Soccer: Brazil Routs United States, 3-0, at Confederations Cup

If this was a dress rehearsal for next year's World Cup, the United States showed it's far from ready.

The U.S. was hammered for the second time in a four-day span at the Confederations Cup, with Brazil outplaying the Americans, 3-0, yesterday in Pretoria, South Africa.

Felipe Melo scored off Maicon's free kick in the seventh minute and Robinho made it 2-0 in the 20th, completing a counterattack that began when DaMarcus Beasley and Landon Donovan failed to combine on a short corner kick. Maicon added the third goal in the 62nd.

"They're always going to be the better team, right?" U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard said. "It's just for us about going out and trying to give a good showing of ourselves because the best team doesn't always win. Today, it did. We were overpowered, and sometimes you just come up against Goliath and David doesn't win."

Brazil outshot the Americans 23-9, including 11-2 for shots on goal.

And the United States (0-2) finished a man short for the second straight game. Sacha Kljestan was ejected by Swiss referee Massimo Busacca in the 57th minute for a rough foul on Ramires.

"He played the ball off before I got there and I got him in the foot," Kljestan said. "I don't know if it was a red or not, but the end state is that I let my team down today."

Combined with an opening 3-1 loss to Italy on Monday and Egypt's 1-0 upset of the Azzurri yesterday, the defeat left the United States with an outside chance, at best, to reach the semifinals. The Americans could advance by beating Egypt (1-1) by at least three goals, and either Italy (1-1) scoring three fewer goals than the United States in a loss to Brazil (2-0) or the victory margins of the United States and Brazil totaling seven or more.

Missing injured defenders Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo and Frankie Hejduk, the United States has been shaky in the back. Melo's goal marked the third time in four matches the Americans fell behind within the first seven minutes.

"We had a very nervous, tentative start to the game," U.S. Coach Bob Bradley said. "An early goal off a set piece really put us in a difficult situation right from the start."

-- EGYPT 1, ITALY 0: Egypt stunned Italy in Johannesburg on a 40th-minute goal by Mohamed Homos, leaving the world champion Azzurri (1-1) with an uphill battle to reach the Confederations Cup semifinals.

Homos outjumped Daniele De Rossi to meet a cross from Mohamed Abo Terika and headed the ball off the inside post goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.

Goalkeeper Essam El Hadary made several tough saves for the African champions (1-1).