The Gold Cup at Rio Tinto: My Experience.

Kyle Beckerman provided another quality ball for a Wondo goal (SL Tribune)

First off, I'd like to thank everyone at Rio Tinto Stadium, Real Salt Lake, and US Soccer for working to bring the US Men's National Team to Utah not once, but twice this summer for World Cup Qualifying and the Gold Cup.  It really was a special opportunity for the soccer fans in Utah, and I am very glad that I took advantage.

The ride down to the RioT from Ogden was punctuated with good news.  It was announced that all three of our RSL men, Nick Rimando, Kyle Beckerman, and Tony Beltran would start for the national team against Cuba.  That was certainly a nice present for all of the RSL fans heading to the RioT.  Once we arrived we took our seats in the South end, front row, right at the bottom of the boom cam that was being used for the TV broadcast.  Our season tickets for RSL are in section 30, so it was interesting to get this view.  I hadn't sat in the south end since my first game at the RioT in 2010, after I moved back from Florida.

The start of the match was hammered by thunder and a pretty good sized cloud burst, but it didn't dampen the spirits of the American Outlaws, who were in the same section.  We joined the chants as the match got underway.  Overall I'd say the crowd and the "atmosphere" were better for this match than they were for the World Cup Qualifier.  There was definitely more chanting and YSA only reared it's head a couple of times.  After that, "USA" seemed to be the popular chant by most folks in the south end on goal kicks.

The first half wasn't what you would call glorious from the USA.  They had plenty of possession, but failed to make a connection in the final third.  Then the unthinkable happened. Late in the first half Cuba went on a counter attack, torched our left side, and managed to sneak a goal past Nick to give Cuba a 0-1 lead.  That seemed to wake the US up though.  Just a few minutes later they earned a PK, which Landon Donovan promptly converted to tie the match at 1-1.  The shouts of "USA, USA" became somewhat deafening from the Rio Tinto crowd, it was, just for a minute, one of the loudest chants I've heard in many games at the RioT.

The US took charge in the second half.  Brek Shea went out, and I'm sorry to say for him that it was a pretty dismal performance.  He didn't look great from where I sat in the south end, but when I got home and watched the broadcast, the scope of his failure was all to clear.  The Yanks earned several quality set piece chances early in the second half, but they weren't able to convert.  Finally Joe Corona hit a gorgeous goal in the 57th minute to give the USA the lead.  Corona looked great throughout the match.  Chris Wondolowski checked in and provided the USA with two more goals, including one off of a great pass from Kyle Beckerman, to make the final margin 4-1 and send the US folks home happy.

But wait, there's more.  In the second game of the double header, Alvaro Saborio started for Costa Rica against Belize.  I'd say about 2/3 of the crowd left after the USA match.  Many of the remaining folks filed over to the west side of the stadium to get out of the sun.  I should have done that, as I ended up with a second degree sunburn.  Oh well, I regret that I have but one epidermis to burn for my country.

The match wasn't great by any stretch and Costa Rica were obviously the better side, but still Belize managed to keep them out of the net into the second half.  The Ticos' lone goal came in the 49th minute in the form of an own goal from a Belize defender, and it was all Costa Rica would need.  Belize had a great chance to equalize in stoppage time from a corner kick, but the header just missed and Costa Rica sealed the 1-0 win.

The victories for both the USA and Costa Rica seal knockout round places for them heading into the last group match in Hartford, where they will face off.  That happens tonight, but I'm still caught up in the glow of watching my national team, and it's representatives from my club, shine in my stadium!  This summer of International soccer is something I'll never forget.

2013 Gold Cup Day 3: Costa Rica and USA Roll

Chris Wondolowski earned a hat-trick in a 6-1 mauling of Belize

Jeld-Wen Field, the home of the Portland Timbers, took center stage in Gold Cup action Tuesday night as Costa Rica took on Cuba and the USA took on Belize, who were playing in their first ever Gold Cup match.  The results of both of these matches were predictable, as the Group C favorites avoided the pitfalls that hit Mexico and Canada on Sunday.

The first match between Costa Rica and Cuba wasn't quite a sparkling affair, but Cuba certainly had a lot to play for as they came in winless in their last 11 Gold Cup matches.   Costa Rica controlled the match with 68% possession and did not allow a single corner kick for Cuba.  The Ticos left it late though, not scoring until Michael Barrantes netted in the 51st minute.  Jairo Arrieta of the Columbus Crew scored in the 71st, and Barrantes completed his brace in the 77th minute to make the full time score 3-0.  Of interest to RSL fans, Alvaro Saborio started for the Ticos and played 79 minutes, coming out after the final goal was scored.

The nightcap in Portland featured the opening match of the tournament for the United States as they took on Gold Cup newbies Belize.  The Stars and Stripes were riding high after blasting Guatemala 6-0 in a friendly before the tournament and looked to inflict more goals on Belize.  They did just that.  It was a Tahitiesque performance from Belize, even though they did manage to sneak in a goal off a blown coverage in the first half.  However Chris Wondolowski scored a first half hat-trick, including one off of a fine ball from Kyle Beckerman, to make the half time score 3-1.

The USA didn't look back in the second as Stu Holden came in for Beckerman and gave the team a more offensive minded approach.  He scored in the in the 58th minute, and Michael Orozco added another in the 72nd.  Landon Donovan added a PK goal in the 76th minute to complete the destruction and make the full time result 6-1.  It was a impressive performance from the USA, especially on offense.  The defense wasn't tested much, but to me they still looked a little less than solid, especially on the blown mark that led to the goal.

A shadow has been cast over this match though, and maybe over the tournament as a whole.  That shadow is the one cast by international betting and match fixing.  According to 7 News Belize, 3 players, including their goalkeeper, were approached by a man in Guatemala offering them money to throw the match.  The players have said that they did not accept the advances, but it does make one wonder about the result. 

Group C continues on Saturday at Rio Tinto Stadium as the USA face Cuba and Costa Rica will take on the aforementioned Belize.  I'll be there, and you can be too!  Tickets are still available!

2013 Gold Cup Day 2: Honduras Takes Charge

Haiti played well but couldn't fend off timely Honduras strikes (Fox Sports)

Gold Cup group B play opened up yesterday at Red Bull Arena in New Jersey with two matches.  El Salvador took on  Trinidad and Tobago in the first match and the second was between Haiti and Honduras.  I thought both games were pretty entertaining to watch and made for a good night of football.

El Salvador and T&T provided most of the night's scoring.  Going in I probably would have expected El Salvador to get the win, but honestly I've seen very little of them and even less of T&T.    It was T&T that drew first blood though.  In the 10th minute Philadelphia's Keon Daniel pounced on an unclaimed ball and drove into the area, sneaking it past the Salvadoran 'keeper to make it 0-1.  It really was a nice finish.  However El Salvador equalized just 11 minutes later with a nice free kick from Rodolfo Zelaya, and the teams went into the halftime break level at 1-1.

The struggle continued in the second half, but El Salvador grabbed the next goal.  Again Zelaya found the back of the net in the 68th minute with a header, and El Salvador looked like they just might push through.  T&T had other plans though as Stoke City's Kenwyne Jones equalized in the 72nd minute to assure that both sides split the points.

I was really looking forward to the Haiti match.  I'll admit that some of it was because of the human interest story involved.  This is Haiti's first Gold Cup since the 2010 earthquake that devastated the country.  I was also really keen to see former RSL man Jean Alexandre, who was captain of the side.

Haiti played a pretty strong match and actually dominated the midfield for much of it.  However in the end they were undone by poor finishing.  Honduras suffered no such issue and they were content to take the chances when they came.  Rony Martinez scored the opener in the first minute to make it 1-0 to Honduras.   San Jose's Marvin Chavez sealed the deal in the 78th minute to make it 2-0, which was the full time result.

It was a bit of an unfortunate result for the Haitians, who played pretty well.  The three points puts Honduras in control of the group, but second place is still up for grabs with the result in the first game.  That place could come down to the last game.  Should be interesting.

2013 Gold Cup Day 1: You Were Expecting That, Right?

Canada is in deep trouble after a day one shock (TheStar.com)

The 2013 edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup opened yesterday in Pasadena, California at the Rose Bowl.   If God Cup Brackets were a thing, a few would probably already be be busted, much to the chagrin of a couple of familiar USA opponents.

Canada took to the pitch first against Caribbean side Martinique.  Martinique are a French territory, and are not FIFA eligible, so this is the highest tournament they can compete in, and they came to compete.  Canada, on the other hand, looked positively awful.  Their midfield looked absolutely puzzled most of the time and the defense looked largely inept, often clearing the ball right to a Martinique attacker.  For their part, Martinique looked solid both in the midfield and at the back, their main problem being that they couldn't finish despite outplaying Canada for much of the match.

Still in the end it looked like Canada might escape with an all important point.  The triple digit heat looked to be wearing on players from both sides as second half stoppage time dawned with the match still scoreless.  However, in the 93rd minute Fabrice Reuperne smacked a gorgeous shot from near the top of the box into the net, leaving the Canadian GK helpless and securing a famous win for Martinique, who previously only had one Gold Cup win on their resume.

The second game was a bit of as shocker too as Mexico fell to Panama.  Now, I don't think this was as big a shock as the Martinique vs Canada match.  Panama has shown that they have a capable side despite their deplorable diving and time wasting tactics.  The question was going to be if Mexico would actually show up after failing to impress both in the Hex and the Confederations Cup.

The answer was, not really.  Panama jumped on El Tri after earning a PK in the 7th minute, which Gabriel Torres just managed to slip by the Mexican 'keeper to give Panama the 1-0 lead.  Mexico would have it's own moments in the first half though, looking as good as they probably have in recent weeks.  They equalized in first half stoppage time when Marco Fabian brought down a Isreal Hernandez and crossed and clinically finished to tie the score going into the locker room.

Panama had the last laugh though when Torres scored again in the 48th minute.  He managed to just slot a ball inside the near post after a nice ball from Alberto Quintero to make it 2-1.  In the end, the Mexico attack degraded into bad passing and carelessness and they were not able to find a second equalizer, handing Panama the three points.

Next the group heads up to Seattle where Mexico will play Canada and Panama will take on Martinique.  The second matchday figures to be a must win for both Canada and Mexico.  Panama will get Blas Perez for their next match, and a win over Martinique would put them in the group driver's seat.

2013 Gold Cup: Sites Announced, Field Coming Together

CONCACAF has announced the host sites for the 2013 Gold Cup

CONCACAF today announced the 13 US Cities that will play host to the 2013 Gold Cup, the Confederation's international football championship.  Among those 13 cities are 5 MLS venues, 3 of which will play host for the first time.

The Five MLS venues are:

Rio Tinto Stadium: Sandy, Utah.  (RSL)

Jeld-Wen Field: Portland, Oregon. (Portland Timbers)

BBVA Compass Stadium: Houston, Texas. (Houston Dynamo)

CenturyLink Field: Seattle, Washington (Seattle Sounders FC)

Red Bull Arena: Harrison, New Jersey. (New York Red Bulls)

The other eight sites are as follows:

Cowboys Stadium: Dallas, Texas.

Georgia Dome: Atlanta, Georgia.

M&T Bank Stadium: Baltimore, Maryland

Soldier Field: Chicago, Illinois.

Sports Authority Field at Mile High: Denver, Colorado.

Rentschler Field: Hartford, Connecticut.  

Rose Bowl: Pasadena, California.

Sun Life Stadium: Miami Gardens, Florida.

The host city for the final has yet to be announced.

The field for this year's tournament is filling out as well.  The USA, Mexico, and Canada all qualify automatically from North America.  Cuba, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Martinique will join from the Caribbean.  Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Belize will be in from Central America.  This will be the debut for Belize in this competition.  Guatemala and Panama will play for the final Central American spot on Friday.

This year's tournament will be affected by the ongoing qualification process for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil, 2014.  The USA is expected to field a squad largely made up of the U-23 team that failed to reach the London Olympics.  In addition, Mexico will playing in the Confederation's Cup this summer, so perhaps will field an Olympic type squad as well.  It will be interesting to see if this opens the door for another country to sneak in and grab the trophy.  The tournament will take place from July 7th-28th.

Congrats to Mexico, 2011 Gold Cup Champions

It wouldn't be difficult for anyone who spent much time at all watching the 2011 Gold Cup that Mexico was the best team by a pretty large margin. The USA showed a lot of fight in coming back from the defeat at the hands of Panama, but the sense I got after every game was, "they're gonna have to do a lot better than that to beat El Tri." In the end, they didn't.

USA talked a good, confident match coming in, and they even jumped on top of Mexico 2-0, but it all went downhill from there. Cherundulo went out and Bornstein replaced him. A nightmare of a defensive effort later, Mexico took the totally deserved win 2-4.

So Mexico reestablishes themselves as the dominant team in CONCACAF. Now. let's face it, not a great tournament from the USA. Things need to get better heading in to World Cup Qualifying. We can't be "just happy to be here." I still stand by my opinion that the USA has gone as far as Bob Bradley can take them. Yes, he made some nice tactical choices during the tournament, but in the end the Achilles heal of defense and maybe player selection cost the USA a chance at Silverware.

Congrats to Mexico, they certainly earned it.

Gold Cup Semifinals

I really looked forward to getting home from work last night and watching the Gold Cup semis. Could the USA and Mexico set up their dream final, or would Panama or Honduras spoil the North American party?

The USA versus Panama was up first. I was interested to see if Panama would just bunker in like last time, but to their credit, they really didn't. They also played much higher along the back line than they did in the group stage, but the USA had a hard time taking advantage of that. Both teams had some chances, but a rather lackluster first half ended 0-0.

The USA put Landon Donovan in to start the second half. They were obviously looking for an influx of energy. Jozy Altidore wasn't going to be available for the rest of the tourney, and they needed more of an attacking presence, someone to open the game up. Landon helped, but Freddy Adu came in and really did the trick for the Americans. It was really great to see. Adu and Donovan teamed up to find Dempsey in the 77th and Clint slipped the only goal of the game in far post. Tim Howard made some great saves near the end to secure the 1-0 win.

Panama was without the services of Blaz Perez, who picked up a red card vs. El Salvador.

Mexico beat Honduras in a compelling 0-2 win that went into extra time. Despite dominating much of the game, El Tri was at a loss to find the back of the net. Honduras nearly scored right at the death, but the keeper kept it out. In extra time, De Nigris scored in the 93rd off of a corner and Chicharito added a goal in the 99th. The last 15 minutes were crap, as Honduras was basically trying to beat up Mexico, but El Tri held on for the 0-2 win after 120 minutes.

So the dream final it will be, the USA versus Mexico for all the Marbles.

Gold Cup Quarterfinals: Day Two

I was glad I was off work on Sunday so I could take in both Gold Cup matches from RFK. Still, I really wish FSC would have covered the rest of the matches throughout the tourney in English, not just the USA matches. I'd really rather watch those live games than EPL/Serie A reruns or WPS matches, but that's just me. I watched them on Univision and brushed up on my Spanish.

I was really wondering if the USA could pull it off against Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz had a ton of confidence and a ton of weapons coming in. Then the US announced that Landycakes was starting on the bench. Now, I don't begrudge Clint and Landon going to those weddings at all. Family is most important. However, it worried me that Landon wasn't gonna be on the pitch.

Luckily it worked out though. Gutsy call by Bob Bradley. Gotta give him credit. Had it not panned out he would have been a major goat. It had it's moments though. Howard made a great save on the Reggae Boyz early, that made the US nervous. Despite the fact that the USA played pretty well in the first half, it was goalless at the break.

They really fired it up in the second half though. In the 49th minute Jermaine Jones hammered a shot that took a deflection and went in to give the USA a 1-0 lead. For my money, it was an own goal, but a great strike nonetheless for Jones. Then in the 66th minute, Jermaine Taylor took a swipe at Jones on a counter. Jones got through it, but went to ground after a couple of steps and earned the Jamaican a red card. To me, it was a total flop. That was pretty much all she wrote for the Reggae Boyz. Dempsey scored a nice goal in the 80th to seal it up.

Bad news was that Jozy Altidore left the game with a hamstring injury. His status for the semis is still up in the air.

Now, who would the USA face in Houston? El Salvador or Panama? This one was another hard fought match that went to penalties. It shouldn't have though, as Zelaya missed a PK in the first half that would have given La Selecta the lead. He did score later, but Tejada just managed to get the ball over the El Salvador line in the 90th minute to equalize. There were no goals in extra time, and Panama went on to win 5-3 on PKs.

So it will be a rematch in the Gold Cup Semifinal in Houston: The USA vs. Panama. Who will get the last laugh?

Gold Cup Quarterfinals: Day One.

Had to watch both of these matches after the fact since I was going to Rio Tinto to watch RSL battle the DC Divers. I'm a bit surprised by both results, in different ways.

I've really had Costa Rica pegged as a dark horse in this tourney since day 1. I was really hoping for a rematch between them and Mexico in the semis. Also, as an RSL fan, I wanted to see Sabo do well and come back with confidence.

Not sure that's gonna work out.

Anyway, the first half was kind of a physical beatdown. I thought Honduras porbably looked a little better though. There really weren't a lot of chances. Honduras striker Bengston got them ahead 1-0 with a goal in the 49th, but Costa Rica equalized just a few minutes later when Marshall headed in a corner to make it 1-1.

Then it all came crashing down. The Ticos earned a PK in about the 80th monute and Sabo stepped up to take it. As an RSL fan, I can tell you that Sabo is usually money in these situations. However, the keeper got in his head by bitching about the ball not being spotted right. Sabo had to wait, then hit a poor pen that was saved. It got worse for the RSL star, as he missed a PK in the shootout, which Honduras went on to win 4-2.


As far as Mexico vs. Guatemala goes, I'm not shocked Mexico won, but I thought they'd do better. Philadelphia Union star Ruiz put Guatemala ahead in just the 5th minute, and it seemed to shock at least the crowd. I thought it put El Tri on their heels a little as well. They came back strong in the second half with the addition of De Nigris (groan) who scored in the 48th. Then leave it you know who, Chicharito, to come through and give Mexico the winner on the 66th.

It certainly wasn't the best performance from Mexico, but they got the job done. They were tested really for the first time in the tournament and passed with flying colors, now knowing they can really win the come back game as well.

Mexico and Honduras will square off in Houston on Wednesday in the first Gold Cup semifinal match.

Gold Cup: Guatemala vs. Grenada

Not much to say about this match, except that it was pretty fun to watch. Plenty of chances, plenty of goals, from Guatemala anyway. Chapines beat up on the Spice Boys all match long.

I hate to say it, but Grenada was one of the most over-matched teams I've seen in an international tournament. Even Guadeloupe played better, and they played like half of the group stage down a man. The 2011 Gold Cup was certainly a tough task for Grenada.

Anyway, Chapines really grabbed the match by the horns from the opening whistle. They managed 4 goals, 2 in each half. They were electric in the attack pretty much all night.

The win wasn't enough to ease Chapines into 2nd place ahead of Honduras, but finishing better than El Salvador out of group A puts them through to the next round anyway. Grenada was officially eliminated with an 0-3 record, 0 points, and a -14 Goal Differential. Oh, and a coach that wore a backwards ball cap like a street thug. I don't know man.

Gold Cup: USA vs. Guadeloupe

The task before the USA National Team coming into the Guadeloupe match was clear: win and advance. Actually Panama's 1-1 draw with Canada meant that the USA could advance with a draw, but after the horrid performance against Panama, the USA wasn't in the mood for a draw. That could have been a disaster.

The first half was a banner half for the Americans. Jozy Altidore put the USA on top in just the 9th minute with a great strike from distance. 1-0 to the Yanks. We held possession and got several good shots. Guadeloupe's keeper kept them in the match, coming up with a couple of gems against Chris Wondolowski, who I thought did much better tonight.

Really, whether he did or not, we can't criticize him anymore. The second half was a just nightmare of missed chances for the USA. Really, this match should have been at least 4-0. Landon Donovan missed a point blank shot, causing Kyle Martino to say he would have lost his home because he would have bet everything on Landycakes hitting that.

The more disturbing performance came from the usually reliable Clint Dempsey. Now, I'm not gonna pile on Clint here. He's just coming off of a long season in Europe where he really shined for Fulham, and represented the US overseas very well. However, he missed three point blank shots, including one where he tried to walk the ball over the line instead of just striking it, which allowed a Guadeloupe defender to recover and poke it away from him at the last second.

All in all, The US held on for the 1-0 win. Good enough to advance? Yes. Good enough to beat the stronger teams in the tournament? Doubt it.

Gold Cup: Canada vs. Panama

Ok, catching up on watching my Gold Cup matches before the next stage begins. I do feel bad for the Canadians. The Canadian team goes out of the Gold Cup, the Canucks blow the Stanley Cup, and TFC just stinks.

Tough tournament for team Canada. It's not that they played poorly, it's just that they didn't play well enough. Particularly, in order to advance in a tournament like this, you have to be able to score goals. Getting one PK per game then hoping your defense will hold isn't going to cut it.

Still, they were oh so close to going through.

In the 62nd minute, DeRo was taken down in the box. He converted the spot kick to give Canada a 1-0 lead. This made US Fans nervous. If Canada pulled out all three points, the US would have to win and take care of goal differential to go through.

Unfortunately for the Canucks, that's all they could muster. Panama attacked the rest of the game, and you could really tell that it wasn't a matter of if the equalizer would come, but when. It came in first minute of stoppage time. Perez tapped a goal in front of a crowded net to equalize 1-1. Panama clinched first place in Group C, and the with the USA's 1-0 over Guadeloupe, the Canadians were eliminated.

Good news for RSL fans, we get Will Johnson back early. Canada has some work to do heading into World Cup qualifying.

Donovan Says US Criticisms are Overblown

Interesting piece on Goal.com tonight talking about how Landon Donovan thinks that the criticisms of the US Team are overblown and that there's no point in thinking about the Panama loss anymore.

Gee, really, because that's the same thing you guys said after Spain kicked your asses. I'm sorry, I don't buy it anymore. I'm really tired of this "It's no big deal" attitude with the US team. Yes it is. A pathetic performance against an inferior team on national tv. If that was the first ever US Soccer match I watched, I sure as hell wouldn't watch another one. Every time a big time tournament comes up we get up and say we're ready to play with the big boys. We're obviously not.

It's just my opinion, but major changes are needed. Especially with the coaching. We're obviously not picking the best players. Again, can anyone who's not a Red Bulls fan honestly say that Tim ream is a better defender than Nat Borchers? Is the Gold Cup really a time to be experimenting? I for one don't want us to get our asses handed to us by El Tri.

We do need to dwell on the loss a bit. We can play so much better than that. I really think all the criticisms are right on the money. I really want Landycakes (who was invisible most of the Panama game) to come out and prove me and a lot of people wrong. I hate bashing on US Soccer, but we have to do better if we want to be a factor on the international stage.

Gold Cup: Canada vs. Guadeloupe

Honestly, there wasn't much to this match. I'm kind of surprised Canada didn't take more advantage considering they played against 10 pretty much the entire match. I am proud to say that RSL's Will Johnson once again looked to be one of Canada's most dangerous attacking options.

We did hold our collective breath in the 3rd minute though when Jean-Luc Lambourde made one of those "what the hell are you thinking" tackles on Will just outside the 18. You know, the kind Tim Ream makes when he gives up costly penalties. Anyway, Will was down for a few minutes, and Lambourde got a red card. Luckily for Canada and RSL, Will returned just fine.

There was no scoring until the second half. DeRo converted a PK in the 51st minute to seal a vital 3 points for the Canadians, and perhaps further add to the misery of the USA. Guadeloupe played pretty will with 10 men. Group C is certainly going to be interesting on the last day.

Gold Cup: USA vs. Panama

Where do you even start with this crapfest? When the USA got their clocks cleaned by Spain we were told that everything was ok, that it didn't matter. After all, Spain is the world champs. We played our B-team, and we were saving it for the Gold Cup.

Well, tonight we got our clocks cleaned by Panama. Panama: Not anywhere close to the World Champs. We had our A-Team on the field. Also, hey guess what, Gold Cup is here, let's go!

Sitting and looking at the 1-2 loss tonight, I think we have glaring problems in all three areas. As I've read other blogs and articles tonight, I don't think I'm alone.

The worst part is the defense. We're an absolute shambles in central defense. Whoever let Tim Ream anywhere near the national team should be fired, (hint hint). Ream was puzzled all night against the tough, physical Panama attackers, and his horrible tackle in the 18 directly led to the game winning goal via PK. If Bradley turns in a lineup sheet with him on it for the next game, he ought to be fired on the spot. I don't really care that he can pass. I thought we selected defenders based on their ability to DEFEND. He's proven that he's obviously not ready to defend at this level.

The second big issue is the attack. Where are the goals? Don't tell me this is fine because Jozy scored against Canada. It's not. He's inconsistent at best. Agudelo is too young. He's been invisible off the ball. As much as I love Wondolowski, he's missed a few point blank shots, including a potential equalizer tonight. He's not ready either. Charlie Davies anyone?

Finally, despite the fact that midfield is supposed to be our strength. We need an injection of creativity. Donovan didn't show up until the end, and we had to switch Dempsey up top just to create pressure. Goal.com suggests we should start Freddy Adu. I'm down with that, it can't get any worse for the USA.

Mexican Government puts Players' Defense In Question

The story broke like a whirlwind around CONCACAF yesterday that Mexico had banned five players from the Gold Cup side for testing positive for the banned substance clenbuterol. The Mexican players said it was from eating contaminated beef (not chicken as first reported).

Well, Mexico's own government put a massive dent in that theory today. The Health Department says Mexico's beef is not tainted, and that poisoning cases from tainted beef in Mexico are less than 1 in 1 million. Oops. Pretty sad when your own corrupt government won't back you.

The players have gone to LA for further tests, and CONCACAF has yet to decide whether Mexico will be allowed to call for replacement players.

Gold Cup: Costa Rica vs. El Salvador

Now this was an enjoyable match to watch. I mean, that's the thing about soccer. You can have a low scoring match and still have it be fun, like this one. You can also have a low scoring match that's just a total crap fest, like in KC tonight. At any rate, this one didn't keep the high scoring tradition of Group A as laid out on match day 1, but it was exciting to the final whistle.

If you were to watch the whole match, you'd have to say Costa Rica was the better team. Saborio got them started in the 3rd minute, putting a shot on target to force a save. The Ticos continued to assault the El Salvador goal, and Sabo himself had some real nice looks. They just couldn't quite find the back of the net in the first half.

El Salvador had their chances too. While they were holding on at the defensive end, they got some nice looks off of counters and set pieces. Zelaya was the biggest trouble men for them, and he pestered the Costa Rican defense all day. However, he himself couldn't really find the target until the 45th minute. After a foul, he set up a free kick just outside the 18. He put a nice bit of curl on it, and bent it in just past the keepers fingers to send El Salvador to the break up 0-1.

The trend kind of continued in the second half. Costa Rica would build the pressure, then El Salvador would get a chance or two. You could really tell that Costa Rica was going all out for the equalizer though.

The match got a little chippy, and that put Marrufo in a bad mood. As MLS fans know so well, you don't give Jair a reason to go to his pocket, he loves his pocket, and he started to dispense the yellows freely.

Despite all the pressure from the Ticos, El Salvador had a couple of chances to seal it. In the 76th, Romero had a shot at an empty net and missed it. Quintanilla had a couple of chances late, in the 89th and stoppage time, but he couldn't finish either.

Lightning struck for Costa Rica in the final minute of stoppage time. Randall Brenes had come on as a sub in the 80th minute. Deep into to stoppage time he got his chance and took it. He put a low shot in far post to equalize at 1-1, which was the full time result.

After the match, the El Salvador coach whined about the amount of stoppage time. I don't know why. There were subs and yellow cards galore. It seemed about right to me. Besides, they had chances to finish the match and didn't take them. Plus, you play to the whistle, period. The result has Costa Rica in the driver's seat for 2nd in group A, but El Salvador plays Cuba next, and the Ticos play Mexico. It's not over yet.

Gold Cup: Jamaica vs. Grenada

Ok, sorry we're going a little out of sequence here. Work has really been in the way of my soccer watching this week.

First off, this was one of those matches that you knew who was probably gonna win, but you look forward to it anyway. Jamaica plays nice soccer. Grenada, well this probably their World Cup.

Anyway, the Reggae Boys didn't disappoint at all. They literally controlled the ball pretty much the whole game. They got two goals in the first half. One from Shelton in the 21st and one by the Quake's Ryan Johnson in the 39th. One got the feeling that the Spice Boys were glad to be going into the break just down 2-0.

The Second half wasn't any better. All Jamaica, all the time. Grenada just looked lost. Ricketts might as well have pulled up a chair in goal and had himself a drink.

The Reggae Boys got two more goals in the second half. The first came from Phillps in the 79th, then Daley in the 84th. Finally, after three minutes of stoppage time, it ended 4-0. Another Gold Cup rout. It probably could have been worse for Grenada though, it could have been 6 or 7 fairly easily. Nice game from Jamaica.

Five Mexican Players Suspended For Failing Drug Test

News out of the Gold Cup today, potentially bad news for Mexico. Five Mexico players have been suspended from the Gold Cup side after testing positive for the banned substance clenbuterol.

The Mexican soccer federation is saying that the substance was ingested via tainted chicken. They've provisionally suspended the players pending the outcome of an investigation. Goal Keeper Guillermo Ochoa is among the players banned.

Doesn't sound like it's phasing El Tri though as they currently slaughtering Cuba in their second group phase game.

Gold Cup: USA vs. Canada

So coming into this match, the Gold Cup opener for both Canada and the USA, most everyone was wondering if the USA would be able to put the loss to Spain behind them. Canadian supporters have reason to be happier than the US. They're fielding a better team than they have in a long time. Could they get revenge for their loss to the USA in the last Gold Cup?

I was pretty critical after the Spain match, but tonight, I gotta give credit where credit is due. That starts with Jozy Altidore. I'm still not 100% sold on him, but he had a great match tonight, scoring the first goal and getting an assist on the second. It earned him man of the match honors. Great to see a goal come from a forward. He also had great chemistry with Agudelo.

The other glaring problem for the USA against Spain was the defense. Much, much better tonight. Not perfect, but better. Tim Howard seems to have a little more confidence in the back four after this match, though I think it was still a little shaky. We'll see though.

All in all, good for the USA. Canada? Well they just could never get much going on offense. Both DeRo wand Will Johnson looked dangerous at times, and Derba did as well after he came in. I think they're gonna have to tighten it up on defense and push the ball some more if they want to advance in this tourney.