Tired U.S. men’s soccer team returns for CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament

TUKWILA, Wash. (AP) — Bob Bradley was walking off the practice field toward the team bus when a father stopped the coach of the United States national team with a cheerful yell from a playground.

“Hey, good job on the Confederations Cup, man!” the dad shouted through a chain-link fence as a little girl played nearby. He then raised his coffee cup to salute the coach.

Two weeks ago, the guy might have thrown his mug at Bradley — if he’d even known who he was.

Now, strangers are toasting the U.S. coach and his team.

Three days after its stunning success in the Confederations Cup in South Africa, a younger, scaled-down U.S. team was back home preparing for Saturday’s game against Grenada, its opener in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Wednesday morning’s 90-minute practice on a back field with only a girls’ team watching through a fence was a relatively quiet plateau off the peak of becoming the first U.S. team to reach the final of a FIFA men’s tournament.

That came after the U.S. looked outclassed while losing its first two matches in South Africa, 3-1 to world champion Italy 3-1 and 3-0 to South American champion Brazil. Some were calling for Bradley to be fired before a final first-round match against Egypt.

Then, the Americans advanced to the semifinals on the second tiebreaker by blanking Egypt 3-0 as Brazil beat Italy. There, the revitalized Americans shocked top-ranked Spain. And they led five-time World Cup champion Brazil, the world’s new No. 1 as of Wednesday, by two goals at halftime before losing 3-2 in Sunday’s championship match.

“People are excited,” Bradley said. “We all feel good that you get to a big tournament and your performance gets soccer people up and going. And now it gives us momentum to keep it going.”

All in an effort to win a fourth consecutive title in the Gold Cup, the championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Bradley is letting most of the national team regulars either return to their clubs or take a break. CONCACAF, soccer’s North and Central American and Caribbean governing body, is allowing the U.S. to add seven players to its Gold Cup roster. The national team will likely announce those reinforcements today to swell the roster to 30. Teams can dress up to 18 for a match.

The U.S. begins first-round play on Saturday against Grenada, then plays next Wednesday against Honduras at Washington, D.C., and July 11 against Haiti at Foxborough, Mass.