Spain lost their style
- "The star- Onyewu: was a collossus in defense and dealt with high balls well
- What a (terrible) day! S. Ramos: huge error on the second goal: didn't clear immediately and was robbed. Overconfident. [N.B. this is tough criticism, coming as it does from a Madrid-based publication]
- The dandy- Donovan: had class, talent, and functioned like the brain of the US team. Did everything well.
- The hard man- Bradley: was expelled at the end for a tackle that could have been a yellow card instead."
- "Nerves
- Slack defending
- Individual errors
- No width
- No spark
- No back-up plan
- No rebounds (aka Tim Howard)"
Hierro: we had to lose eventually
Spanish coach Vicente del Bosque and the Spanish players were graceful in defeat. "We created a lot of chances, but the Americans played with tremendous heart," Del Bosque said. Xabi Alonso and Juan Mata also tipped their hats towards the US. Though Puyol was clearly frustrated with the result, leaving the field immediately after the final wistle, both he and Iker Casillas believe that the hardship will ultimately make Spain stronger.
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The NYTimes blog has a similar piece.
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