U.S.A. 2, Spain 0. Excuse me?

The United States may not have deserved to be in the semifinals of the Confederations Cup, but after Wednesday night, they certainly deserve to be in the final.

For the past two days or so, I had been pondering a post about what is wrong with the current incarnation of the U.S. national team. But after watching them take down mighty Spain, 2-0, that will have to go on the back burner. For a night at least, the U.S. is a team of world-beaters.

Before Wednesday, Spain had not lost an international match since November 2006, putting together a streak of 35 games unbeaten. The U.S. meanwhile has staggered through World Cup qualification and last week made it out of the Confederations Cup group stage by the grace of goal difference with just one win.

On pretty much any other day, it’s safe to say that Spain might have wiped the floor with the U.S. And at times on Wednesday, they did, flashing some of the creative flair to create opportunities at will. But with Tim Howard looking unusually sturdy in goal, combined with a surprising strike by Jozy Altidore, the U.S. was able to hang on until well into the second half.

The next goal was always going to be critical. If Spain tied things up, it was all set to be just like the Italy game: an early lead turned into a two-goal deficit by full time. And then, out of nowhere, came Clint Dempsey. Even though he is consistently ripped by the ESPN announcers, I’m convinced he is one of the most underrated players on the team. As someone who has fought his way into a Premier League starting role and plays at the highest level every week, he brings a physical, determined approach that the U.S. has so often lacked.

In all likelihood, the U.S. will now face Brazil in the final — they’re playing South Africa as I type this. And, in all likelihood, they can’t beat the Brazilians. But most of the benefits have already been reaped for the U.S. The team broke into all of this morning’s headlines, generated some excitement around soccer during the slowest part of the sporting calendar, and for the time being, Bob Bradley has gotten himself off the hot seat. (Although, honestly, I’m not sure the U.S. benefits from his sticking around in the long run.)

The final is this Sunday at 2:25 p.m. eastern time on ESPN. Here’s to hoping the U.S. has another upset in them.