U.S. loses to Brazil ahead of playoff against Mexico
Brazil's Rafinha, left, celebrates his goal as Neymar (10) joins in during the second half of a friendly soccer match against the United States on Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia)
FOXBOROUGH, Massachusetts >> Neymar scored twice as Brazil beat the United States 4-1 in an international friendly on Tuesday, the last warmup for the American squad ahead of a playoff against Mexico next month for a 2017 Confederations Cup berth.
Hulk scored in the ninth minute for Brazil, which opened a 4-0 lead before Danny Williams scored from about 30 yards in injury time. Brazil has won 10 consecutive games against the U.S.
With Fabian Johnson and Damarcus Beasley sidelined by injuries, the American defense was outclassed.
Left back Tim Ream was outmaneuvered in the run-up to the first and third goals, right back Geoff Cameron conceded a penalty kick for the second, and central defenders Michael Orozco and Ventura Alvarado gave the five-time world champions time and space.
"I don’t think we handled it as well as we should have," U.S. captain Michael Bradley said. "We’ll look at it and we’ll talk about it, but we have bigger things to come."
U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said the Americans missed Johnson and Beasley and he hopes to have both back to face Mexico on Oct. 10. Klinsmann also said forward Jozy Altidore showed he wasn’t yet in game shape following his return from a hamstring injury.
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Brazil went ahead when Willian dribbled around Bedoya and got a cross past Ream. The ball sailed over goalkeeper Brad Guzan and rebounded off the far post to Hulk. He took a touch with his left foot, played the ball back to his right and sent an 8-yard shot over Guzan’s left shoulder for his 12th international goal.
Neymar doubled the lead in the 51st after he took a long pass from David Luiz and fell over when his feet got tangled with Cameron’s, earning a penalty from Salvadoran referee Joel Aguilar.
Rafinha entered in the 63rd in his second international appearance and scored almost immediately, taking a pass from Lucas and using three quick touches to get Ream to lean the wrong way. Rafinha then slotted past Guzan.
Neymar got his 46th goal in 67 international appearances in the 67th minute when the defense gave him space following a feed from Lucas.
"It was just a completely different tempo that they set," Klinsmann said, "and we couldn’t go that tempo."
