Soccer By Ives

Ching expects difficult game against Panama

                                               Photo by ISIphotos.com 

BY DYLAN BUTLER

Panama has 11 players who competed against the United States in the 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup at Gillette Stadium. The U.S. has just one.

Brian Ching came on as a late sub, helping hold off a Panamanian squad that cut its halftime deficit in half and gave the Americans all they could handle in a difficult final 10 minutes despite being reduced to 10 men.

“It was an extremely difficult game for us,” Ching said after the final U.S. practice ahead of Saturday night’s quarterfinal clash at Lincoln Financial Field.  “Panama came out and played physical, they’re very athletic and they made it difficult for us in ’07. I expect them to come out and do the same thing this year.”

Gold Cup: USA vs. Panama (A look ahead)

 

The U.S. men's national team will face Panama for the third-straight CONCACAF Gold Cup on Saturday (8pm, Fox Soccer Channel) in Philadelphia, with a spot in Thursday's semifinals on the line. The Americans will field a very short-handed squad against a Panama team that has some talent but will still come in as the underdogs.

Panama still has a puncher's chance, what with standout attacking players such as Blas Perez and Ricardo Phillips, and a strong spine consisting of central midfielder Gabriel Gomez, central defender Felipe Baloy and goalkeeper Jaime Penedo. This Panama team has many of the same players from the squad that pushed a first-choice U.S. team to the brink before losing a 2-1 decision in the 2007 quarterfinals, but it isn't as potent as that team was.

Who should the USMNT start vs. Panama?

                                                                       Photo by ISIphotos.com

If the U.S. men's national team is going to successfully defend its CONCACAF Gold Cup title, it will do so with a very short-handed squad.

With Charlie Davies, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson Michael Parkhurst, Benny Feilhaber and Freddy Adu all off to Europe, U.S. head coach Bob Bradley will have to work some magic to put together a starting XI that can knock off a Panama team that has been gaining momentum since a tournament-opening loss to Guadeloupe.

Trying to come up with a starting lineup for the U.S. team shouldn't be that tough considering how few options remain, and with Bradley not planning to call in any of his seven extra roster players for Saturday's match (call-ups for a semifinal and final would be very likely), the U.S. team looks prepared to go with the group it has left.

So what will the starting lineup look like vs. Panama? Here's a likely squad:

Gold Cup: Matchday Nine (Your Running Commentary)

The final day of the CONCACAF Gold Cup Group Stage takes place today, with Mexico trying to win Group C by knocking off 2-0 Guadeloupe (7pm, Univision).

The scenarios are very intriguing today for 'El Tri', who could win Group C with a win, but who could wind up playing the United States as a third-place team if they lose and Panama wins its game against Nicaragua (5pm, Galavision).

Jamaica will also be watching attentively as a tie in the Panama-Nicaragua game would send the 'Reggae Boyz' to the quarterfinals against the United States.

If you will be watching today's matches please feel free to share your thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Holden blast gives USA draw vs. Haiti

                                                                             Photo by ISIphotos.com

Haiti was one minute away from the biggest upset in its national team's history, and one minute away from taking the Gold Cup Group B lead from heavy favorites the United States.

Then Stuart Holden stepped up.

The Houston Dynamo midfielder blasted a 25-yard shot in second-half stoppage time to give the United States a 2-2 tie and help the Americans clinch first place in Group B on Saturday night.

Haiti was a feisty and dangerous opponent, attacking in waves and erasing a USA halftime lead in just four minutes courtesy of a pair of quality finishes. The Americans pressed and pressed for an equalizer, but struggled to find the net before Holden's second goal in two U.S. national team appearances.

The victory means the United States will now face either Mexico, Panama or Jamaica in the Gold Cup quarterfinals in Philadelphia on Saturday.

What did you think of the U.S. team's performance on Saturday? Convinced that Stuart Holden is ready for more playing time with the national team? Disappointed in the U.S. defense? Hoping the Americans face Mexico in the quarterfinals or is that a match you are hoping is the Gold Cup final?

Share your thoughts below.

Gold Cup: USA vs. Haiti (Match Night Commentary)

 

The U.S. men's national team is in Foxborough, Mass. tonight to take on Haiti at Gillette Stadium in the final Group B match for both teams. a win or draw clinches first place in the group for the USA, which has already secured a place in the quarterfinals.

The Americans will look to field a different looking squad as midfielders Freddy Adu and Benny Feilhaber have left the team. With the quarters already secured, look for Bob Bradley to give some new faces looks in the starting lineup.

The USA will take on a fast Haiti team that has shown some flashes of attacking skill in posting a 1-1 record in the tournament.

I will be providing commentary throughout the match so please feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the match.

Gold Cup Rewind: Canada wins Group A, Jamaica eliminates El Salvador

by GIANFRANCO PANIZO

Group A finished in dramatic fashion on Friday night as Canada and Costa Rica assured themselves of a place in the quarterfinals while Jamaica eliminated El Salvador.

In the first match of the double-header played at FIU Stadium in Miami, Fl., Canada and Costa Rica each scored two goals in a span of 12 minutes in the first half. Andy Herron brilliantly chipped Canadian goalkeeper Greg Sutton in the 22nd minute before Patrice Bernier leveled the score for Canada, scoring from close range just two minutes later.

Canada would take the lead in the 27th minute when midfielder Marcel De Jong hit a long-range shot that took a bounce before finding the back of the net. But Costa Rica leveled the score seven minutes after as Walter Centeno struck a picture-perfect free kick.

Exciting times for Charlie Davies

 

                                         Photo by ISIphotos.com

 

BY DYLAN BUTLER

It's a good time to be Charlie Davies.

After a breakthrough performance at the FIFA Confederations Cup and scoring a goal in the CONCACAF Gold Cup against Grenada, the 23-year-old forward will get to play in front of family and friends from the Boston area for the first time in a U.S. national team kit Saturday as the U.S. looks to lock up Group B against Haiti at Gillette Stadium.

And on Friday, Davies found a new home, agreeing to terms with French Ligue 1 squad Sochaux.

"That's the next step for me and I'm real excited about it," the former Boston College standout from Manchester, N.H. said. "That was my first choice club to go to and I think it's a perfect opportunity to show my football on the world stage."

Who should the USMNT start vs. Haiti?

 

                                                                            Photo by ISIphotos.com

The U.S. men's national team has secured a place in the Gold Cup quarterfinals, but still needs a result on Saturday vs. Haiti to lock up first place in Group B and the weaker quarterfinal opponent that goes with that slot.

With that in mind, it is time to think about what players U.S. coach Bob Bradley will turn to on Saturday. Which players would you start on Saturday if you were Bradley?

Here is one potential look at a squad we could see on Saturday:

Gold Cup Rewind: Mexico ties Panama in crazy match, Guadeloupe rolls

Meetings between the Mexican national team and Panama are always heated, but Thursday night's clash in the CONCACAF Gold Cup took the rivalry to new, uglier levels.

Fan violence in the stands and clashes on the field turned the match into an ugly encounter as three red cards and one very unfortunate intervention by Mexican head coach Javier Aguirre (and his subsequent ejection) transformed the match into a farce. The final result was 1-1, but both teams lost in the grand scheme of things.

For those who missed it, here are some of the highlights:

Lost in the wake of the ugly Mexico-Panama match was Guadeloupe's 2-0 victory against Nicaragua, which secured Guadeloup's place in the semis. Now the unbeaten French territory will face Mexico on Sunday with first place in the group on the line.

What did you think of last night's match? Were you impressed with Guadelope's victory against NIcaragua? will you be rooting for Guadeloupe against Mexico in their final group game?

Share your thoughts below.

USA-Mexico World Cup qualifier set to kick off at 4pm

 

                                                                             Photo by ISIphotos.com

The Mexican Football Federation has announced that the USA-Mexico World Cup qualifier in Mexico City on Aug. 12th will start at 4pm (ET). No word yet on what led to that decision, which is odd for a Wednesday game.

The 3 p.m. local time kickoff should mean that the game will be played in hot and humid conditions at Estadio Azteca. When Mexico defeated the United States in Mexico City in 2005, the match was played at noon, which led to very hot and muggy conditions. (Okay, so maybe I'm not a weatherman. A quick check of The Weather Channel tells me that the average high temperature in Mexico City in mid-August is mid-70s. The 2005 qualifier was played in March). So why is this game being played so early? To better manage crowd violence if the United States actually wins?

What do you think of this news? Think Mexico is getting desperate? Does that start time make you more likely to make the trip to Mexico City? Will you be skipping work to watch this crucial World Cup qualifier? What's your best excuse for missing work to watch a mid-day soccer game?

Share your thoughts below.

USA 2, Honduras 0: A look back

 

                                                                         Photo by ISIphotos.com

It didn't start out as the prettiest game, and for long stretches the USA-Honduras match looked capable of being an upset loss for the Americans, but a strong defense and a pair of dangerous substitutes turned last night's Gold Cup match in the U.S. national team's favor.

Charlie Davies and Benny Feilhaber looked every bit like a confident duo enjoying the afterglow of the Confederations Cup, breaking down Honduras' back-line with speed, movement and vision, all things lacking for the American attack before their inclusion.

Honduras had its chances to break through and take the game over, but the U.S. back-line, led by the imposing presence of Chad Marshall and the veteran savvy of Steve Cherundolo, never cracked.

Credit to Bob Bradley, for letting his starting lineup be tested in the second half before inserting Feilhaber and Davies, who changed the game and sparked the late rally.

So how did all the U.S. players do last night? Here are the U.S. player grades for last night's match:

Quaranta goal rallies USA past Honduras, 2-0, at RFK

 

                                                           Photo by ISIphotos.com

Santino Quaranta fought back tears as the national anthem played at RFK Stadium on Wednesday night. He was overcome with emotion at the chance he had worked so hard to get, the place on the U.S. national team that he looked to have lost forever.

Quaranta's battle with drugs, and successful recovery and resurgence in MLS was a happy enough end to the story, but he wrote an even better chapter to his comeback on Wednesday, scoring his first national team goal in his hometown stadium to help the United States post a 2-0 victory in Gold Cup action on Wednesday.

The Americans battled toe-to-toe with Honduras, which caused problems with its speed, but the American defense held firm and the U.S. attack received a major boost from second-half subs Benny Feilhaber and Charlie Davies to take over a game that looked to be in down with 25 minutes to play.

Gold Cup: USA vs. Honduras (Match Night Commentary)

 

The U.S. men's national team will look to move  astep closer to qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals tonight by beating Honduras in the marquee match-up of Group B (9pm, FSC).

The Americans are coming off a 4-0 thrashing of Grenada in their first match while Honduras is fresh from a tough 1-0 victory against Haiti.

There should be a handful of lineup changes for the United States from the squad that beat Haiti, with Brian Ching and Benny Feilhaber good candidates to start.

I will be providing commentary throughout the evening, including the pre-match banter, so feel free to follow along here. As always, you are welcome to share your thoughts and opinions below. I'm starting things off a little early tonight since I am already at Giants Stadium (and watching Haiti-Grenada).

Enjoy the action.

SBI Flashback: The day Honduras took over RFK Stadium

 

                                                                        Photo by ISIphotos.com

(With today's Gold Cup match between Honduras and the U.S. national team marking their first meeting here in Washington D.C. in eight years, I couldn't help but think back to that meeting two World Cup cycles ago, a match and a day among the most memorable of my career.)

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Fans clad in blue banged on the closed gates of RFK Stadium, demanding to be let into watch a very important World Cup qualifier, only these fans weren't Americans. They were Hondurans.

The day was Sept. 1, 2001, and the U.S. national team was playing Honduras in a qualifier both teams needed to help their quest to book a place in the 2002 World Cup. I know there would be a lot of Honduran fans, I just didn't know how many.

It became very clear as the D.C. subway took me to RFK that morning that this wasn't a normal match. The subway car was filled with blue-striped shirts who didn't seem too bothered by the fact that this game was kicking off at 10 am. When we arrived at RFK, it became shockingly clear that this would be as far from a home game as any country could have in its own nation's capital.

Gold Cup Rewind: Canada wins (again) and Costa Rica edges Jamaica

 

                                                                     Photo by ISIphotos.com

The Canadian national team took a major step toward qualifying for the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory against El Salvador on Tuesday night in Columbus, Ohio.

Ali Gerba scored his second goal in two matches to give Canada the victory and move the Canucks into first place in Group A.

Costa Rica kept its quarterfinal hopes alive with its own 1-0 victory against winless Jamaica. Midfielder Celso Borges provided the lone goal for the 'Ticos', who were able to hold off a 10-man Jamaica squad that played short-handed after Rudolph Austin was sent off for kicking Borges in the head.

Costa Rica will need a win against Canada on Friday to salvage its hopes for the quarterfinals, while the Canadians will need a point to secure first place and a cushier path in the quarters.

What did you think of last night's Gold Cup action? Starting to think that Canada is for real? Surprised to see Jamaica winless? Looking forward to see Ali Gerba play for Toronto FC?

Share your thoughts below.