The Confederations Cup Comeback

On This Day in 2009, Against All Odds, The US Staged a Miraculous Confederations Cup Revival Against Egypt

The United States arrived at the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa carrying modest expectations but harboring genuine hope. With a sixth consecutive World Cup berth likely secured, the eight-team tournament represented an opportunity for Bob Bradley's squad to measure itself against the world's elite. The Americans had been drawn into what many considered the proverbial Group of Death alongside defending World Cup champion Italy, five-time World Cup winner Brazil, and Egypt—a challenging baptism for a team seeking to prove its readiness for the following year's main event.

Bradley had assembled his strongest available roster, headlined by the country's leading scorer Landon Donovan and English Premier League standouts Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard. Young talents like Jozy Altidore and Jose Francisco Torres provided promise for the future. The tournament served as a critical litmus test: could the Americans compete with soccer's international powers, or would they struggle under the rise in skill as many feared?

Those fears materialized almost immediately. In their tournament opener against Italy on June 15, the Americans found themselves reduced to ten men when midfielder Ricardo Clark received a controversial red card in the 33rd minute for a late challenge on Gennaro Gattuso. Despite taking a 1-0 lead through Donovan's penalty, the numerical disadvantage proved insurmountable. Giuseppe Rossi, the New Jersey-born midfielder who had chosen to represent his parents' native Italy, scored twice as a substitute to seal a 3-1 defeat. "It seemed harsh," Bradley said of the red card. "To me, it's probably a yellow. To play that period down against a team like Italy is difficult."

The Brazil match, four days later, proved even more deflating. Missing injured defenders Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, and Frankie Hejduk, the Americans were exposed repeatedly in a comprehensive 3-0 defeat. Felipe Melo's seventh-minute header from a free kick marked the third time in four matches that the United States had conceded within the opening ten minutes. The pattern was becoming troublingly familiar. "We had a very nervous, tentative start to the game," Bradley admitted. "An early goal off a set piece really put us in a difficult situation right from the start."

With two defeats from two matches and having scored just one goal from open play, the Americans faced Egypt on June 21 in Bloemfontein, needing nothing short of a miracle. The mathematics was simple: only a victory by three or more goals, combined with Italy losing to Brazil by at least three, would send the United States through to the semifinals. It seemed an impossible task for a team that had looked overwhelmed by the tournament's elevated standard.

Egypt, meanwhile, arrived at the Rustenburg match with renewed confidence after their stunning 1-0 upset of world champion Italy, courtesy of Mohamed Homos's goal and stellar goalkeeping from Essam Al Hadary. The Pharaohs knew that maintaining the status quo would likely suffice, creating an intriguing tactical dynamic. Bradley made three crucial changes to his starting eleven, inserting backup goalkeeper Brad Guzan for his tournament debut, recalling midfielder Clark despite his earlier red card controversy, and handing a start to Charlie Davies, the 22-year-old forward from Manchester, New Hampshire, who was celebrating his birthday just days away.

The match began with both teams understanding the stakes. Egypt, missing striker Mohamed Zidan through injury, created several early opportunities through replacement Ahmed Abdel-Ghani but failed to capitalize. The Americans, meanwhile, were desperate to avoid another calamitous early concession that had plagued their tournament. The breakthrough arrived in the 21st minute through a sequence that perfectly encapsulated both Egypt's defensive frailties and the United States' growing desperation. Following a routine throw-in, Altidore delivered a cross from the right flank that should have been comfortably gathered by Al Hadary. Instead, the Egyptian goalkeeper fumbled the ball under pressure from defender Ahmed Fathi, who inadvertently kneed the keeper in the head while attempting to clear.

In the ensuing scramble, with Al Hadary dazed, Davies pounced on the loose ball and managed to bundle it into the net off the goalkeeper for his second international goal. The strike was fortuitous rather than spectacular, but for a team starved of luck throughout the tournament, it felt like divine intervention. Al Hadary required several minutes of treatment and had bandaging wrapped around his head to stem the bleeding, a visual reminder of the physical cost of the goal. More importantly for the Americans, it represented their first goal from open play in the tournament.

The lead energized the Americans, and they began to play with a freedom that had been absent in their previous performances. Donovan embarked on a weaving run that took him one-on-one with the recovering Al Hadary. Still, the Egyptian goalkeeper's bravery prevented a second goal that would have further eased American nerves. As news filtered through that Brazil was dismantling Italy in the other group match, Egypt found themselves caught between competing imperatives—an equalizer that would likely see them through.

The second half brought increased urgency from both sides, with the Americans denied what appeared to be a clear penalty when Hani Said blocked Altidore's goal-bound effort on the line with a combination of his thigh and arm. The referee waved away American appeals, but the team's confidence was visibly growing with each passing minute. The decisive moment arrived in the 63rd minute on Father's Day, fittingly through Michael Bradley, the coach's son. The midfielder connected on a perfectly executed give-and-go with Donovan, timing his run to perfection before side-footing a composed finish past Al Hadary.

With twenty minutes remaining and Egypt now needing to chase the game, space opened up for the Americans to exploit. Clint Dempsey provided the emphatic exclamation point, diving to head home the crucial third goal while holding off the challenge of defender Wael Gomaa. The Fulham forward's commitment to reach the cross epitomized the transformation in American mentality from their earlier defeats. The final whistle sparked scenes of disbelief and jubilation among the American players and their small but vocal contingent of supporters. Against all mathematical probability, they had achieved exactly what was required: a three-goal victory while Brazil simultaneously demolished Italy 3-0 in the other match.

"Big surprise, but we knew we were capable of this, and Brazil helped us out as well," Donovan said afterward, capturing both the shock and quiet confidence that had driven the performance. The victory represented the United States' best performance at a major international tournament since reaching the 2002 World Cup quarterfinals, ending a run of first-round exits that had included the 2003 Confederations Cup, the 2006 World Cup, and the 2007 Copa América.

The turnaround was so dramatic that even the players struggled to fully process it. Having entered the final group stage matches on the verge of elimination for the fourth consecutive international tournament, the Americans now found themselves preparing for a semifinal against European champions Spain. It was a remarkable rehabilitation for a team that had been written off just days earlier. The victory also provided Bob Bradley with vindication after facing criticism for his tactical decisions and team selection throughout the tournament. His decision to rotate his lineup, particularly the inclusion of Davies and Guzan, had paid dividends when his team needed it most. 

As the players celebrated their unlikely progression, thoughts inevitably turned to the semifinal challenge awaiting them in Bloemfontein. Spain, the reigning European champions, represented another formidable test for a team that had already exceeded all reasonable expectations. But for a group that had just engineered one of the most improbable escapes in tournament history, even the prospect of facing the world's top-ranked team seemed less daunting than it might have just hours earlier. The Americans had proven that in international soccer, as in life, reports of their demise had been greatly exaggerated.