Gold Cup Final: Fiesta Numero Dos

Mexico has laid claim to their second consecutive Gold Cup and finally earned redemption against the U.S. by winning on American soil, beating the U.S. 4-2. For the U.S., the game ran like a poor rollercoaster ride: a nice incline at the start, but then one gradual, disappointing decline for the rest of the game.

2011 Gold Cup - Grudge Match Edition

Who would have guessed: the Gold Cup playoffs have culminated in yet another U.S.-Mexico finale. For those counting at home, that's three straight finals between the two countries. Sure, the tournament has been predictable, but oh so entertaining. Here's how the teams got there...

USA: "Everything is irie, mon."

"Stir It Up" - New lineup gets the job done as U.S. beats Jamaica 2-0

After much roster rancor and blog spazzing from yours truly, the U.S.-Jamaica quarterfinal match went off without a hitch and Uncle Sam came out as 2-0 winners over the Reggae Boyz.

Many U.S. fans hit the soccer bars extra early on Sunday upon news that long-time star Landon Donovan would be held out of the starting lineup by Coach Bob Bradley. Returning to D.C. from his sister's wedding in California, Donovan didn't return until 7:30 am. In comparison, fellow talented teammate and chronic over-actor Clint Dempsey also returned home from his sister's wedding in Texas and got back at 2 am. Methinks Landon was hitting up the after-party with some of the bridesmaids.

All of this drama before kickoff amounted to very little as the U.S. team functioned just fine minus Donovan. In fact, young star striker Jozy Altidore left the match in just the 12th minute, eliminating another starter from the lineup. Fortunately, Clint Dempsey finally scored a goal after numerous opportunities in the group stage (particularly against Guadeloupe).

His was the insurance to Jermaine Jones' game-winner, his first international goal, and an apt one given the U.S.'s Febreze fresh new roster.

Unfortunately the Gold Cup was not Jamaica's "Redemption Song," but they played well enough to convince me that they have a shot to make the next World Cup. Always a cult favorite, it would be great to see them in Brazil in 2014.

The second match was even more raucous than the first. By a lot.


Panama stuns El Salvador in the final minute and wins by penalty kicks

Numerous Salvadorans were in attendance at RFK Stadium for this one, and it showed when the tiny country broke through with the first goal, a penalty kick in the 78th minute.

With little time remaining, Panama crashed the net and finally got an opportune ball in the air right by the goal line. Luis Tejada got some part of his body on the ball in the scramble and it was ruled a goal, however later replays showed that the entire ball might not have crossed the goal line. The Salvadoran fans reacted naturally: jeers that would make a sailor blush, bottles thrown onto the field, a red card for both sides, and the requisite running man doing a circuit around the pitch. Surely a prelude to the doomsday I alluded to in the beginning!

It was a very good game with tons of scoring chances for both teams, and I'm not sad that El Salvador lost, for a couple reasons. First, they got a questionable penalty kick earlier in the game, and they could have won if they had converted right there. Second, this sets up an intriguing rematch between the U.S. and Panama!

Semifinal action detonates this Wednesday in Houston. Look for Mexico and Honduras to have an intense battle. I could see this one going either way, but deep down I've got to believe Mexico will advance to the final since they've got more punch. Meanwhile, I'm actually bullish on America. I liked that Bradley wasn't afraid to try out some different players, and you know they've got to be hungry to avenge their earlier loss. The only way to sate that hunger is goals, and I do hope they are gluttonous!

Copa Oro: Muerte Subita!

TDZ's continuing coverage of Gold Cup action continues this weekend as nations square off in playoff elimination games. Despite a couple hiccups for some teams, such as the U.S. losing to Panama and Honduras losing to Jamaica, the group stages were about as predictable as a Sarah Palin soundbite is at reducing your IQ.

Summarizing today's action:


Honduras edges Costa Rica via penalty kicks.

Each squad put one away in the second half for a full time score of 1-1, but Honduras did a better job of converting their penalties as two of Costa Rica's players hit the crossbar with their shots. Not to discount the work of Honduras' goalkeeper, Noel Valladares: he made a crucial save on a penalty shot with 15 minutes left in the game just to send it to PKs. His strategy involved arguing over the placement of the ball until he had spent so much time - and so much of the ref's patience - that he was given a yellow card.

Did the tactic contribute to the subsequent save? Couldn't hurt. We might have just discovered a freezing the kicker tactic in the "other" football. I expected this to be a close game as both are in that second tier of CONCACAF behind the U.S. and Mexico, but one side is a World Cup-quality side while the other isn't, and it showed at the end. Honduras now moves on to face the following winner...


Mexico upends Guatemala with two second half goals.

Losing 1-0 at the half, heavy favorite Mexico was in danger of a quarterfinal elimination at the hands of 3rd tier Guatemala. However, like most heavy favorites, El Tri made a run and executed with 2 second half goals, including the game-winner from the chihuahua, Javier Hernandez.

Guatemala captain and long-time MLS striker Carlos Ruiz quieted the Mexico-supporting crowd early on with a goal in the fifth minute, but Mexico applied pressure later on to make up for the early lapse. Given how close this game was, Mexico may be a lot weaker following the suspension of 5 of their players than I initially thought. If the U.S. doesn't choke as hard as I think they will, they've got a definite shot at the Cup after all.


Gold Cup action continues tomorrow with the U.S. facing off against The Reggae Boyz of Jamaica, and Panama taking on El Salvador. I expect Panama will dispatch El Salvador as they have performed well so far, while I'm less optimistic about the U.S. facing Jamaica. If you go by the tier system I've alluded to, the U.S. should win, but Jamaica is a fast and physical team and they have yet to even allow a goal this tournament. For a team that's struggling to score goals like the U.S., this could be a case of a very stoppable force colliding with an immovable object. Tune in at 3 pm for all the action! (Fox Soccer Channel and live streaming.)

Mas Copa Oro!

American fans' worst fears became reality Saturday as they lost their first ever group stage Gold Cup game 2-1 to Panama.

It's not the end of the world - to be honest it's like a tree falling in the forest for most people - but it confirms suspicions that this Bob Bradley-run squad is on the decline. Including their World Cup elimination by Ghana, the U.S. has won only 2 of their last 11 games.

What can we expect next? To advance, the U.S. has to beat Guadeloupe, an island of 450,000 people. From what I saw of Guadeloupe playing Canada at the Hispanic laundromat I was at Saturday, they play a physical, scrappy brand of soccer but aren't as skilled as the U.S. From what I've read, their skilled players tend to play in Europe and for France nationally.

If I was a betting man I'd be hard-pressed to bet against my team, but I wouldn't be shocked to see a low-scoring or goalless tie. Part of me also sees this tough situation as a win-win scenario. If the U.S. loses, that might be just the kick in the pants the USSF needs to get rid of Bradley, which could be great for the long-term. On the other hand the U.S. could win... which is also a win, technically speaking. It should be interesting to see if they rise to the occasion like they did against another physical team, Algeria, or collapse into an ineffective heap like they did against Ghana.


In lol-worthy news: a Cuban player defected from his team. This news is about as shocking as hearing a DC weather forecast with humidity over 80%. I'm sweating like Bruce Pearl here.

Gold Cup 2011 - Ole's and Lol's

From sea to shining sea - and from the arctic circle to the Panama Canal - a continent descends into a soccer-crazed furor. Nations clash in blood-boiling zealotry. Hark, as drums pound relentlessly and vuvuzelas overwhelm the senses and drive the citizenry to madness. The earth is torn asunder by spiked footmen with canons for legs. What team will reign over the inevitable post-apocalyptic blight that will remain?

Damn soccer players, ruining my DC.

These are the questions that need answering for a niche (but not as small as you think) of sports fans who follow the Gold Cup. What they lack in numbers, however, they make up for in fanaticism. Here's a look at the competing countries and their chances for continental conquest!