Brazil Rallies To Beat U.S. In FIFA Final

Lucio scored a late goal to give Brazil a 3-2 win over the United States and a second straight Confederations Cup title Sunday.

The Brazil captain headed in a corner from Elano in the 84th minute to help the five-time world champions hold off a spirited American team that had taken a 2-0 lead at halftime.

Luis Fabiano scored two goals in the second half to put Brazil back in the match after Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan had given the Americans the lead.

Brazil, which won its third Confederations Cup title, looked like a beaten team in the first half, creating little and being constantly stymied by the United States defense and goalkeeper Tim Howard.

But Luis Fabiano started the comeback in the 46th minute as Brazil's "Beautiful Game" burst into life. The striker collected a pass from Ramires before turning and shooting past defender Jay DeMerit for his fourth goal of the tournament.

He added a fifth in the 74th, heading in a rebound after Kaka's cross was kicked against the crossbar by Robinho.

Dempsey, who also scored in the 2-0 semifinal win over Spain, gave the Americans the lead in the 10th minute by redirecting a cross from Jonathan Spector. Donovan added the second by finishing off some nice passing play with Charlie Davies on a fast counterattack in the 27th.

Spector started the unthinkable after only 10 minutes, running down the right and sending a low cross into the area. Dempsey, who had plenty of room to maneuver, raised his right leg and put just enough of a touch on the ball to alter the direction and send it past a diving Julio Cesar.

Donovan then got possession at his own end shortly after Maicon had sent in a corner for Brazil from the right. The United States midfielder ran up the middle, passed to Davies and then reclaimed the ball from his teammate before beating Julio Cesar.

The Americans appeared to get some luck in the 60th when Kaka headed a cross from Andre Santos to the near post. Howard stepped back into his goal and knocked the shot off the underside of the crossbar and then grabbed it safely in his arms.

Kaka yelled at the referee and his linesman, arguing that the ball has crossed the line before Howard was able to get to it, and television replays appeared to show he was correct.

In the third-place match, Spain rallied to beat host South Africa 3-2 in extra time in Rustenburg.

The Americans were playing in a men's final of a FIFA competition for the first time, marking another step — a key step — in the United States' goal of joining football's elite.

Advancing from a group with the likes of Brazil, Italy and Egypt; the stunning semifinal victory over European champion Spain; playing the first FIFA final at any level for the men's team — albeit a 3-2 loss Sunday to five-time World Cup champion Brazil — each achievement was part of the process.

It's a process that began with qualifying for the 1990 World Cup and ending a 40-year drought of appearances on the sport's biggest stage. Then came the 1994 World Cup on home soil and the start of Major League Soccer two years later.

Finishing 32nd out of the 32 teams at the 1998 World Cup was a setback, but the U.S. rebounded by reaching the quarterfinals four years later, beating Portugal and neighbor Mexico along the way.

The Americans then qualified for a fifth consecutive World Cup, but the 2006 tournament was another disappointment, with then-coach Bruce Arena's squad failing to advance from a group with Italy, the Czech Republic and Ghana. Still, the United States' 1-1 draw with Italy was the only blemish in an otherwise perfect run by the eventual champion.

"There has been a lot of work, a lot of things that have come together in the United States in soccer," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "Everything involved in Major League Soccer has been important. The fact that we've had players go to Europe and compete at that level. Our national team has had success in World Cups, and following success we've had disappointments.

"These are all lessons along the way," Bradley added. "It's not just something that has happened in the last few days. It's the result of efforts of a lot of people, and we feel that as we continue our march in the soccer world, this is an important step."

Eighteen players on the Americans' 23-man squad for this tournament are based in foreign leagues, yet the team hasn't forgotten the thousands of youth leagues dotted across the United States, the "Soccer Moms" who car pool their kids back and forth to practice, high school teams, the high level of University competition, and the development of a domestic professional league — all the while competing for attention with the top American sports of baseball, football and basketball.

"In the United States, other sports stand at the top," Bradley said. "In soccer, we're in a different world. We're not the only great team. We don't have the history of some of the other (sports).

"In that regard, we never forget that there are so many people in the U.S. that have contributed to the game...This success is a a reward for everyone that has put their heart and soul into the game in the U.S. And it doesn't mean that we're there yet. It's just a reward for people that have given a lot, and the idea is that we can keep going and continue the march."

Bradley won't have to wait long to continue the march. The coach departs Johannesburg at 6 p.m. Monday and is scheduled to arrive in Seattle at 8 p.m. Tuesday, in time for the Americans' first Gold Cup training session.