It happened early in the second half of the semi-final against Spain.

The cry of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” rose from the stands of the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein. And no, there was no cheering section filled with ‘Sam’s Army’ types or ex-pat Americans. These were neutrals, South Africans, who had decided to throw the weight of their lungs and their vuvuzelas behind Bob Bradley’s crew.

It was a remarkable sight for two reasons. First, Spain had been unofficially adopted by the local fans as their “second-team”.

Fernando Torres seems to be wildly popular in these parts and, to be fair, it wasn’t hard to like Spain, since they were easily playing the best football in the competition.

Scond, when’s the last time you recall any neutral fans supporting the USA, in any sport? Being the world’s only superpower has its perks, attracting the sympathies of disinterested football supporters isn’t among them.

And yet, in many ways, the USA put up a true underdog performance, to the point that many got a bit carried away, drawing parallels with Barack Obama and the “Yes, We Can!” rhetoric. That may be over the top, though it’s a fair bet that if Dubya and Dick Cheney had still been around, the stars and stripes might not have been so popular with the South African crowd.

Were Brazil complacent in semi-finals?

The other finalist – and the overhwhelming favourite – in tomorrow’s final are Brazil, who already defeated the Americans in the group stage, with a resounding three-nil. The Selecao looked very comfortable in their first few outings, only to struggle against South Africa in Thursday’s semi-final, when Bafana Bafana held them in check for eight-five minutes before Dani Alves’s free kick.

Was it a sense of complacency, knowing that Spain had been eliminated twenty-four hours earlier and the Confederations’ Cup was all but won?

Or was it a case of the South Africans kicking it up a notch and displaying the kind of verve and energy that can knock even a side like Brazil off their stride?

Most likely a bit of both, though some of the Brazilians – particularly Lucio, Gilberto Silva and Felipe Melo – appear to show signs of fatigue. The good news is that Dunga’s formation, with the two defensive midfielders, is producing a side capable of maintaining its shape and getting the best out of Kaka and Robinho.

Bizarrely, the biggest threat to the current Brazil side might actually be a return to form of the big names: Ronaldinho, Ronaldo and Adriano. If they start performing again, will Dunga be able to say “no” to public pressure? And, if he can’t, will he find a rational way to integrate them into the side?