USA vs Brazil: Americans Will Fall Way Short in Friendly

Time and time again, we hear how the United States men's national team is going to compete with best teams in the world.

Time and time again, we are let down by these delusions of grandeur that are thrust upon us by the pundits and tabloids.

These fallacies have been exasperated by the United States' 5-1 trouncing of the Scottish national team that was missing three of its best players. But hey, soccer/football (whatever you want to call it) isn't exactly the sport of the USA, so we'll take what we can get.

However, the Americans come into this one riding a wave of momentum, winning their last four matches against Scotland, Italy, Panama and Venezuela. None of those four teams are Brazil.

While the win against Scotland was impressive, this match against the Brazilian national won't end in anywhere near the same result. The Brazilian team is sometimes referred to as the Selecao, which means "The Selection," but it sounds absolutely sinister and terrifying.

That's what the Brazilians are though. They are a powerhouse on the international stage and are far superior to the Americans in pretty much every aspect of football. The Americans played extremely flashy, yet effective football against the Scotts, but that's what Brazil is made to do. They dazzle their opponents with flair and speed to grab the advantage from the outset.

The Brazilian defense is infinitely more formidable than the Scots were on May 26. David Luiz, Thiago Silva and Marcelo are all world-class talent and form one of the most sold back lines on the international stage.

The USA did a great job of attacking, attacking and attacking some more against Scotland, but they'll be hard-pressed to do that against Brazil. If they spend too much time in the offensive zone, they'll easily get beat by the Brazilian front line that includes Hulk, Neymar, Leandro Damiao and Alexandre Pato.

This is going to be an extremely hard test for the American defense, one that they are unlikely to pass. The Brazilian offense is young, fast, strong and full of deadly strikers. Hulk and Neymar are already superstars, and Damiao and Pato are just as big of threats to put the ball in the net.

It's disheartening to think about what is going to happen to the American defense in this friendly. Hulk and Neymar on the wing are much faster than Carlos Bocanegra and Steve Cherundolo, which should make for some consistent breaks in the defense. Oguchi Onyewu and Geoff Cameron, who had a ball bounce off his chest and into the net for Scotland's lone goal of the night, will be tested as well.

That's what is worrisome about the American defense. That was basically the lone threat they faced all night, and Cameron's positioning led to an own goal. If the United States gives Brazil any kind of chance like that, they won't even have a chance.