm very proud to captain a U.S. team to a win against Brazil," Adu said afterward. An American team had not toppled a Brazilian in a non-friendly match since the U-17 World Cup in 1989.

"When I look back on this some day I can say hey, that was a great achievement."

Before the tournament began, U.S. coach Thomas Rongen stressed that for the U.S. to be successful at this FIFA U-20 World Cup, they would need their bevy of attacking stars to be totally committed to the cause -- on both sides of the ball. The opening tally proved the squad's biggest name has fully bought into his boss' philosophy.

Twenty-four minutes in, Adu was pressuring the ball 70 yards from the American goal when he dove in for a challenge and managed to toe-poke the ball away from midfielder Renato Agusto. It broke to Altidore, who collected and ran straight at the retreating yellow and blue-clad defenders. Altidore cut to his right, then sent a quick shot to his left that beat keeper Cassio to give the Yanks the 1-0 lead.

Brazil had its own chances in the first 45 minutes, but U.S. goalie Chris Seitz was a brick wall. By the time the game was over, the Samba Boys had put 15 shots on frame, yet Seitz had allowed only Leandro Lima's 64th minute tap-in after he failed to corral a hard drive during a scramble in the box.

The U.S. was coming off a 6-1 win over Poland earlier in the week, a game Rongen called the best he'd ever seen an American U-20 side play. But after Friday's showing, he had to reconsider his stance.

"We caught Poland at the right time," said Rongen. "They looked emotionally and physically [spent]. This game was different. Brazil was clicking on all cylinders."

Brazil now will have to wait to see if it qualifies for the Round of 16 as one of the four best third-place finishers. The U.S. won group D with seven points and Poland placed second with four after earning a 1-1 draw with Korea Republic on Friday.

On Saturday the U.S. travels to Toronto, where it will meet the third-place finisher from Group B, E or F on July 11. The Americans will know their opponent upon the conclusion of the first round Sunday evening.

After the upset, Brazil coach Nelson Rodrigues said he thought the U.S. could reach the final. As far as Adu is concerned, that's not quite good enough.

"We want to win this tournament," Adu said. "We lost last time around [in 2005, to Italy in the second round], and I didn't play well. This time I don't want any regrets."

Player ratings: (scale of 1-10)

Chris Seitz, 8 -- Spilled the ball on the equalizer, but more than made up for it with several key second-half saves, including a pair from point-blank range.

Anthony Wallace, 7 -- Was solid most of the time and quick to recover when Brazilian attackers got past him. Had a vital first half-block after slipping in the box. His long balls out of the back continue to impress.

Nathan Sturgis, 6 -- His best game yet, but still has room for improvement. Had a few shaky moments early but settled down and was a rock in the late going.

Ofori Sarkodie, 8 -- Showed intelligent positioning and poise on the ball. Not afraid to mix it up with anyone. Has earned a starting role from here on out regardless of Julian Valentin's injury status.

Tony Beltran, 7 -- Had trouble dealing with the tricky Brazilian forwards at times, but survived mostly unscathed. Picked his spots going forward and was calm with the ball at his feet.

Michael Bradley, 7 -- Was fantastic defensively in the second half. Bailed out the back four on multiple occasions, including one play late where he stripped Pato in the box after Beltran had been rounded. Continues to struggle with long-range shooting, but he's not counted on for offense anyway.

Danny Szetela, 6 -- Relatively quiet game compared to his first two outings, but was solid in the tackle and combined well with Adu and Bradley in the center of the field. Kept it simple.

Freddy Adu, 9 -- Somehow managed to top his virtuoso performance against Poland. Showed his commitment by creating the first goal with a perfectly timed tackle. The winner came after a moment of sheer brilliance by Adu. Was dangerous for 90 minutes. Freddy is feelin' it, no doubt.

Robbie Rogers, 7 -- Extremely active on the left side during the first half. His long-range bomb was earmarked for the top corner, forcing a full-extension save from Cassio. Less involved after the break, but continues to show skill and a solid work rate.

Sal Zizzo, 7 -- His skills on the right wing were utterly Brazilian-like at times, but unlike against Poland, his ideas usually didn't come off. However, his quick throw-in to Adu in the corner started Fred's magic act.

Jozy Altidore, 8 -- Great solo effort on his first goal, finishing against the grain, far post, after getting Cassio's feet moving the other way. Took up a good spot in the box on the game-winner. Was superb holding up the ball with his back to goal.

Subs:

Amaechi Igwe, 7 -- Came on for Rogers immediately after the second American goal to shore up a tiring defense. Did the job, but picked up a yellow card in the process.

Tim Ward, NR -- Saw his first, and only, minute of action since his nightmare against South Korea.

Dax McCarty, NR -- Final whistle sounded seconds after he entered deep into stoppage time.

Doug McIntyre is a soccer columnist for ESPN The Magazine and ESPNsoccernet.