Gold Cup Thread
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Yup, Mexico is CONCACAF's little darlings, and like Chile in the Copa, their path to the finals is as easy as it can get...... but they have been playing better, but..... Cuba is a friggin joke, they should stick to communism, sugarcane, forged birth certificates and baseball. They looked like cardboard cutouts out there. Hopefully the US can clinch their group tonight, rest a few players and get another couple on the pitch against Panama.
I DVR'd the game as I always do in tournaments like this and usually watch just the goals because I don't have time to watch every game. I just deleted the game without even watching the goals after I watched SportsCenter. If FIFA is a fraud, then Cuban soccer was the son of FIFA born with a silver spoon in his mouth!
Lineup vs Haiti:
4-3-1-2
Guzan
Garza/Ream/Gonzalez/Evans (entirely new backline than vs Honduras)
Diskerud/Bradley/Zusi
Dempsey
Altidore/Johansson
Really interesting. I like the shakeup. We'll see if this breaks things up. Seems very offensive-minded.
4-3-1-2
Guzan
Garza/Ream/Gonzalez/Evans (entirely new backline than vs Honduras)
Diskerud/Bradley/Zusi
Dempsey
Altidore/Johansson
Really interesting. I like the shakeup. We'll see if this breaks things up. Seems very offensive-minded.
First half thoughts...
A) Once again we get refs that are in wayyyyy over their head. This crew might be worse than Game 1. Johannsson should have a goal, as that "offsides" call was one of the worst I've ever seen at this level.
B) Speaking of that non-goal....it should've never came to that, as Jozy should've shot earlier on.
C) The backline is playing eh..ok...better than the other crew
D) The overprices mids (all of them) should be benched for a while. They're playing sloppy, lazy, embarrassing, out of position, etc etc
E) Johannsson seems to be the only one with any clue in the attacking half. He's getting no help. And Haiti is playing about 8 dudes in the box.
Ugh, so frustrating.
A) Once again we get refs that are in wayyyyy over their head. This crew might be worse than Game 1. Johannsson should have a goal, as that "offsides" call was one of the worst I've ever seen at this level.
B) Speaking of that non-goal....it should've never came to that, as Jozy should've shot earlier on.
C) The backline is playing eh..ok...better than the other crew
D) The overprices mids (all of them) should be benched for a while. They're playing sloppy, lazy, embarrassing, out of position, etc etc
E) Johannsson seems to be the only one with any clue in the attacking half. He's getting no help. And Haiti is playing about 8 dudes in the box.
Ugh, so frustrating.
I don't understand how anyone thinks soccer is boring. The first 15 of the 2nd half has been balls to the wall.
Altidore needs to sit on the bench until a) he's sufficiently fit to play, or b) until he learns he has a left foot. He is lazy, slow and clueless at this stage. Zardes plays rings around him right now.
And Johansson is a diamond in the rough--with some work, he could be a real find.
And Johansson is a diamond in the rough--with some work, he could be a real find.
The spark when Zardes comes on the field is pretty evident. Is it me or these teams targeting Dempsey with cheap shots every time he gets the ball? Getting knocked down on a play for the ball or while putting a body on the foward is part of the game. But getting your legs taken out from behind or when the ball is away from the forward time and time again is pretty obvious what is going on imo.
First half thoughts on the Panama game....
(yes I was able to watch it all and switch over to the HR Derby in time for the only part that matters)
A) Yet again, Timmy Chandler is proving he has absolutely no business ever wearing the USMNT uniform
B) Yet again, CONCACAF refs blow
C) Yet again, the backline is playing absolutely horribly. I thought Alvarado would be the next guy in the pipeline to shore-up the CB position, but he's been abysmal in this tournament. And Brooks stupidly got himself suspended for the quarterfinal game on Saturday.
D) Yet again, Beckerman and Bradley cannot control the ball, cannot complete forward passes, and are just flat out bad.
E) Morales and Bedoya are both proving that they're nowhere near ready to come back from injury yet to play at this level.
F) Zardes and Wondo are showing they can't figure out how to play with each other. Not their faults, as I'm pretty sure this is the first time they've played together, and the mids/defs can't seem to get them any decent passes.
G) Guzan is helping prove that if Tim Howard is truly retired for good, we're OK in goal.
Thankfully this match means nothing regarding the tournament, but this is still just flat out embarrassing.
(yes I was able to watch it all and switch over to the HR Derby in time for the only part that matters)
A) Yet again, Timmy Chandler is proving he has absolutely no business ever wearing the USMNT uniform
B) Yet again, CONCACAF refs blow
C) Yet again, the backline is playing absolutely horribly. I thought Alvarado would be the next guy in the pipeline to shore-up the CB position, but he's been abysmal in this tournament. And Brooks stupidly got himself suspended for the quarterfinal game on Saturday.
D) Yet again, Beckerman and Bradley cannot control the ball, cannot complete forward passes, and are just flat out bad.
E) Morales and Bedoya are both proving that they're nowhere near ready to come back from injury yet to play at this level.
F) Zardes and Wondo are showing they can't figure out how to play with each other. Not their faults, as I'm pretty sure this is the first time they've played together, and the mids/defs can't seem to get them any decent passes.
G) Guzan is helping prove that if Tim Howard is truly retired for good, we're OK in goal.
Thankfully this match means nothing regarding the tournament, but this is still just flat out embarrassing.
Guzan is a stud. US always seems to have great goalies going back to when I was a kid with Meola.
Why is it whenever the US plays a Latino team, they never have a Caucasian center? This guy is beyond obvious in the way he's called this game.
Agree with Chandler way to many give aways but I'm not sure who takes his place at RB
I agree with the Refs idk where they learned to ref but they failed miserably
Wondo has no business being with the USMNT I don't understand what JK sees in him shoulda either had Bobby wood or Jordan Morris on the team (unsure how NCAA would be with USMNT )
How about that crowd last night? That was impressive! The singing, chanting, etc. KC, Seattle and Portland are the best US soccer cities. I've said it before-- when done right-- the atmosphere for pro soccer games most resemble that of southern college football.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/goldcup/20...ts-he-will-not-continue-usmnt-knockout-rounds
Looks like Jozy wont be with the team moving forward in the knockout rounds.
Looks like Jozy wont be with the team moving forward in the knockout rounds.
His first-touch is horrible. We had a theory regarding why the US has never produced great ball handlers. The theory goes that most of the kids that grew up in the US playing soccer, usually started at the organized level-where they played on a regulation pitch. Because of the lack of popularity in the US--as compared to Europe or South/Latin America--their first exposure was not with street games and games on small fields, where touch, ball control, passing and vision is paramount.
Out: Greg Garza, Alfredo Morales, Jozy Altidore
IN: Damarcus Beasley, Alex Gordon, Joe Corona
Jozy's time as the starting USMNT striker might be over. Somehow Timmy Chandler has survived these "cuts". Morales showed he was too injured to be a part of this squad yesterday. Why are we bringing in old-man Beasley? And while I was hoping for Jordan Morris or Bobby Wood to replace Altidore, I think there's issues with both of them and their clubs/school currently.
IN: Damarcus Beasley, Alex Gordon, Joe Corona
Jozy's time as the starting USMNT striker might be over. Somehow Timmy Chandler has survived these "cuts". Morales showed he was too injured to be a part of this squad yesterday. Why are we bringing in old-man Beasley? And while I was hoping for Jordan Morris or Bobby Wood to replace Altidore, I think there's issues with both of them and their clubs/school currently.
Not sure on Wood, but Morris is out recovering from injury (possibly a surgery) for 4-6 weeks or so.
I read somewhere (can't find it currently) that Wood had some sort of hangup with his club team.
I was talking to one of the better coaches at my son's club and he said he'd probably do away with games for U12/13 and under if it was up to him. Spend all the time practicing and in small-sided games.
In Peru, we would play on cement courts that were about the size of a tennis court. Super fast game. Then there were a few games that were on grass, but the field was less than half the size of regulation. The goals were our shirts and you could not score a goal by kicking the ball in the air. Of course, the street games. When I lived in the US, most of my soccer playing was AYSO organized games
A Mexico/Costa Rica quarterfinal, or at least semifinal, the US got a little lucky with Costa Rica's habit of drawing.
the US will face either Guatamala or El Salvador in Baltimore, unless TnT beats Mexico and Guatamala beats Cuba and makes up the -8 GD, so Guatamala will need to beat Cuba 7-0 if El Tri loses 1-0, then Guatamala advances on most GF as group C runner up and the US would get Mexico in the quarters in Baltimore.
The US can not play Panama in the quarters because they are in the same group and Panama is scheduled to play the Group C winner. Either way, Costa Rica is gonna be in for one heck of a quarter unless Guatamala passes Mexico for group C runner up.
Glad to see Josie Out da door, he has been dreadful.
the US will face either Guatamala or El Salvador in Baltimore, unless TnT beats Mexico and Guatamala beats Cuba and makes up the -8 GD, so Guatamala will need to beat Cuba 7-0 if El Tri loses 1-0, then Guatamala advances on most GF as group C runner up and the US would get Mexico in the quarters in Baltimore.
The US can not play Panama in the quarters because they are in the same group and Panama is scheduled to play the Group C winner. Either way, Costa Rica is gonna be in for one heck of a quarter unless Guatamala passes Mexico for group C runner up.
Glad to see Josie Out da door, he has been dreadful.
Crazier things have happened, but a Cuba win tonight puts them in the quarters against the US..........
This tourney was set up for Mexico to walk into the finals, and they were playing better, now they will get TnT twice and a game against Costa Rica before the finals, so the US should have easier quarter and semifinal games, and then get a worn out Mexico/CR/TnT in the finals, not a bad scenario at all. I figured the US would get Costa Rica in the semis, but CFR screwed themselves and now will get TnT/Mexico in the quarters and then perhaps the TnT/Mexico survivor in the semis!
Jamaica is no joke right now, the lost 3 tough Copa matches 1-0 and are playing well, and playing for national pride, which could carry them to the title.
Aron Johannsson can make himself a household name now and help Dempsey up top, he needs to step and so everyone why Jurgen stole him away from Iceland.
I think that the poor attendance for the Women's World Cup carried over to the Gold Cup, as only 16,000 showed up in Toronto to cheer for the home team last night. Mexico is killing everyone in attendance, as the US played in two smaller venues to maximize the crowd's intensity. It will be interesting to see how many show up tonight in Charlotte to watch Mexico. Does Charlotte have a large Mexican community?
Also, because the US won the 2013 Gold Cup, they will play the winner of the 2015 Gold Cup in a playoff to qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia, unless of course the US wins this year's Cup and get the automatic qualification.
Already qualified for the 2017 Confederations Cup: Russia (host), Germany (2014 World Cup winners), Australia (2015 Asian Champs) and Chile (2015 Copa winners).
Africa (2017), Europe (2016), CONCACAF (2015) and the Oceania Football Confederation (2016-weakest federation is sports!) all still need their champions determined. If Russia or Germany win Euro 2016, then the loser of the Championship game will represent Europe. If the Russians and Germans play in the Euro 2016 finals, I have no idea who gets chosen to represent Europe since there is no 3rd place game in the Euro. Maybe the highest FIFA ranked semifinalist occupies the Euro spot? I can't find the answer to this, but I did find that it's not improbable that if Russa/Germany play in the 2016 final, then FIFA could invite 2014 World Cup runner-up, Argentina.
Already qualified for the 2017 Confederations Cup: Russia (host), Germany (2014 World Cup winners), Australia (2015 Asian Champs) and Chile (2015 Copa winners).
Africa (2017), Europe (2016), CONCACAF (2015) and the Oceania Football Confederation (2016-weakest federation is sports!) all still need their champions determined. If Russia or Germany win Euro 2016, then the loser of the Championship game will represent Europe. If the Russians and Germans play in the Euro 2016 finals, I have no idea who gets chosen to represent Europe since there is no 3rd place game in the Euro. Maybe the highest FIFA ranked semifinalist occupies the Euro spot? I can't find the answer to this, but I did find that it's not improbable that if Russa/Germany play in the 2016 final, then FIFA could invite 2014 World Cup runner-up, Argentina.
How is Canada so bad at men's soccer? They have to have better talent than what's being represented in the region.
The quarters will pretty much be a preview of the hex, IMHO (obviously minus whoever the USA gets to play first and Haiti). Seems there's 6 squads (USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, TnT, Panama, Jamaica) that are wayyyy above everyone else (maybe Honduras?) in the region. Depending on how the WC Qual draws set up, I'm assuming these are the 6 we'll see in 2 years. Obviously there's a lot of time for something to happen down the road, but I have to believe it's pretty obvious what CONCACAF has to offer on the international scale right now.
The quarters will pretty much be a preview of the hex, IMHO (obviously minus whoever the USA gets to play first and Haiti). Seems there's 6 squads (USA, Mexico, Costa Rica, TnT, Panama, Jamaica) that are wayyyy above everyone else (maybe Honduras?) in the region. Depending on how the WC Qual draws set up, I'm assuming these are the 6 we'll see in 2 years. Obviously there's a lot of time for something to happen down the road, but I have to believe it's pretty obvious what CONCACAF has to offer on the international scale right now.
So we get Cuba, who was outscored 8-1 in group play and had players and a coach defect this week. Wondo, Chandler, Bedoya, and Beasley all score!
My God, what a match that second game was! Mexico in total control with a 2-0 lead, and Trinidad & Tobago score 3 goals in 12 minutes to take the lead, only to have Mexico tie it with 2 minutes left. Then, in stoppage time, Mexico scores on a T&T own goal, only to have T&T come right back and tie it again at the death. Poster above was right--they win the group, and Mexico has to face CR in the quarters.
Like the US' chances against Cuba, obviously, and am glad I bought the tickets for the semifinal at the Georgia Dome next Wednesday.
Like the US' chances against Cuba, obviously, and am glad I bought the tickets for the semifinal at the Georgia Dome next Wednesday.
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