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.

USMNT in SLC: My Game, My Crowd, My View.

Clint Dempsey and company brought the USMNT show to Rio Tinto (ESPN)

A couple of months ago US Soccer announced that not only would Rio Tinto Stadium host the USMNT for the 2013 Gold Cup, but we were getting a World Cup Qualifier against Honduras as well.  I was pretty stoked, this was to be my first experience watching the National Team live, and I was not disappointed in the slightest. Being in the stands, singing the National Anthem, and cheering for your country is pretty much the best thing in sports, especially when there's something like a spot in the World Cup on the line.

In the end the match didn't have the memorable surroundings like the Colorado qualifier or the champagne type football that was played in Seattle, but it did have PLENTY of drama as the US left it late.  Honduras is certainly a tougher opponent than Panama, and they pushed the US to the limit.

In fact, there were large stretches of the match where Honduras possibly were the better team, despite the fact that they were missing several key players to suspension and injury.  Their cause wasn't aided by the fact that one of their forwards, New England's Jerry Bengston, got in an argument with the coach and left camp.  The Hondurans still had some good options, including Roger Espinoza, lately of Wigan Athletic fame.  He caused the US a good number of problems all night.

Honduras focused more on defense though, putting a lot of guys behind the ball and clearly playing for a scoreless draw.  I will say that when I returned home and watched the match on TV, they came across as a little more attack-oriented than they did in person from my limited vantage point in section 30, especially in the first half.

They almost got their wish too!  It took 73 minutes for the Yanks to break the deadlock.  Jozy Altidore took a great ball from Fabian Johnson in the box and slotted past the burgundy-clad Honduran 'keeper to score the game's only goal.  It was quite the accomplishment, as the 'keeper had absolutely stoned both Eddie Johnson and Clint Dempsey earlier in the match.

Honduras really came out of their shell after the goal, as they pretty much had to.  In fact they bossed the match for a lot of the last 15 minutes, but Tim Howard marshaled the US Defense to repel all invaders and rack up another three points on the road to Brazil 2014.  The win keeps the USA on top of the Hex with 13 points.  Considering 16 usually puts a team in the World Cup, they're in a great position to qualify after taking maximum points from this round of matches.

Now I'd like to say a few words about the crowd and the evolution of Salt Lake as a soccer city and a soccer crowd.  There's been some mudslinging in the media, most notably a comment from ESPN's Taylor Twellman during the broadcast of the match.  In the first half, Ian Darke observed, quite rightly, that the decibel level wasn't as loud as the match in Seattle, at which Twellman waxed offense.  When Darke pointed out that the crowd had considerably less to cheer about than the Seattle folks, Twellman commented that it really didn't matter, that the crowd has to be there for the team anyway.

I don't disagree with Taylor on that point.  I too have been somewhat frustrated with our crowd at various points in the last few years.  We have a tough time sustaining chants.  We also seem to lack communication between our supporters groups.  Barra Real, SCU, Section 35, and Section 26 all have made strides in trying to up the atmosphere, but sometimes they come in on top of each other and we end up with multiple chants at the same time, leaving the rest of the crowd perplexed as to what to do or who to follow.

When you stop and think about it, Salt Lake has had professional soccer for less than 10 years.  We've been in our own stadium for about five.  I would contend that the evolution of the area as a soccer city really didn't kick into gear until the team moved to Rio Tinto.  I attended a few games at Rice Eccles stadium back in the day, and let's face it, it was just BAD all around.  After that I moved to Florida, and I attended my first game at the Riot in September 2010.  We got tickets in the south end zone where I was fairly confident that I could stand and cheer.  Within ten minutes the people behind us had yelled at us to sit down.

We've come a long way since then.  Our season tickets aren't in a supporters section, so we still get people who don't stand.  However, the acceptance of chanting and supporters culture in general is on it's way up, which is a good sign.  Perhaps nowhere in MLS is the difference between a "supporters club" type fan and the soccer mom/Dippin' Dots crowd more apparent than in Salt Lake.  Generally I think RSL has done a pretty good job trying to strike a happy medium, but what people who aren't from here don't realize, with all due respect to Mr. Twellman and some of my twitter friends, is that it's a different crowd and demographic.  We get a ton of families who have come into fandom because their kids have played the game.  Turning these folks into standing/chanting supporters is an uphill battle, especially if they have young kids.

Also, the crowd is primarily a basketball/college football crowd.  Both of these sports carry an entirely different flow and culture than pro soccer.  It results in the crowd being more pensive and being more reluctant to chant in key moments.  To put it differently, they're often too busy watching the match to yell and chant.  It's not a bad thing, it's just different.  Sure, folks like me would like them to come around, but it's a process.  Also, don't forget that part of the reason the crowd here gets so nervous is because they're used to getting their hearts broken in the biggest of games: see Michael Jordan and Humberto Suazo.

The biggest improvement was that the whole crowd stood pretty much for the entire match for the USA.  I'm hoping that this can signal the next phase in the evolution of Salt Lake as a soccer town.  Let's face it, we're never gonna be Seattle in that regard.  In my opinion, Seattle really is soccer city, USA, though I'm sure some folks in Portland would disagree.  It's an example we should strive to emulate.  I'm encouraged by what I saw Tuesday night as someone who has observed soccer in SLC from the early days.  Let's build on it and see if we can make it better.  Thanks to US Soccer for giving us the chances!

Mexico Stumbles in Honduras, Still Winless In Hex

Mexico dropped 2 points today in a draw with Honduras (FoxDeportes.com)

El Tri and their fans were quite happy today as proceedings in their World Cup Qualifying match were going their way down in Honduras.  Chicharito had a couple of goals and they looked to be in charge and heading to their first win of the Hex, but Honduras had other plans as they stormed back late on to earn a draw.

Mexico looked the better side early on as they came out bright and pushed into the Honduras penalty area.  Javier Aquino Carmona produced El Tri's first chance of the match on 7 minutes, but sent his shot wide of the Honduran goal.  Chicharito got into the act in the very next minute, as he attempted to get a header on target but saw it drift wide as well.  As it turns out the Manchester United man was just getting his sights on the goal, but more on that later.

The home side jumped into the match after surviving the opening burst from Mexico.  In the 10th minute Emilio Izaguirre dropped a hopeful shot in from outside of the 18, but the shot flew just over the bar.  In the end it was harmless despite drawing a collective "ooh" from the crowd, but it was probably closer than it should have been.  Seattle's Mario Martinez also got into the shooting spree for Honduras, but like Izaguirre had a hard time finding the actual target.

Mexico drew first blood though, and it came in minute 28.  Their wide play caused problems for Honduras all day, and that's something the USA will have to keep in mind when they play at the Azteca next week.  The Honduran defense watched helplessly as Andres Guardado floated a great cross into the six where Chicharito was waiting.  He calmly headed the ball past the 'keeper to give Mexico the 0-1 lead.

Honduras hardly abandoned efforts for the first half though, instead they pushed forward after the goal aiming to get the equalizer.  It looked to be a sure thing in the 42nd minute when Carlos Costly slipped the defense and got 1v1 with Ochoa, but Hector Moreno came in with a great sliding tackle right at the last minute, knocking the ball away and preserving Mexico's lead going into halftime.

Mexico hit the pitch in the second half looking to put the nail in Honduras' coffin, and it looked like they were going to do just that.  They burned Honduras on a ball in from wide once again in the 54th minute.  This time it was Carlos Salcido who sent in a free kick to Chicharito, who tapped the ball in from just outside the six to make it 0-2.

El Tri seemed to be on cruise control going into the last 15 minutes, but they were jolted awake in minute 77.  Mario Martinez sent in a gorgeous service from a corner, and Costly rose, heading the ball into the back of the net to make it 1-2.  You could sense Mexico tense up even through the television.

As it turns out, there was good reason to be nervous.  Just one minute later a defender brought Costly down in the box for a clear penalty.   New England's Jerry Bengston stood up to take the spot-kick, but his effort was well saved by Ochoa in goal.  Unfortunately, the rebound went right back to Bengston, who tapped the ball into the open net to equalize the match at 2-2.

Neither side was able to really muster anything in the last 10 minutes, and the match finished 2-2.  Honduras will gladly take the point, as they sit at the top of the Hex after two games with 4.  The draw, coupled with the US win over Costa Rica, drops Mexico into 4th place heading into Tuesday's showdown at the Azteca.  Keep in mind, the top three CONCACAF teams automatically qualify for Brazil 2014.  The fourth team will play New Zealand (from the Oceania region) for one of the last spots in.

International Friendly: USA 1-0 Honduras

This was actually a pretty fun match to watch, even though I don't usually out much effort or time into friendlies. So far the mantra under Klinsmann for the USA has been progress, not results in these friendlies. Still, after going a few without a win, results had to start to matter at some point.

The USA got that first result under Klinsmann against a Honduras team that came to play. They're really one of the dark horses in the CONCACAF region. In fact, if it hadn't been for Tim Howard in goal, the result might have been different.

Honduras had a great chance in the first half. Jerry Bengston got 1v1 with Howard, but Tim made the close up stop. Costly then tried his luck, but Howard came out on top again to keep it scoreless.

The USA took the lead and scored the match's only goal on 36 minutes. Brek Shea sent in a cross that went through several players for both the USA and Honduras and ended up with Clint Dempsey. Deuce then cornered a shot past the Honduran keeper to give the USA the 1-0 lead, which also proved to be the full time score.

Everybody seems to think Landon Donovan is the heart of the USA team. I have to go with Dempsey. Landycakes disappears once in awhile while Clint keeps pluggin away no matter what the situation. Great game for him and a good result for US Soccer. They'll take on Ecuador in another friendly on Tuesday.

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 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.