Midday soccer-watching may not be on many people's agenda outside of the World Cup, but Sunday afternoon is a time anyone with even the most passing interest in the sport should schedule some appointment viewing.

The United States faces host Brazil at 2:30 p.m. EDT (8:30 a.m. Hawai‘i time) on ESPN in the final of the Confederations Cup, the first-ever U.S. appearance in the final of a major FIFA tournament.

To get to the championship game of the eight-team tournament, the Americans traveled an impossibly improbable road after losing their opening two games to Brazil (3-0) and Italy (3-1).

With one game to play, against Egypt, only the oddest of combinations could move the U.S. team up to second place in the group and into the semifinals: a three-goal U.S. win over Egypt and a three-goal Brazil win over Italy.

Clint Dempsey's goal in the 71st minute gave the United States a 3-0 win right about the time Brazil was wrapping up a 3-0 win of its own, vaulting the Americans over the Italians and into the semifinals.

That matched the United States with Spain, the defending European champion and the world's No. 1-ranked team. The Spaniards hadn't lost since 2006, but a 2-0 U.S. win sent them home and sent the Americans into the final.

The win was only the second for the United States over a No. 1 team (the other was Brazil in 1998) and ranks among the most significant victories in the history of American soccer.

All that set the stage for Sunday's final. Normally, you would say the United States would just be happy to be there. The way things have gone in South Africa over the past two weeks, who says they can't win?

That possibility is worth watching.

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