Brazil hold the edge

8220;That was the thinking of Professor Luxemburgo,8221; star forward Ronaldinho said, referring to the coach by the title most of the players use. 8220;For the game against Saudi Arabia, we8217;re in great shape, and we hope to get another victory.8221;

8220;We8217;re very confident that we can reach the finals.8221;

Brazil is the only team in the Confederations Cup to have won all three first-round games, although the second game, against theUnited States, was a close 1-0. Brazil hasn8217;t given up a single goal the entire tournament.

US-Mexico face off

The Americans have everything going against them in today8217;s semifinal against Mexico: Less rest, less high-altitude training, a record of 0-15-1 at Azteca Stadium and an expected crowd of 110,000 dead set against them.But adversity hasn8217;t stopped this American team yet in the Confederations Cup as it has fought to earn the respect of the international soccer community with a close 1-0 loss to Brazil and a surprisingly easy 2-0 win over Germany. 8220;The home team has all the advantages playing at home, rest, altitude and, let8217;s face it, the pressure8217;s on Mexico to win this game,8221; US coach Bruce Arena said.

That pressure could just be Mexico8217;s weak spot, however. The Americans are the obvious underdogs, and that makes it Mexico8217;s game to lose.

8220;It8217;s nice to play without the pressure,8221; defender Jeff Agoos said. 8220;It frees up some aspects of the game.8221;