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.

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 1-1 Mexico.

I have to admit I didn't pay a ton of attention to this. I generally care about Friendlies as much as I care about the price of rice in China. However, with Klinsmann now the coach and some new faces to watch, I was interested in the outcome.

As an RSL supporter, I was particularly glad to see Kyle Beckerman get another chance at the National Team. Kyle played all 90 in his usual work-man like manner and earned high praise from his coach.

Mexico jumped out to the lead fairly early on. In the 15th minute, Oribe Peralta scored to put El Tri up 0-1. Luckily though, you could just tell from the attitude of the team that there wasn't going to be a repeat of the Gold Cup Final.

Klinsmann added several subs in the second half, and the MLSers did a great job against El Tri. So, why wasn't Brek Shea on the Gold Cup Squad? Why didn't Robbie Rogers play? Dude torched us at the RioT a couple weeks back. Shea found Rogers in the area in the 75th minute and Robbie scored the open goal to tie at 1-1, which was the FT result, thanks to some sloppy officiating and some late heroics from the Mexican 'keeper on Shea.

All in all...not a perfect performance, but an improvement for sure. Hopefully some good reason for USA fans to be optimistic.

Copa America: Mexico vs. Chile

Ok, so I have to admit right off the bat that I didn't pay a lot of attention to this match when I watched it. Mexico is fielding a young team as a guest in the tournament, and since they got 8 players kicked off the team earlier, well I didn't expect much. That being said, the young guys didn't do a bad job.

As expected though, Chile dominated for much of the match. I think they're a bit of an underrated side. Let's not forget that they made the second round of the last World Cup.

However, Mexico managed to snatch an unlikely lead in the first half. Nestor Araujo put in a header in the 41st minute that gave El Tri the lead going into the half at 1-0.

It really didn't seem to deter Chile though. They came out for the second half in the same dominant fashion. They too care of business, notching two second half goals on corners, one from Paredes in the 67th and one from Vidal in the 73rd. That was all they needed to seal the deal, 1-2.

Of all the teams' first games, Chile was the best in my opinion. We'll have to see if they stay on the route, but if they do, they could go deep into the tournament. Nicely done.

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 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.

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.

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: Mexico vs. El Salvador

So in the first game of the night, we had a 5-0 thrashing by an obviously superior team. Surely El Salvador could do a little better against Mexico, right? Right?

Well it looked that way for awhile. The first half was very competitive, and one might might actually say that El Salvador was the better squad. They had some nice chances and played some pretty decent team defense. This all seemed to frustrate El Tri quite a bit. They even picked up a couple of yellow cards. Mexico also passed up some pretty good chances. Chicharito was offside more often than not, and in the 38th Guardado had probably the best chance of the half, but it hit way high right in front of goal. El Salvador had to be brimming with confidence as they headed into the half time break tied at 0-0.

Well the second half was a totally different story. Mexico stepped up big and made a huge statement. Juarez opened up the scoring in the 50th minute, then the flood gates opened. El Salvador looked like a deer in the headlights as De Nigris checked into the game and scored in the 58th.

Then it was Chicharito time. He got his first in the 60th to make 3-0, then in the 67th, he got a free header to make it 4-0. The party was on for the Mexican side. El Salvador conceded a PK in stoppage time, and Gonzalez got sent off on the play, straight red. Chicharito hit the PK in cheeky fashion to give Mexico the final 5-0 margin.

So at the end of Gold Cup day 1, the two favorites in group A got the job done. Both Mexico and Costa Rica earned 5-0 victories. Should be fun when they get together.