Full time: U.S. 2, Spain 0

93rd minute: It's over. The U.S. has done it.

 
Clint Dempsey scores the USA's second goal of the match after some pretty passing in the box by the Americans. (Martin Meissner / Associated Press)

92nd minute: U.S. taking its time on the goal kick. About 1 minute left.
USA vs Spain Min by min


91st minute: Howard comes out to stymie a give-and-go with Mata as the target.

90th minute:Ball thru to Villa is whistled dead for offside. Spain will need astoppage time miracle to avoid this historic upset. U.S. plays the balllong and out on Spain's end line. There will be three minutes ofstoppage time.

89th minute: Final U.S. substitution. Dempsey out. Bornstein in.

87th minute:Another flurry by Spain in front of the U.S. net and American defenderare sliding every which way to block shots. Spain is really pouring iton but the U.S. defense is hanging tough.

86th minute:Bradley goes in for a tackle, and is whistled for ... a RED CARD!Stunning decision from the ref on what appeared to be no worse than anordinary foul.

85th minute: Cross in by Spain headed out by Onyewu for a corner. U.S. clears that effort as well.

84th minute: U.S. makes its second substitution. Altidore to the bench. Casey on.

83rd minute:After some nice possession from the U.S., Altidore barely offside on apass that would have yielded a breakaway opportunity. Spain comes back,flurry in the U.S. box is cleared, then a cross in to Capdevila isheaded high.

 
Fernando Torres of Spain is dejected after going down 2-0 to the Americans. (Paul Thomas / Associated Press)

81st minute: Alonso has a shot from distance that Howard turns away.

80th minute: Corner glances off a Spanish head and out for a goal kick.

79th minute:Villa's strike goes through the wall, but comes harmlessly on theground to Howard. Mata's cross knocked out for another Spain corner.

78th minute: Foul on the U.S. gives spain a free kick from 25 yards out.

77th minute:Torres can't handle a ball into the box, Spector clears and Torrescalled for the foul. Spain's 35-match unbeaten streak in seriousjeopardy here.

74th minute: Feilhaber picks his waythrough the middle of Spain's half and gives Donovan a perfect ballinto clear space on the right side of the Spanish box. Donovan plays itacross the middle, the ball deflects off a Spanish defender to ClintDempsey who turns, whirls and pokes the ball past Casillas for thesecond U.S. GOAL.

73rd minute: Reira's ball from left to Torres along the turf is well-defended and the ball goes out off Torres. Free kick to the U.S.

71st minute: Donovan's cross to the far side of the Spain box is just a little off stride and the ball goes out.
USA vs. Spain


70th minute: Torres can't handle a long ball across the field and it goes out for a U.S. goal kick.

68th minute:U.S. survives another flurry and we'll see our first subs of the match.Cazorla in for Spain, Fabregas to the bench. U.S. set to make its firstsubstitution as well. Feilhaber in, Davies out.

66th minute:Ball across the U.S. box finds a wide open Ramos, but Clark slides infront of the shot, saving Howard from having to make yet another save.Foul by Ramos on the ensuing chase gives the U.S. a chance to breathe.

64th minute:Flurry in front of the U.S. net finds Reira, but Demerit blocks hisshot in the box. Long-distance blast from Spain saved by Howard on adiving stop. Ball kept in, Spain plays the ball around the pitch andfinds Ramos on the right. Ramos unleashes a blast and Howard makesanother huge save.

61st minute: Spain takes control offthe U.S. throw and Villa's blistering strike goes just wide. U.S. gainspossession off the goal kick and Altidore is taken down in the Spainbox, but no foul called.

60th minute: Another short cornerfrom Spain fails to yield an opportunity and the ball is eventuallyknocked out on the touch line by Spain.

59th minute: U.S. survives incessant pressure from Spain, gains possession and starts to counterattack. Ball knocked out for a U.S. throw.

58th minute: Nice ball in from Donovan. Spain heads away, and a volley attempt by Davies sails high.

57th minute: Solid fight from Altidore nets a corner kick for the U.S.

56th minute: Another low shot from Spain saved and held by Howard. The Everton keeper playing a phenomenal match.

 
Landon Donovan (left) of the U.S. battles Sergio Ramos of Spain for a loose ball. (Paul Thomas / Associated Press)

55th minute: Shot from Reira misses low and left, out of the reach of Howard. Goal kick to the U.S.

54th minute:Spain attacking again, but U.S. playing quality team defense, cuttingoff shooting angles and not letting the Spaniards have a clear look atgoal. Ball over the top goes through to Howard as Spain's pleas for apenalty go unacknowledged by the referee.

52nd minute:Reira moves along the left side of the box and his cross attempt isknocked out for a corner. Ball played in, Villa possesses. A nifty movegives him space six yards out on the left side, but his bouncing shotis scooped up by Howard. U.S. trying to weather this Spanish storm.

50th minute:Spain possessing in the U.S. half and around the box, but the Americanscontinue to knock the ball away before it can become imminentlydangerous.

49th minute: Ball played thru to Villa is just out of the striker's reach and Howard comes up to pick up the ball.

48th minute:Cross from Torres is punched out by Howard. Spain retains possession,and a rocket shot from Villa is tipped away by a diving Howard. Ballcomes back to Spain and a shot from distance goes barely high. Greatplay from Howard in net.

47th minute: Donovan gets control on the right side of the box. A dangerous ball into the middle is put out by Spain for a corner.

 
Jozy Altidore celebrates his goal that put the U.S. up 1-0 over Spain. ( Martin Meissner / Associated Press)
Halftime

45th minute: Torres takes Bocanegra1-on-1 on the right side, cuts the ball back, and finds space 6 yardsout. His shot clangs off the near post and pops up in the air. Fouldcalled on Spain in the box.

43rd minute: Onyewu clears a ball played from Villa to Torres. U.S. trying to maintain its lead heading into halftime. Donovan clears.

42nd minute:Free kick from the right side of the box to Spain. U.S. clears thecross, but Spain regains possession. A ball thru on the right sidesprings Villa who crosses on the ground. U.S. able to clear before theball gets to Ramos.

40th minute: Donovan whistled for offside.

37th minute:Slick, small passes from Spain gets Torres free in the box. Onyewu ableto boot the ball away before Torres can turn and shoot. Corner clearedby the U.S.

36th minute: Altidore dragged down by hisshirt. Free kick to the U.S. Ball in from Donovan finds Dempsey openbehind the Spanish defense, but Dempsey's header goes high and wide.Opportunity missed for the Americans.

34th minute: Cross from Spain headed out by Onyewu. Throw to Spain. Torres called for offside after play resumes.

33rd minute: Offside called on a cross to Torres.

32nd minute: Foul not called on a midfield tackleleading to a break for Spain. Ball finds its way to Villa's foot in theU.S. box. Bocanegra maintains good defensive position, not lettingVilla have a clear shot. Villa's attempt goes high over the bar.

31st minute:Ramos plays a dangerous ball in for Spain, but the U.S. defender blocksthe shot. Ball eventually played back to Ramos, whose cross isdeflected out for a corner.

27th minute: Altidore uses hissize to shield the defender on a ball played by Dempsey to the top ofthe box. He gets off a blistering right-footed shot. Casillas dives tohis right and gets a piece, but the ball caroms off the inside of the post for a U.S. GOAL.

25th minute: Another corner to Spain. They play a short ball, but cannot muster a dangerous chance.

24th minute: Ball intended for Villa is knocked out by Onyewu. Corner kick to Spain. Onyewu clears with his head.

22nd minute:A Spanish flurry in front of the U.S. net results in a severelyoff-target shot by Villa. However, a foul throw is called on thesubsequent U.S. throw-in, giving possession back to Spain.

20th minute:Villa moves up the left flank to the end line but his cross on theground is cleared out. Counterattack by the U.S. yields a shot from 30yards by Donovan that goes wide along the ground.

18th minute:Torres called offside on the most dangerous opportunity of the match.(Before the players stopped playing, Howard made a tremendous save onTorres' turnaround shot that would not have counted.)

15th minute: Spain tries to go over the top to Villa, but the Valencia striker is called for offsides.

13th minute: Ball on the ground into the U.S. box misses its target and the Americans are able to clear.

11th minute:Spain's best opportunity thus far is a ball across the mouth of thegoal from Fabregas. Torres gets his boot on it but can't keep the touchon target. Out for a U.S. goal kick.

10th minute: Fabregas unleashes a shot from 30 yards out, but it sails high over the crossbar.

8th minute:Shot from distance by Dempsey narrowly misses the post as the ball isjust out of the reach of Casillas' dive low and to the right.

7th minute:A fantastic opportunity by the U.S. just misses as Charlie Davies'bicycle kick attempt goes wide of the post. The U.S. hanging very toughso far in the first few minutes.

6th minute: Frantic play back and forth includes a cross in by Spain and a flurry by the U.S.

5th minute:A thru ball is just out of the reach of Jose Altidore as Casillasslides out with his legs. Donovan booked for a tackle on Xavi Alonso.

4th minute: Corner by Donovan is headed out by the Spanish defense. A throw-in to the U.S.

3rd minute:Spain's corner is punched out by Howard and cleared away by the U.S. Acounterattack by the U.S. leads to a corner kick for the Americans.

2nd minute:First foul of the game yields a free kick for Spain. Fabregas takes ashort pass and crosses it in. Tim Howard punches it behind the net fora corner.

1st minute: Spain has some solid buildup withshort, quick passes. A switch of the field finds Riera on the left anda cross in on the ground is booted away by Onyewu.

BLOEMFONTEIN, South Africa (AP) -- The world will surely take notice of this.

The U.S. soccer team is in the final of the Confederations Cup, beating mighty Spain 2-0.

Even more stunning, the Americans were on the verge of elimination and ready to head home last weekend before a reversal of fortune. On Wednesday, goals by Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey led to an upset of the planet's top-ranked team.

Call it a miracle on grass -- maybe not the World Cup, but still an American soccer echo of the U.S. hockey team's upset of the Soviet Union at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics.

By winning, the maligned United States advanced to its first men's FIFA final since starting play in 1916.

Altidore scored in the 27th minute and Dempsey added a goal in the 74th as the Americans became the first team to defeat Spain since Romania in November 2006.

"It goes to show what hard work and commitment to each other can bring," said U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard, who made eight saves as he frustrated David Villa and Fernando Torres. "Sometimes football is a funny thing."

Now the U.S. will play defending champion Brazil or host South Africa in Sunday's final, which concludes a two-week tournament designed to prepare the organizers of next year's World Cup.

"Regardless of whether we play Brazil or the Bafana Bafana, the challenge will be great," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said.

Midfielder Michael Bradley, son of the U.S. coach, will miss the final. He received a red card for a late challenge in the 87th minute, the third American ejection of the tournament.

Still, American players had much to celebrate, given how slim the chances of such a U.S. victory seemed just a few days ago. Or any victory, for that matter. The 14th-ranked Americans were soundly defeated in their first two games in this event.

"I think it just shows that we can compete with the best. Now we need to do it on a consistent basis," U.S. captain Carlos Bocanegra said.

Spain, the European champion, had set an international record with 15 straight victories and had tied Brazil's record unbeaten streak of 35 games from December 1993 to January 1996.

The United States had been 1-7-1 against No. 1 teams, beating Brazil in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup and tying Argentina last summer in an exhibition at Giants Stadium.

"This is an accident, a little step backward," Spain coach Vicente del Bosque said. "We have to look forward with optimism."

Altidore got the first goal when he outmuscled Joan Capdevila, his teammate on Spain's Villarreal, to send an 18-yard shot in off the hand of goalkeeper Iker Casillas. Capdevila thought he was fouled by Altidore, who had engaged in some trash texting a few days ago.

"I told him, 'Be careful of the USA.' And he tried to say I didn't understand Spanish, so it was just all fun and games," Altidore said. "We're teammates and we were just messing around with each other a little bit, but in the end we had the last laugh."

Altidore, a 19-year-old forward from New Jersey, was so excited after he scored that he took off his jersey as he ran toward the stands in celebration, drawing a yellow card. It was the first goal against Spain in 451 minutes, since Turkey's Semih Senturk scored on April 1, and just the third goal the Spaniards allowed in 17 games dating to last summer's European Championship.

Dempsey sealed the victory, scoring from 6 yards when he pounced on Landon Donovan's cross, which had bounced off Gerard Pique and the foot of Sergio Ramos.

"There will be ups and downs in any cycle," U.S. Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said. "I think this tournament makes that point very clearly. Tonight was a very big up."

The U.S. opened the tournament with a 3-1 loss to world champion Italy, then was outclassed by South American champ Brazil in a 3-0 defeat. The Americans advanced over the Italians on the second tiebreaker -- total goals -- only by beating Egypt 3-0 on Sunday as Brazil defeated the Azzurri by the same score.

"Three games ago I think it would have been impossible to think about a night like tonight," Howard said. "We've had our fair share of critics, but we stood up and took it on the chin and kept going."

While the U.S. women have won two world championships, the men have long been outsiders and didn't even qualify for the showcase event between 1950 and '90. This ranked alongside the upset of Brazil as one of their top wins, just below victories over England in the 1950 World Cup, Portugal and Mexico in the 2002 World Cup and Colombia in the 1994 World Cup.

Spain outshot the U.S. 29-9 in near-freezing conditions at the Free State Stadium, but Howard came up big every time he was needed.

"We knew we had to pick and choose our moments to go forward," Dempsey said. "We're happy with the result and we know we're going to have our work cut out to get anything out of the final."

The United States had lost its three previous matches against Spain, including 1-0 in an exhibition on June 4 last year at Santander. But the Americans were boosted by Bocanegra, who had been sidelined since injuring a hamstring during a World Cup qualifier on June 6. He played left back instead of central defense.

On this night, everything came together.

"This win is huge for American soccer," Dempsey said. "This one is much sweeter because we were down and out, came back fighting."