Come on, C-Ron...

Surprisingly, there aren't an overwhelming amount of still frames from Gerardo's "Rico Suave" video available via the old Google image search, so I had to screen capture the scene of the video I was thinking of when I saw the third -- and clearly recent -- photo of the "stunning" Cristiano Ronaldo.

One thing's for sure, C-Ron loves dickshorts.

Rogers a Revelation in four-nil start to Gold Cup

Great image from Getty.

A few hours later, some first-watch running commentary.

First off, thanks so much to Fox Soccer Channel for providing two commentators who didn't take the time to think about what they were going to talk about in the introduction segment. Max Bretos and Christopher Sullivan seem to think the Gold Cup is imperative for the States to maintain their momentum. Yep, either that, or the whole Egypt/Spain thing did that, and the world will notice that America's B+ side set up for this tourney. One or the other, boys.

Goals:

States 1, Grenada 0 -- It's hard not to love Robbie Rogers, who plays with such energy for the Columbus Crew, and Grenada gives him far too much time to operate on the States' first goal of the Gold Cup. Rogers takes a miscue down the left wing and into the 18, having three options: shoot, find Charlie Davies on a terrific full run or lay off to Freddy Adu. He chooses the latter, and Adu releases the frustration of seeing precious little playing time in South Africa last month with a low kick past Grenada keeper Noel.

States 2, Grenada 0 -- Fault porous Grenada marking, but Rogers sends another filthy cross into the box that Stuart Holden powers into the net with his forehead. Rogers has the opportunity to really open some eyes with the way DaMarcus Beasley has underperformed in recent matches.

States 3, Grenada 0 -- Logan Pause's first cap leads to a well-placed long ground ball to Rogers, who had a look at assist No. 3 should he have played it to Davies, but instead he places a spinning far-post finish as pretty as any you've seen this summer. The Yanks are toying with poor Grenada. Let's hope this doesn't lead to cockiness in the rest of Group B's play.

States 4, Grenada 0 -- I'm also a big fan of Heath Pearce, and his lay-off to Davies for the fourth goal was the stuff of fantasy. Nice to see Chad Marshall get a moment, using great vision to send the long ball 2/3 of the way down the field to Pearce. Davies deserved a goal after a solid day.

Thoughts:

I've got a lot of love for Stuart Holden, the Scottish-born, Dallas-raised 23-year old. He showed a lot of gumption in his performance, letting fly with some nice rips from gutty distance and angles.

The Gold Cup made it easy to forget what Steve Cherundolo brings to the fold. His runs from the back are generally well-timed and often dangerous.

Robbie Rogers is so exciting to watch, even if he plays a little too excited himself on occasion.

I continue to fall in love with the physical and speedy play of Davies. He is, as our British friends would say, a joy to watch. The rocket he unleashed wide of the Grenada goal just before the start of stoppage time served as further awakening for American supporters.

Brad Evans of the Sounders hometown ovation upon entering in the 62nd minute was tempered by his getting a yellow card for coming on before Steve Cherundolo was off.

Adu hit a chip in the 71st minute that is the stuff legends are made of, even if it was off a keeper's mistake. The ball was as close to upper 90 as you can get without fitting it in the window. Adu shows the flair that earned him the hype every now and then, even if he continue to struggle to make club and country impact.

Game Two of the US' Gold Cup journey is 9 p.m. EST Wednesday in Washington, D.C., against Honduras. It will be televised on FSC again. Game Three is July 11 (Sat.) at 7 p.m. EST in Foxboro against Haiti.

Updating a previous story... Jermaine Jones should be eligible for a US roster as early as Sept. 5 against El Salvador. Left defender Edgar Castillo, who recently renegged on a commitment to Mexico to play for his native US, does not have a set date, but it may be the same.

Gold Cup, match 1 tonight: States v. Grenada

It's been a busy week, so I'm a day or so late to report that the States have been granted a special provision allowing them seven more players for the Gold Cup selection. From here-on-in, any Gold Cup featuring a team competing in the Confederations Cup will be allowed to select 30 players instead of 23, meaning Jozy Altidore, Conor Casey, Ricardo Clark, Benny Feilhaber, Sacha Kljestan, Jonathan Bornstein and Brad Guzan will be available for the tournament, though the US is not announcing who will be in each match's 18.

If all are available, I expect to see Jozy and Brian Ching up top, with Freddy Adu and Robbie Rogers behind. Then, Clark and Feilhaber holding above Steve Cherundolo, Chad Marshall, Heath Pearce and Bornstein. I'm not sure who would play inside, and I'm trying to get to the gym before Fourth festivities kick off, so forgive me if I'm missing something, like Guzan between the pipes.

Grenada vs. United States, 9 p.m. EST (yes, during fireworks) on Fox Soccer Channel.

States rise to No. 12 in latest FIFA Rankings

The United States unlikely run in the Confederations Cup has lifted its star to No. 12 in July's FIFA rankings, their highest showing since dropping from No. 5 to 16 between June and July of 2006, due to an abysmal showing in the World Cup.

The world rankings show a lot of volatility. The biggest winner is the Ivory Coast, which rose 20 spots up to No. 18 in the world. Denmark, Serbia and Australia made notable runs into the Top 20 as well.

The biggest loser? Turkey dropped from No. 12 to No. 28 after a loss to France and a win over Azerbaijan. Iraq and New Zealand also lost a lot of ground after bowing out in the first round of the Confederations Cup.

Brazil is the new No. 1, with Spain and Holland each dropping a spot, to 2 and 3, respectively.

More analysis after work, but here's a nice nugget from FIFA: Australia (16), Gabon (30), Grenada (88), Montenegro (98) and Antigua and Barbuda (105) have ascended to their highest spots since FIFA starting the ranking system in 1993.

Pride and Going Forward: States fall in Final

There are a lot of bridesmaids in world soccer. Take the World Cup, for example, a tournament which only seven teams have won. If you toss in the Confederations Cup, only two more nations are added.

This, of course, is little consolation to the average American hoping to grasp onto soccer, and of just a bit more to the established US Soccer fan. That the Yanks played brave soccer against a team that hadn't lost in 15 matches is worth contemplating. For three games, the States were a fine representation of the guts and class America wants out of its athletes, and it's important to remember that they had nice stretches in the two red-card-aided losses to Italy and Brazil.

Again, heathens will point to the shot disadvantage, wantonly ignoring that the American side went up 2-0 and chose to defend rather than continue attacking. The philosophy is the real thing to question here, but this was America's first dance in a FIFA Final, and we learned plenty. The States stepped up and continued to attack in the first 30 seconds of the second half, but you can argue that they played their soccer too guarded after Brazil's counter stunned them one minute in. Expect them to learn from this, though I'd argue they were simply outclassed in the final half.

Against a Brasilian Selecao with top-club starters on their bench, the Yanks came out fearless and brought true athletic valor to their play. It was brilliant, albeit short-lived, and you simply have to be excited for the States' expected return trip to South Africa in 2010.

So if you're asking me, feel free to sound the vuvuzela and salute your soccer team, States. Even FIFA's recap used the adjective "brave" to describe the inner strength of the red, white and blue. From the Egypt game onward, they showed a refusal to stop fighting, and even an error-filled half-hour in the final shouldn't tarnish your pride. It simply isn't choking against a team like Brazil, and shame on you if you want to label this runnes-up finish that way.

The goals:

-- States 1, Brazil 0 -- Clint Dempsey with a creative side kick off a beautiful Jonathan Spector cross, and how far have we come from Game One of this tournament, when Spector appeared to be outclassed and Dempsey a passenger. Dempsey still had little to offer defensively, and that's something to speak of moving forward, but not right now.

-- States 2, Brazil 0 -- Charlie Davies left-footed pass on a long 1-2 was splendid, and Donovan's touch to shoot looked awkward but was wonderful. His left-footed side-panel rip was pretty, and he was celebrating before it was in. True strikers know those sorts of things.

-- States 2, Brazil 1 -- Brazil counters the States early attack with terrific transition play, and Luis Fabiano makes a brilliant turn before blasting a ground rip through Jay DeMerit's legs and past Tim Howard.

-- The "non-goal" -- How Kaka's 59th minute effort inside the six wasn't called a goal is kinda absurd, but that's a tough call to make. If the official had called it a goal, there is no way we could argue against it, either.

-- States 2, Brazil 2 -- One of the few time we can criticize Carlos Bocanegra and Oguchi Onyewu, and it's the worst time for the States. Bocanegra whiffed on a potential clear -- though of course slow motion makes it look easier than it would've been -- and Gooch wrongly assumed Howard would snag the Elano's blast, and let Fabiano step in front. At this point, it was hard to envision the Yanks coming back.

-- Brazil 3, States 2 -- The US' spot kick bugaboo is their undoing. Lucio gets over Dempsey, who apparently thought he was marking a small child. A great header, a perfect header, a heartbreaking header.

The stars, and the criticism...

-- Tim Howard was named goalkeeper of the tournament, and how could any player possibly be chosen as better class. As early as the 12th minute Howard was responsible for keeping US hopes afloat with a wonderful save of a Robinho strike.

-- It would be too dramatic to call Jay DeMerit's play a "revelation," but the 15-times capped American used the Conf. Cup to exhibit the skills, smarts and leadership that lead him to be named captain of Watford, a second-tier team in England. Even if Brazil's first goal came through his legs, he's a tough nut to crack, and the Spector/Boca/Gooch/DeMerit backline is quality.

-- Landon Donovan, a.k.a. PK Lando, responded brilliantly after a miserable couple of games, and you can be genuinely proud of the American star. While he'll need to show it consistently, No. 10 showed himself to be a world class talent, and his "it's me" moment while touching the US crest on his kit after goal No. 2 is worth noting.

--Kaka truly looked like the best player in the world. Charlie Davies' 54th minute bear hug coverage of the Brazilian star on a free kick is emblematic of the respect the new Real Madrid player deserves.

-- The difference in depth was underscored when Daniel Alves entered. The Barcelona man was outstanding in so many ways after entering in the 66th minute.

-- Onyewu came so close to equalizing in the 87th minute off a Donovan corner.

-- I do not understand the Bob Bradley's Conor Casey obsession, even in the absence of Brian Ching. He hasn't done much for me yet.

-- I like John Harkes as a color man. I don't get the hate.

-- Sometimes Landon Donovan makes faces that make him look like Hilary Swank.

-- Night soccer is stunning in HD.

What's next...

The next time the novice fan sees the States team, he will see the equivalent of a "C" team, but this will not be mentioned by mass media. Only seldom-used subs Freddy Adu and Luis Robles, as well as new star striker Charlie Davies, will be in the fold for the Gold Cup. It's a shame because a nice run in that tournament will be pretty impressive, and losses understandable, but those bitter 40-year old men terrified of losing their jobs will have precious little patience.

US Gold Cup dates (all LIVE on Fox Soccer Channel):
July 4- vs. Grenada at Qwest Field in Seattle (6 p.m. EST)
July 8- vs. Honduras at RFK Stadium in Washington (9 p.m. EST)
July 11- vs. Haiti at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro (7 p.m. EST)

P.S. I love the Lionel Messi commercial, even if I don't think it makes much sense. The Atomic Ant!

Soccer gets in the way of soccer

Give a moment of angst-explanation before I preview this afternoon's contest, please.

I have had zero complaints up to this point about my appointment as play-by-play voice of the Buffalo Flash, the local womens professional soccer club. They generally win, and I have a tremendous time calling the game with former Rutgers player Oliver Petersen, an Arsenal supporter and Brit by birth.

That was until today, when America's lack of true love for soccer has kicked me square in "The Family Matters." In many nations, the 3 p.m. kickoff for the Flash and Hamilton Avalanche (televised Monday and Tuesday on TW-13 in WNY) would be move so the soccer-adoring public could watch their national team battle traditional power Brazil.

In this case, however, the Flash have no true reason to touch the start time -- their 300-500 fans are more folks that come out for local soccer than anything since the Buffalo Blizzard played their brand of indoor madness at the Aud years ago, and these casual red, white and blue supporters can DVR their little hearts out.

My British cohort will be doing the same, but I can't wait that long. I will need to get text updates from my teammates, who will be watching the game together while I broadcast. Then, I'll have to hear about the game for a couple more hours while my mens team, Baker's City FC, tries to score a second major upset in a row. Finally, after a beer or two, at 9 p.m., I can sit down to watch what could be up for debate as the greatest moment in the history of American soccer.

In no way am I complaining about being paid money to watch soccer. C'est la vie. Go States!

--- As for the FINAL... ---

As for this afternoon's Confederations Cup final, I'm going to take the easy way out and say that while I generally do believe in miracles, losing Michael Bradley to a wrongly-given red card is going to give the US even more fits than usual when it comes to the 2 p.m. kickoff. Kaka and Luis Fabiano have a certain chance to give the US defense fits, and Bradley's absence will help nothing.

For the States to win, they will need more superior marking from Carlos Bocanegra, and another fabulous game from Oguchi Onyewu. Expecting Tim Howard to play mistake-free has become a near-certainty. You never say never after Wednesday, but I'd prefer to see the Yanks refuse to run with Brazil early, and attempt to dictate some of the pace, which would be a more-than-minor victory in itself.

Then again, if the US put up a performance like no other they've done offensively, and Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan both played unparalleled in ball movement, this could be a high-numbered classic. If you forced me to select an outcome, it'd look something like this:

Brazil strikes about 25 minutes in after a decent "feeling-out" period, with the world's No. 5 team surprised to see a different States team than they faced a week ago. They strike again 10 minutes later, but the US answers just after half. Trailing 2-1, the Americans have a handful of second half chances, but Brazil pokes one home with under 10 to go to claim the hardware with a 3-1 victory.

Needless to say, I hope I'm horribly incorrect.

--- Third place game thoughts ---

Barring late dramatics, you can't say enough for the South African performance, mostly of their team, but also of their supporters. I am firmly committed to trying to find the economic means to send my wife and me to next summer's World Cup, to see at least one States game and one other match.

On the winner... Xabi Alonso's shot was good, but it would not have scored had South African keeper Khune not had to account for Llorente's attempted elbow deflection. There's nothing you could do to legislate this without getting an official killed, but it's unfortunate for the hosts. Still, fourth place sounds like a coup for them, even if it simply means they outclassed Iraq and New Zealand. As I pointed out in the Cup preview post, I felt RSA would be able to use the home field to their advantage, and their No. 72 FIFA world ranking was slightly better than Iraq and NZ.

Comment away!

On To The Finals!

Four pints of Guinness were totally expected for Wednesday afternoon's Confederations Cup clash between No. 1 Spain and No. 14 USA. I just expected them to come in misery, not to stave off nerves as myself and several friends bounced up and down at a local establishment (Coles) in anticipation of one of the greatest upsets in US Soccer history.

Yes, the Yanks knocked up Spain, 2-0, to reach the Confederations Cup Final, but it's so much more than that. The States ended a 35-game Spanish unbeaten streak. The Spaniards had won each of their last 15 matches. They had been ranked No. 1 in the world for over a year.

The States? Not-so-much. They needed a miracle to reach the semi-final, but everything worked their way, beginning with Jozy Altidore hammering a ball right at Iker Casillas that hit the Spanish keeper's hand before going in to make it 1-0 less than a third of the way in. Clint Dempsey's 74th minute made it all but certain the States would become the first team since the 2006 Romania squad to top Spain (by the way, huge thanks to Sergio Ramos for trapping a ball in his own six).

But, it was what happened in between and after those tallies that mattered. The States sold their selves for the ball. They draped themselves on Fernando Torres, and made sure any ball that got to unbeatable Tim Howard was saveable. Pick a player, and they made an outstanding play: Landon Donovan, Ricardo Clark, Michael Bradley, etc. Even Bob Bradley's sub choices were outstanding, particularly in the face of a "red for red's sake" from the officials late in the goings.

They played with panache -- Charlie Davies almost opened the scoring with an absurd attempted bicycle. They played with guts. They played with everything you want in an American side. Every Yank fan can be proud of their boys today, regardless of what happens Sunday.

And to make the day complete... fat babies on Maury!