This is another indication of the depth being developed at a position occupied in France '98 by Eddie Pope and David Regis , both strong players out of this tournament while recovering from injuries, and the now-retired Thomas Dooley. The American camp was excited about the overall strong showing against Brazil, with the United States having a 13-8 edge in shots, and forcing six saves by Brazil s Dida, double the amount by goalkeeper Kasey Keller . Few forget the 1-0 loss to Brazil in the 1994 World Cup second round, when the Americans did nothing with the ball, even when one player up for a half when Leonardo was sent off for elbowing Tab Ramos . It was not the case yesterday, with the United States aggressively marking the top-ranked Brazilians, keeping possession longer than it usually does against top Latin teams, and creating a number of scoring chances. Brazil astonishingly has no corner kicks, normally an indication of who controls play, while the United States had two.
Players are now in a professional environment .
We are light years behind . That's how high the bar has been raised for a U.S. team that was shamed by its last-place finish in France '98, and it's not all new players. Six members started against Brazil. The tournament scheduling has been a scandal. The United States, if it gets past Germany on Friday, is expected to play Mexico on Sunday, giving it three games in five days.