Rivaldo's goal was a rare bright spot for Brazil (Allsport)

By James Dart, Sportinglife.com

The Kobe Wing Stadium was packed to the rafters on Monday night, expecting to see Brazil canter into the quarter-finals and set up an inevitable clash with England.

Even Sven-Goran Eriksson, his backroom staff and players were all there to gain a forewarning of what to expect from their next opponents.

But what they saw will have given them great heart ahead of Friday's last-eight matchup.

Yes, Brazil did inevitably win, but the way in which they struggled to overcome Belgium 2-0 left a lot to the imagination.

Frustrated by a well-organised Belgian side and subsequently outplayed by a resilient, if not world-class unit, Brazil weren't even at the races in the second half.

At this stage the game remained goalless after a first half that had seen the South Americans flatter to deceive with the odd flash of skill from Ronaldo and Rivaldo, but without any real substance.

And Belgium even had the ball in the net. Skipper Marc Wilmots leapt above Roque Junior to power a header past Marcos in the Brazilian goal, only to see it ruled out for a questionable push.

How different it could have been had that goal stood.

Everyone expected the samba superstars to come out with a new attitude after some tough words from coach Scolari during the break and that's what we got.

An even worse Brazil side that eventually took the only two real opportunities it created in the half.

Their passing was slack, communication around the side was poor and they even looked tired. Yes, even the great Brazilians appeared to be wilting a little in the evening Kobe heat.

But Belgium failed to take their chances and were punished to the maximum.

Firstly, Rivaldo's deflected drive after a great touch and turn from just outside the Belgian penalty area gave goalkeeper Geert de Vlieger no chance.

And then, as Belgium roared forward in search of an equaliser, Ronaldo rounded off a clinical move in traditionally sharp fashion to seal the victory.

But it wasn't impressive.

Goalkeeper Marcos was arguably their best player on show, whilst despite being lively when on the ball, both Ronaldo and Rivaldo were starved of supply.

And if the Belgian midfield of Yves Vanderhaeghe, Wilmots, Bart Goor and Johan Walem can have the better of Brazil's midfield, messrs Beckham, Butt and co can run wild.

At the back, the much-vaunted Lucio looked a weak link at times, whilst Roque Junior was fortunate to get away with Wilmots' disallowed goal.

Michael Owen and Emile Heskey will give them one almighty test.

Unfortunately from the English perspective, Brazil are unlikely to play this poorly again.

But unless they are able to raise their level of performance against an England team growing in confidence with every game, the tournament favourites could be heading for the exit door.

***

Forget the USA's semi-final appearance at the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

This is the greatest day in American football's (or soccer for the uninitiated) history.

Victory over Mexico in Jeonju sent Bruce Arena's side into the last eight of the finals for the first time in the modern era, improving on their 1994 round-two efforts.

For a country where gridiron, basketball, baseball and ice hockey are the reigning quartert of sports, this achievement can not be understated.

Football simply does not make the news in the United States. Or at least it hasn't until this historic victory.

Far more eyes will be focused on Arena's team from here in, starting with their quarter-final clash with Germany on Friday.

And how the team deserves it.

They pressed and pressurised a highly-fancied Mexican side throughout, making a team that seemed like worldbeaters against Italy look little more than a poor club side here.

Star men Gerardo Torrado and Cuauhtemoc Blanco were given little chance to shine by the industrious US side, for whom every player enjoyed a top performance.

Brian McBride and Landon Donovan provided a goal threat throughout and were rewarded for their persistence with a goal in each half.

Claudio Reyna pulled the strings in midfield, whilst Tony Sanneh and Pablo Mastroeni were rock-solid in defence.

And between the sticks Brad Friedel, arguably the goalkeeper of the tournament so far, rode his luck to keep a crucial clean sheet.

As the final whistle sounded, the USA squad went over to receive the acclaim from their supporters for an amazing achievement.

But the greater effects of this success could yet be felt in the future of the country's national game.

Success breeds success, and in a country that thrives on it by the bucketload, achievements in the Far East can send shockwaves through the younger generation back home.

In a country as vast as the United States, natural talent is not in short supply.

It is simply a matter of tapping into that source and re-directing it from the traditional sporting pursuits of the USA.

And with the national squad providing a good base in the international arena for the next decade, it is not unforeseeable to see the States becoming one of the sport's true superpowers in say, 20 years' time.

But that is probably doing Arena and his team an injustice, given that they stand just 270 minutes from becoming THE world superpower.

For Mexico, the future does not look as bright, although their captain Rafael Marquez will probably soon be moving on to one of Europe's top teams.

The 22-year-old has been their star of the tournament, but he blotted his copybook with a crude assault on Cobi Jones that earnt him a straight red card.

All the more frustrating for Javier Aguirre's side was that they had played so well in their group stage.

But this was not to be their time and in the end, the USA could not be begrudged their day of glory.

It could yet prove to be the start of something really big.

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