It wasn't a World Cup match, but the U.S. soccer team's win over Spain on Wednesday was a huge result for the American side.

Beating the No. 1 team in the world has to give the Americans a confidence boost heading into this afternoon's championship game of the Confederations Cup against Brazil.

When you think "The Beautiful Game" you think of Brazil, of the artistry, an attacking brand of soccer. The U.S., however, must do everything it can to keep Brazil out of the final third. One report has the U.S. considering going with just one forward, and adding a midfielder for a 4-5-1 formation. The Americans also must make up for the loss of one of their key midfielders, Michael Bradley, who received a red card late in the win over Spain, and must sit out today's match. Certain to be pressured, goalkeeper Tim Howard will need to come up with big saves to keep the U.S. in it.

The U.S. proved in the upset over Spain it has the grit and desire to win. But my head wins out over my heart. Brazil wins, 2-0.

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Good news for soccer fans is ESPN's addition of La Liga for 20 matches on ESPN2. The Spanish league now has Kaka and Ronaldo playing for Real Madrid, while FC Barcelona just won the Champions League. Think of Madrid and Barcelona as the Red Sox and Yankees of Spanish soccer.

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Fort Hays State University could have an interesting quarterback battle. Mike Garrison started out as the Tigers' QB last fall until he broke his jaw. He returned late in the season. When Garrison was out, Anthony Smith moved from receiver and played quarterback. Add to the mix junior college transfer Blake McAhren from Solano College in California, and preseason practice could be interesting. McAhren, who will be a junior this fall, led his conference with 24 TD passes and was one of two players in the conference to throw for more than 2,000 yards.

There is something Garrison and McAhren had in common last season: Neither player was particularly accurate with his throws. Garrison completed nearly 44 percent of his passes, while McAhren was just over 50 percent. That is a red flag to watch out for this season.

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Lou Piniella is tired of Milton Bradley's antics? As Gomer Pyle would say -- surprise, surprise, surprise.

The Cubs knew what they were getting with the volatile Bradley. The outfielder's list of offenses are too numerous to detail here. Let's just say he isn't the "character guy" every team needs to be a winner. Losing a "character guy" in Mark DeRosa was bad enough, then getting Bradley had me worried from the get-go. Forget trading him; no team will take on him or his huge salary.

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It's silly to assign letter grades for a draft. It takes years for a draft to shake itself out. But there are observations that can be made from Thursday's NBA draft.

* The Timberwolves drafted not one, but two point guards in the first six picks. Crazy? Sure seemed like it. But the Timberwolves might just be crazy like a fox. Minnesota now has two of the top-rated point guards in the draft in Ricky Rubio and Jonny Flynn. Rubio might stay in Spain for a year or two. If so, the T-wolves still have Flynn to run the show. And, if any team wants Rubio, it has to go through Minnesota via trade to get him, and the T-wolves can extract a high price for him.

* While Stephen Curry would have been a perfect fit for the Knicks, the Warriors snatched him away, taking him just before the Knicks picked. Don't cry too much for Curry; Don Nelson's fast-paced offense in Golden State will mean big numbers for the former Davidson star.

* Just as big as the players drafted were the players traded. Shaq winds up in Cleveland, while Vince Carter goes to Orlando. And, rumors persist that the Suns' Amare Stoudemire could be traded to Golden State.

The Cavaliers will be better with Shaq, but they still need a forward who can score on the perimeter. By the way, Shaq will wear No. 33 in Cleveland.

* Orlando got a player who can create his own shot, something the team was missing this season. But Vince Carter is all about Vince Carter getting his points; he doesn't make the players around him better. That's where losing Hedo Turkoglu hurts the Magic. The 6-foot-10 Orlando small forward, who will become a fee agent on Wednesday, created matchup problems, and also was a passer who set up his teammates.

* The Nuggets made a move that could pay off big. Denver traded away next year's No. 1 to land North Carolina's speedy point guard, Ty Lawson. He will be a perfect fit in Denver's uptempo offense, and Lawson will learn from the best in Chauncey Billups.

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Colorado Avalanche fans suffered through a losing season this year. But the team got a lot better in Friday's NHL draft. Picking third, the Avs selected center Matt Duchene, a player the scouts loved for his all-around skills. One expert compared him to a young Rod Brind'Amour.

The Avs have some other young pieces as the team rebuilds, most notably center Paul Stastny and defenseman John-Michael Liles. But priority No. 1 in the offseason is finding a proven goalie. A good goalie can hide a multitude of sins.