Steps taken in devastating loss

Sorry for the blog break; moving 15 minutes away was much more difficult than I once thought.

Tough to see the U.S. go down the way they did against Brazil in the FIFA Confederations Cup final.

When you're in the position that United States soccer is in, only good can come from a meltdown of such magnitude. 

Positives can be taken away. The U.S. certainly walked off with the confidence needed when playing teams as dominant as Brazil and Spain. They now know they have the talent to beat the best.

I've never been a fan of soccer until the Confederations Cup. Not sure if I'm hopping on the Major League Soccer wagon, but I'm certainly digging the international game.

—The news of Yao Ming's injured foot came up disappointing this week. Some reports are guessing Yao might be forced to retire because of a broken left foot. When you're 7-foot-5 and well-over 300 pounds, feet tend to be important.

After Tracy McGrady lost his 2009 season to injury, the Rockets seemed to figure their identity out. They took care of a young and talented Portland team and turned right around to push the eventual NBA Champion Lakers to seven games.

Houston realized its strength: defense, defense and defense. Losing Yao is going to be tough considering 6-foot-9 forward Luis Scola is the next tallest Rocket who earned a credible amount of playing time last season.

—Is any one else enjoying the North Side collapse? The Chicago Cubs roughed its way through the first three months of the year with a 37-38 record, as of July 2. Milton Bradley is angry (normal), Lou Pinella is one onion ring away from a stroke and leadoff man Alfonso Soriano is stomping his .296 on-base percentage into the ground.

With a payroll well over $130 million and facing a deep division, the Cubbies aren't looking like the supposed favorites to represent the National League in the World Series this year.

I love it.

"The People Under the Stairs"

Have you ever seen the Wes Craven classic about a family who kidnaps children only to throw in their conveniently large basement? When the frightening youngsters show their long hair and pale skin to the audience, one seemingly can't look away.

Kind of reminds me of United States soccer.

For years, U.S. Soccer was a person under the stairs; striker Landon Donovan (left) and his teammates were locked away in a dark hole with little to eat and no sunlight. With its win over No. 1 rated Spain on June 24, U.S. Soccer was discovered and rescued thanks to its own actions. It busted free of the tyranny that is a basement with a padlock attached.

The United States now has a chance to work itself back into society with a win over Brazil this afternoon. If the Americans can find some way to sneak past the amazing Brazilians, U.S. Soccer will be the new rage in this country and for good reason. Though just fighting for the FIFA Confederations Cup, victory over Brazil could go down as the greatest moment in U.S. Soccer history. And give the Americans momentum heading into next summer's World Cup.

Consider the situation America was in a week before; the only way for the United States to advance into the Cup semi-final was a three-goal victory over Egypt, who was coming off a huge victory over Italy. Also, Brazil had to knock out the Italians by a minimum of three goals. Remarkably, both events occurred, which boosted America into the final four.

Can United States Soccer give America something to celebrate by winning its first FIFA competition? Let's hope so for the sports sake.