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Well, that was ugly.
The United States National Team got embarrassed by Brazil on Tuesday night. Plain and simple.
The South Americans ran circles around the US defense, first on Alejandro Bedoya, then on the backline of Ventura Alvarado, Tim Ream, Geoff Cameron, and Michael Orozco. The result was four goals against, all of which were not goalkeeper Brad Guzan's fault.
The match, which, in theory, was supposed to be a tune-up game for next month's clash with Mexico, turned out to be a big fail for the Americans. They regained some sort of confidence when they managed a win against Copa America semifinalists Peru on Friday, but lost it all in an absolute blowout at the hands of the World Cup semi-finalists.
Manager Jurgen Klinsmann trotted out a relatively similar lineup to the one that faced Peru, with the only changes being Michael Bradley in for Bobby Wood and center-backs John Brooks and Omar Gonzalez sitting out. But the pace and talent of Brazil was world-class, too much for the US to handle.
Brazil opened the scoring early, with Zenit Saint-Petersburg man Hulk sending an absolute rocket past Guzan in the ninth-minute. No goals were scored until the 51st-minute, when Neymar, a halftime sub for Willian, converted a penalty kick that just beat the poor goalie's outstretched arms.
The rout was on 13 minutes later when another sub, Rafinha, scored to make it three. Neymar earned a brace three minutes later to all but seal the win.
Danny Williams blasted a shot past Brazil goalkeeper Marcelo Grohe to make sure it wasn't a clean sheet in the 90th-minute, but it didn't matter.
It was a match that was forgettable for the US, but will also give some insight on who will be playing against Mexico in that all-important one-game playoff to get into the 2017 Confederation's Cup. Alvarado and Cameron are unlikely to play after poor performances, as is Ream. That means Klinsmann needs Fabian Johnson and the Houston Dynamo's DaMarcus Beasley to get healthy by Oct. 10th.
DeAndre Yedlin, recently loaned from Tottenham Hotspur to Sunderland so he can get more playing time, looked dynamic yet sloppy. He's still a very raw prospect with lots of talent. LA Galaxy winger Gyasi Zardes and Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley should start, as should Seattle Sounders forward Clint Dempsey, if healthy.
Overall, it was an encouraging game if you speak Portuguese, but if you wear red, white and blue, you have to be more than a little nervous.
As should Klinsmann, whose job security is currently hanging in the balance.
Lineups:
US: Guzan, Cameron (Spector, 73'), Orozco, Alvarado, Ream, Jones (Diskerud, 72'), Bedoya (Williams, 36'), Yedlin, Bradley (Johannsson, 79'), Zardes (Wood, HT), Altidore (Morris, 57') 4-2-3-1
Brazil: Grohe, Marcelo, Luiz, Miranda (Marquinhos, 23'), Fabinho, Elias, Gustavo (Fernandinho, 65'), Costa (Rafinha, 63'), Lima (Moura, 63'), Willian (Neymar, HT), Hulk (Firmino, HT) 4-2-3-1