A Gain in Spain

Not all losses are created equal. And, tonight's 1-0 defeat at the hands of the Spanish was a much better performance by the U.S. than their effort against England.

In fact, there were many positives to take out of the match. For one, Freddy Adu capitalized upon his inclusion in the starting XI and showed just what he's capable of doing on the pitch. EJ also seemed to feed off of Adu's calming presence in the middle and nearly put one past the Spaniards in the first-half. And, considering we were playing one of the top teams in the world on the road, the score line was very respectable.

Coming out of the locker room at half tied with Spain was a great position to be in, but with Freddy out in the second forty-five we seemed to lose some cohesion and drive. And one moment of brilliance proved to be the difference between the two sides, as Spain broke through our defense and put the game away with a clinical finish.

The boys can hold their heads up high after this one though. They played with passion and pride, and it wouldn't have been a surprise to see them come away with a draw.

They'll have to keep the momentum swinging in the right direction, as they take on Argentina this coming Sunday. This will be their hardest test of the three game series and they'll need all the support they can get when they go head-to-head with the number one team in the world at 7:30 p.m. ET at Giant Stadium in New Jersey.

If you're in the area, make sure to hit up the Nike Snake Pit at Lot 18 and help feed the U.S. fire with thousands of other soccer fanatics. Not to mention there'll be some sweet Nike giveaways.

See you there.