Ouch

Despite the outcome, I'm still proud of our guys for taking us on this roller coaster ride to the Confederations Cup finals. They showed the passion, grit and determination that all of us fans were dying to watch. Thank you.

But that doesn't take away the pain. I watched the game yesterday at The Old Pro, a great sports bar in Palo Alto, CA. The place was packed. Not an open seat by 10 minutes into the game. And to go from standing on my bar stool after Donovan's goal to burying my head after Lucio's game winner was brutal. During the second half everyone just felt the game slipping away as Brazil regained its confidence and then shut the game down.

Why did Brazil win? Because they realized they're Brazil. The fact that Pato never played and Dani Alves spent half the tournament on the bench speaks volumes about Brazil's depth and level of professionalism. The U.S. was brilliant setting the game's initial momentum and exploiting 2 goals. But we couldn't figure out how to slow down Brazil's relentless attack.

Well, thanks for the memories, boys.

Next up: the Gold Cup and then a qualifier against Mexico at Azteca. Delicious. The Gold Cup will be interesting because we'll have a chance to watch up-and-comers like Adu and Torres. Let's see whether our next generation has the skill and guts to one day defeat Brazil.