Roles Reversed for Experienced USA, Rebuilding Brazil in Friendly

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- One team set ratings records and enjoyed an unprecedented level of support back home as it won its World Cup group and advanced to the second round. The other, a five-time champion, prompted a national rethink with its quarterfinal exit. In soccer, success is all about perspective, and on Tuesday night here at the New Meadowlands Stadium, that perspective will be turned on its head as an experienced and confident U.S. national team faces a young, rebuilding Brazil side in a highly-anticipated exhibition.

U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said the game would be, in part, a "Thanks for the World Cup" celebration, and there's little doubt that he'll lead his team out to enthusiastic cheers from a crowd that should approach 70,000. The Americans may have fallen short against Ghana in the World Cup's second round, but they won plenty of fans with their exhaustive effort and nail-biting comebacks in South Africa.

That team spirit plays a significant role in maintaining a consistent foundation. Players want to be part of it, and it doesn't matter if they have to leave their clubs in preseason or add to an exhausting schedule that's featured next to no rest between league and national team play. A match against Brazil -- a name that carries enormous cache even if the players wearing the famous yellow shirts are somewhat unfamiliar -- in New York (OK, New Jersey) generates plenty of pull as well.

"It means a lot to them to be a part of this team," coach Bob Bradley said. "In some moments other pressures win out, but the opportunity to be a part of this team, to play against teams like Brazil, sometimes these guys have to take a strong stance with their clubs in order to say, 'No, I want to go.' "

Bradley was able to bring in 15 players who were on his final World Cup roster, including late replacement Jozy Altidore. Some, like Bocanegra, are starting out with new clubs or have unsure professional futures. Others, like Landon Donovan, have hardly had a break since returning from South Africa. And of course, the game doesn't count. Beating Brazil for just the second time ever certainly would feel good, but it doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of things.

"Players are not machines, and there's only so much you can do. That being said, I don't think there's any doubt in anyone's mind that this is the type of game that players love to play in," said Donovan, who played the entire 2009 MLS season, went on loan to Everton over the winter, returned to the Galaxy in the spring and then played in the World Cup.

"I think that this group of players still finishes up a World Cup, but is certainly still very motivated to continue playing for the United States, and also the opportunity for any player to play against Brazil in their career is special," Bradley said.

Bradley can field a World Cup-worthy lineup, barring Clint Dempsey, who has a new coach at Fulham. Jersey-native Howard will start in goal, and Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo and Jonathan Bornstein could constitute 3/4 of Bradley's World Cup defense. Clarence Goodson, who traveled to South Africa but didn't play, is an obvious choice to partner with Bocanegra in the middle.

Donovan and Michael Bradley are certain starters in midfield, and would look good joined by Maurie Edu and Benny Feilhaber, whose club situation is unsettled as he seeks a transfer from relegated Aarhus, but whose national team future is bright following excellent second-half performances against Slovenia and Algeria.

The situation up front continues to be vexing. The American strikers struck out in South Africa, but at this point they still likely represent the best of what's available. Bradley has his World Cup foursome of Altidore, Robbie Findley, Edson Buddle and Herculez Gomez from which to choose.

In addition to giving his top players a high-profile run, Bradley said this was not the time to call in less-experienced players, even if he expects to stay on the job and was targeting a roster overhaul.

"One of the things that we've done for four years with the national team, we're constantly looking at young players that we think can move into our team," he said. "But then we're also always trying to think about the best time to move them forward, and there are many factors. But certainly one of the factors is when you have only a day to prepare for a game, it's not always easy to bring a group of young players in who've not yet represented the United States and then one day later just put them out on the field, especially against a team like Brazil."

This time, however, nobody's quite sure what "a team like Brazil" means. The Seleção's second-half meltdown against the Netherlands in the quarterfinals capped a tense four years under 1994 World Cup-winning captain Dunga, who turned his back on the country's love affair with "the beautiful game" in favor of an athletic, defensive team that preferred to score goals on the counterattack and set pieces. The discipline he preached extended beyond the white lines as well, where fans and media found the environment unwelcoming. Brazil loves a party, and Dunga's team was far from it.

With the World Cup coming to the country in 2014 and the pressure for title No. 6 sure to be relentless, Brazil's soccer bosses turned to 48-year-old Mano Menezes to restore the national team's identity. Menezes had restored fallen São Paulo power Corinthians to glory before earning a shot at one of the most scrutinized job in sports, and said here outside New York City that he's ready to transform the national side on and off the field.

His first message was a significant one -- with the entire Brazilian player pool at his disposal, he selected only four who went to South Africa. Eleven don't have a single international appearance to their name.

Menezes isn't interested in the power, size and defensive intimidation of Dunga. "Speed, especially in transition, going from a defensive system to attacking, the flexibility of changing the play. Smart and intelligent about avoiding physical contact," are the qualities favored by the new coach. He said those called in "are experienced. Maybe not with the national team, but with their clubs."

Facing the U.S. on Tuesday will be some of the finest young talent produced by the Brazilian football factory, and Menezes has chosen players with the kind of skill that's associated with the "jogo bonito," the kind the public thirsts for.

"The main reason for the choices is because this kind of play, I believe, is the type of play that will get us closer to victories," he said through an interpreter. "I'm not trying to be politically correct or meet general demand from the public ... this is how the (soccer) world is evolving and this is how we'll build the team."

Spearheading the group will be AC Milan striker Alexandre Pato (right), long considered one of Brazil's best young talents at 20 but left off the World Cup team by Dunga, and a trio of skillful midfielders from Santos, the club of Pelé. Former Real Madrid and Manchester City attacker Robinho is familiar, having played a key role on the 2009 Confederations Cup winning team and this summer's World Cup side.

He'll be joined by Santos teammates Neymar da Silva and Paulo Ganso. Neymar, 18, has been dazzling and was the subject of a popular push to convince Dunga to bring him to South Africa that included Pelé and '94 hero Romário. Ganso won the equivalent of the Brazilian league's rookie of the year award last season.

Menezes said he was aware that "without results, new projects cannot survive" and he conceded that there is always pressure on Brazil to win, but he clearly is looking toward 2014 and building a new spirit around the side and galvanizing the fan base. In that sense, ironically, the Americans could be a role model. Who would have imagined that the U.S. could ever teach Brazil something about soccer?

"The national team faces a very unique moment. Since 1950 it's the first time they're going to play the World Cup in Brazil. There's a national need for more contact, more proximity," the coach said. "We have to build that kind of connection and confidence in our work. It's up to us to build that proximity and it will be very important to our project."

So that is what the U.S. veterans face Tuesday. Not a team of champions, but a group of young players hungry to prove their worth and eventually add their names to Brazil's list of legends. And young Brazilian players are usually really, really good.

Donovan wasn't fazed. He said he understands now how to play at the highest level, and that the past two years have forged a group that expects to do well regardless of the opposition's reputation.

"We're at a point now where we expect to compete with these teams in a real way, not a shot-in-the-dark hope that we can beat Brazil, but that we're going to compete with them and try to win the game," he said. "And I think we believe that now, where in the past we haven't."