On June 24, 2009, the United States men's national soccer team defeated Spain 2–0 in the semifinal of the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup at Bloemfontein, South Africa and stunning the international community because the United States had been considered the underdog, whereas Spain was riding a 35-match unbeaten streak. Despite dominating the game, Spain conceded two goals scored by Jozy Altidore in the 27th minute and Clint Dempsey in the 74th minute, forcing them to play the third-place match against hosts South Africa.

The result of this game not only snapped the opponent's unbeaten streak, but also generated unprecedented media buzz in the United States, a country where soccer is not typically the sport that commands the most attention. Some newspapers dubbed the game the "Miracle on Grass" evoking the "Miracle on Ice" achieved by the nation's ice hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics Ice hockey event. Meanwhile, Spain was left reeling and reacted strongly to the disparity in quality between the two teams; Spanish media outlets hailed the match as one of the biggest shocks in modern soccer history and harshly criticized the national team's performance, which led to a disastrous result.

After this game, the United States advanced to the final but finished as runners-up after losing to Brazil, while Spain played in the third-place game and defeated the host nation, South Africa. A year later, Spain won the World Cup for the first time in the team's history. From that point on, soccer in the United States, particularly Major League Soccer (MLS), has undergone significant transformations in terms of sporting quality, media presence, and public image. The league has continuously expanded through the addition of new clubs and an increase in the number of soccer-specific stadiums built across various states. Furthermore, MLS has emerged as an attractive destination for renowned players from around the world. Background General

The 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup is the eighth Confederations Cup, an international soccer tournament for men's national teams, held every four years by FIFA. It was contested by the holders of each of the six continental championships (AFC, CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, OFC, and UEFA), along with the current FIFA World Cup holder and the host nation, to bring the number of teams up to eight. On 2009, the tournament was held in South Africa from June 14 to June 28, as a prelude to the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The draw was held on November 22, 2008 at the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg. The opening game and the final was played at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg.

The eight teams qualifying for the tournament — comprising the FIFA World Cup host nation, the reigning World Cup champion, and the winners of continental championships (based on titleholders from the 2006 FIFA World Cup through the end of 2008) are as follows:

TeamConfederationQualification methodDate qualification securedParticipation no.CAFHostsMay 15, 20042ndUEFA2006 FIFA World Cup winnersJuly 9, 20061stCONCACAF2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup winnersJune 24, 20074thCONMEBOL2007 Copa América winnersJuly 15, 20076thAFC2007 AFC Asian Cup winnersJuly 29, 20071stCAF2008 Africa Cup of Nations winnersFebruary 10, 20082ndUEFAUEFA Euro 2008 winnersJune 29, 20081stOFC2008 OFC Nations Cup winnersNovember 19, 20083rd Teams from the same confederation were not drawn into the same group, therefore Egypt was drawn into Group B. Also as result, Italy and Spain were drawn into different groups. Spain

According to the draw results, Spain has been placed in Group A alongside New Zealand (2008 OFC Nations Cup winners), Iraq (2007 AFC Asian Cup winners) and hosts South Africa. The team played their first game against New Zealand, Spain established an early lead in the first half as striker Fernando Torres scored three consecutive goals in the 6th, 14th, and 17th minutes (hat-trick). In the 24th minute, Cesc Fàbregas expansed the lead to 4–0 following a coordinated attacking play. Just two minutes into the second half, David Villa capitalized on a defensive error by New Zealand to score the final goal, making it 5–0 in the 48th minute. In their second game, facing Iraq, Spain struggled to penetrate the defense—organized in numbers by coach Bora Milutinović—throughout the first half. It was not until the 55th minute that striker David Villa opened the scoring, heading the ball into the far corner from a cross delivered by left-back Joan Capdevila. This proved to be the only goal of the game, securing a narrow 1–0 victory for Spain and guaranteeing their spot in the semi-finals with a game to spare.

The final group stage game took place on June 20, 2009, with Spain facing hosts South Africa to determine the top two spots in the group. The first half ended goalless as both teams maintained tight defensive setups. A turning point arrived in the 51st minute when Spain was awarded a penalty after a South African defender fouled an opposing striker inside the box; however, David Villa failed to convert, as his effort was saved by goalkeeper Itumeleng Khune. Nevertheless, just a minute later, Villa redeemed himself by controlling the ball with his chest and scoring the opening goal in the 52nd minute. In the 72nd minute, substitute striker Fernando Llorente capitalized on a scramble following a free-kick to score from close range, sealing a 2–0 victory for Spain. United States

The Americans played their first game in Group B against Italy and held the World Cup champions to a scoreless first half, despite a red card being shown to midfielder Ricardo Clark, who tackled Gennaro Gattuso in the 33rd minute. A challenge by Giorgio Chiellini on Jozy Altidore earned a penalty for the United States, which was scored by Landon Donovan in the 41st minute and gave them a half-time lead. The Italians equalised in the 58th minute through a strike by American-born striker Giuseppe Rossi, who had been substituted a minute before and stole possession from Benny Feilhaber in the midfield to set up the shot. The team then took the lead through another long-distance shot in the 72nd minute by Daniele De Rossi and finished their 3–1 victory with a second goal for Rossi in extra time following a chipped cross by Andrea Pirlo.

The eventual finalists faced each other at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria on the second gameday, which ended in a 3–0 victory for Brazil. Maicon took a free kick from that found Felipe Melo, who headed it from the box to score the opening goal in the seventh minute. The lead was extended in the 20th minute after DaMarcus Beasley lost possession after a U.S. corner, which was dribbled upfield by Ramires and passed to Robinho, whose shot went past Tim Howard into the goal. U.S. midfielder Sacha Kljestan was sent off for a foul in the 57th minute and the team lost momentum that they had gained in the second half before conceding a final goal to Brazil five minutes later through a shot by Maicon from a narrow angle near the touchline. Although the U.S. lost their first two games, they were still eligible to advance following an upset victory for Egypt over Italy that kept them from being mathematically eliminated.

In their final group stage game against Egypt, the United States took the lead in the 21st minute following a mistake by goalkeeper Essam Al Hadary that allowed Charlie Davies to score from the loose ball in the box. Midfielder Michael Bradley then scored in the 63rd minute following a series of give-and-go passes with Landon Donovan, and Clint Dempsey added a third by heading in a cross from Jonathan Spector in the 71st minute. With their 3–0 victory, the United States were tied on three points with Italy and Egypt and tied the former with a goal difference of −2. The United States were able to advance on the second tie-breaker (goals scored), having scored four goals to Italy's three. Summary of results Note: In all results below, the score of the semi-finalist team is given first. Group standings

Results

|- bgcolor = #bbffbb | 1 || June 14 || || Royal Bafokeng || Rustenburg || 5–0 || Fernando Torres 6', 14', 17'Cesc Fàbregas 24'David Villa 48' || 21,649 || Coffi Codjia |- bgcolor = #bbffbb | 2 || June 17 || || Free State || Bloemfontein || 1–0 || David Villa 55' || 30,512 || Matthew Breeze |- bgcolor = #bbffbb | 3 || June 20 || || Free State || Bloemfontein || 2–0 || David Villa 52'Fernando Llorente 72' || 38,212 || Pablo Pozo

|- bgcolor = #ffbbbb | 1 || June 15 || || Loftus Versfeld || Pretoria || 1–3 || Landon Donovan 41' (p) || 34,341 || Pablo Pozo |- bgcolor = #ffbbbb | 2 || June 18 || || Loftus Versfeld || Pretoria || 0–3 || No goals || 39,617 || Massimo Busacca |- bgcolor = #bbffbb | 3 || June 21 || || Royal Bafokeng || Rustenburg || 3–0 || Charlie Davies 21'Michael Bradley 63'Clint Dempsey 71' || 23,140 || Michael Hester

|- style="text-align:center;" | Legend:      = Win      = Loss      = Game tied

Game summary Details In the first half, Spain took the initiative in possession and employed their trademark short-passing game, but the United States' high-pressing defensive system restricted the space available to the opposing midfielders. In the 27th minute, following a pass from Clint Dempsey, striker Jozy Altidore used his physical strength to beat defender Joan Capdevila before turning and firing home to open the scoring for the U.S. The remainder of the half saw sustained attacking pressure from Spain, driven by the mobility of Xavi and Cesc Fàbregas, yet opportunities for David Villa and Fernando Torres were thwarted by goalkeeper Tim Howard.

Spain coach Vicente del Bosque urged his players to push forward in search of an equalizer during the second half. They applied suffocating pressure in the U.S. half, creating a series of dangerous chances, but goalkeeper Tim Howard pulled off a string of brilliant saves. In the 74th minute, during a U.S. counterattack down the right flank, Landon Donovan fired a low cross into the penalty area. Spanish defender Sergio Ramos mishandled the ball, allowing Clint Dempsey to rush in and score from close range, extending the lead to 2–0. In the 86th minute, the United States was reduced to ten men after midfielder Michael Bradley received a straight red card for a dangerous tackle on Xavi. Despite playing shorthanded in the closing stages and facing intense pressure from Spain's repeated counter-attacks, the U.S. successfully held onto their two-goal lead until the final whistle. Box score

GK 1 Iker Casillas (c)RB 15Sergio RamosCB 3 Gerard Piqué CB 5 Carles PuyolLB 11Joan Capdevila DM 14Xabi AlonsoRM 10Cesc Fàbregas LM 18Albert Riera AM 8 XaviSS 7 David VillaCF 9 Fernando TorresSubstitutions:RM 20Santi Cazorla LM 22Juan Mata Manager:Vicente del Bosque GK 1 Tim HowardRB 21Jonathan SpectorCB 15Jay DeMeritCB 5 Oguchi OnyewuLB 3 Carlos Bocanegra (c)CM 13Ricardo ClarkCM 12Michael Bradley RW 8 Clint Dempsey LW 10Landon Donovan CF 9 Charlie Davies CF 17Jozy Altidore Substitutions:MF 22Benny Feilhaber CF 4 Conor Casey LB 2 Jonathan Bornstein Manager:Bob Bradley

Budweiser Man of the Match: Clint Dempsey (United States)

Assistant referees: Pablo Fandino (Uruguay) Mauricio Espinosa (Uruguay) Fourth official: Coffi Codjia (Benin) Reserve assistant referee: Alexis Fassinou (Benin) Game commissioner: Tai Nicholas (New Zealand) General coordinator: Helmut Sandrock (Germany) |} Scoring summaryHalfTeamScorerAssist(s)MinuteScore1st USA Jozy Altidore (17) Clint Dempsey (8) 27 1–0 USA2nd USA Clint Dempsey (8) Unassisted 74 2–0 USACard summaryHalfTeamPlayerReasonMinuteColor1st USA Landon Donovan (23) Tactical foul 5 Yellow USA Jozy Altidore (17) Excessive goal celebration 28 Yellow ESP Joan Capdevila (11) Bad foul 36 Yellow2nd USA Michael Bradley (12) Dangerous tackle 86 Red () ESP Gerard Piqué (3) Dissent 89 Yellow Statistical comparison