OT: USA v Jamaica Gold Cup Open Thread
Gold cup quarters= win or go home.
USA lineup: Howard; Cherundolo, Goodson, Bocanegra, Lichaj; Jones, Bradley; Bedoya, Kljestan, Dempsey; Altidore
Subs: Edu, Agudelo, Donovan, Bornstein, Ream, Adu, Hahnemann
I don't like that Landon isn't starting. I'm not sure if this is a time for experimenting. The game is on FSC at 3pm ET or on feed on concacaf website
EDIT: Landon was at a wedding and got in late.. hence the no start. Thanks for the update.
because he was at his sister's wedding and got in very late. I don't know if that's really experimenting so much as going with the players who are ready.
Oh great info! I just got the tweet of the lineup and couldn't understand why he wasn't starting. That makes sense.
...to set the stage:
USA scratches: Spector, Onyewu, Wondolowski, Rogers.
The game will start with a wet pitch as a quick, but heavy downpour just hit downtown DC. The grass at RFK is a few weeks old and has been played on by DC United a few times since. It should be in very nice shape.
It will be interesting to see how Donovan and Dempsey perform. Poor performances and the USSF decision to allow them to go to California and Texas respectively to attend family weddings will get some realy scrutiny.
It's not overstating it to say that while this game is win or go home for the USA at the Gold Cup, it may be win or go home for Bob Bradley.
I hate to say this, but I actually hope we do lose so that we finally send Bradley packing. His style of play may have worked in MLS, but it will never succeed at the international level. Gulati needs to swallow his pride and sack his golden boy Bradley, and then admit he doesn't know everything about the game and hand complete roster control over to Jurgen Klinsman in order to bring him on board. Is it really that big of a problem to Gulati that the manager of the senior team have control of the rosters at the younger levels as well as the senior squad? That's all Klinsman wants in order to take the reigns, but Gulati is too stubburn of a mule to give it to him.
That's like rooting for umich to lose in order to fire Rodriguez. Both are crappy ways of looking at the situation.
As bad as the central defense has been for team USA these last few games. I don't see how they can continue to bench Gooch?
Because Gooch has lost it and is now there for emergencies only.
Highlighting one of Bradley's recurring issues, realizing that players have lost it only after naming them to tournament rosters.
When is Bradley going to give up on the Kljestan experiment? The guy just can't play at the international level. I would honestly rather see Freddy in there than Sacha.
Dempsey got in at 2am, Landycakes at 7am.
I was fairly indifferent about them missing practice time for the weddings, but I presumed they'd be back in plenty of time for the night before the game to get a full night's rest and be fresh for the game. That's kind of ridiculous and frankly I'd be pissed if I were the other MNT players.
Seriously? If Donovan hasn't earned your respect by now. No American player ever will.
Donovan has my respect. Still think it sucks a large one that they skipped out for weddings.
too. Also, we don't know details--flight might have been delayed, etc.
...has more MLS players on its roster than does the USMNT.
Watching some of their highlights from this tourney thus far during the pre-game show. They look fast and dangerous upfront.
That's actually a good sign for American soccer. That means we have more and more players playing in the leagues over seas, which are quite frankly, better than MLS. If we are ever going to compete with the best in the world, we need nearly every member of our Men's senior national team, to be playing top flight football in Europe.
Disagree, we need them to play here and develop our own league to rival the best in europe.
My steam still says will begin shortly
Almost
...Donovan has not started in a USMNT game since June 9, 2007 (Trinidad & Tobago in Gold Cup).
...underway.
Wow what a wiff on the rebound for the rastas
phew!!!! wow O_o!
Nice to join you all for another US futbol match.
Well shit. Mexican Dracoulia is here to hand out a few more yellow cards.
...a substitute. Looks like a hamstring.
Jozy is down... shiiiiit
Hopefully Jozy is just having cramps. But it doesn't look good,
Bradley is gonna be tested tactically here, loses his target forward in a 4-2-3-1. I don't think Agudelo is able to play that lone forward (I don't think Jozy can either frankly).
And of course Bradley did not put Wondo on the bench.
Move Dempsey up top now?
has a lower leg thing. Happened on a slide tackle a couple of minutes ago. He gave it a go, then went back down. Looks like he's done for the day.
...in his place.
...to be worse for wear. Nice drive.
The US with 6 guys in the box, and somehow don't get a shot off. Good pressure though.
...how poorly most of this team's corners are taken. It's not that hard to place the ball in a position that's not covered by three defenders.
The decision to only bring only 3 forwards is really looking questionable at this point. No Jozy, and Wondo looking like he's not up to this level, leaves us with only Agueldo up front. Not only is he far from proven, but if the US advances, you're going to be asking a young guy to play a lot of minutes over a week.
He can always move Dempsey up top and bring on another midfielder, either Donavon or Freddy in an attacking role from the mdfield if we need a goal.
It's not so much a problem here as it will be in games if we advance. That's a lot of minutes at this level for a very young player. But maybe it allows him to put Donovan, Bradley, and Sasha/Bedoya on the field at the same time, which might make our attack more creative.
The univision annoucer's pronunciation of Lichaj is awesome...
"Leeeee-hi"
High school Spanish does NOT allow me to comprehend a futbol game called on Univision.
I like how they say Golazo. It sounds like thery're saying Go A55hole - A55hole-A55hole-A55hole.
univison does not work in greece
but it seems Greece does not give them streaming rights
I think they're being streamed at either concacaf.com or goldcup.org
Loves the soccer face-off
Jones picks up a silly yellow
A question from a budding soccer fan: whats the importance of the Gold Cup? I know its not the world cup, but does it affect it? What are soccers different tournaments? Thanks
It's the regional championship for the US (North America, Central America, and the Caribbean form one of Fifa's six federations). It's played every two years. The big benefit of winning this tournament is a berth in the confederation's cup, which is kind of a test run for the World Cup, the year before the WC occurs.
...tournament. The winner gets a berth in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil.
The USA had a great run in the 2009 Confederation Cup in South Africa beating Spain in the semis before losing to Brazil in the championship game.