After two weeks of dominating smaller nations in the 2007 Gold Cup, the United States took home gold in the final today. Trailing Mexico 1-0 at halftime, the Americans never gave up and defeated their rivals from the south of the border 2-1.

When play began this afternoon from Soldier Field in Chicago the usual hard-knock fighting from Mexico and the USA was not visible. Both squads remained fairly calm throughout the first half unlike the routine shoving that North American soccer fan’s are used too. In the 44th minute Mexico was able to grab its’ first goal on American soil against the USA in 797 minutes. Mexican winger Andres Guadardo received a cross pass in the center of the defense to strike it home for the 1-0 lead. The score would remain the same as both nations went into half.

When Guatemalan referee Carlos Batres signaled for the second half to begin the intensity that the 60,000+ in Chicago were waiting for came alive. Possession after possession, Mexico and the USA were going after each others heads. That aggression lead to a penalty kick for the USA as Mexican defender Jonny Magallon tripped up Brian Ching in the box. Throughout the entire tournament Landon Donovan took the penalty kicks for the United States and he did it again today leveling the score to 1 -1.

With a little over a quarter time left in the match, it seemed as of someone from either nation would score. The energy from both sides never died down and the flow attack seemed to grow stronger. Finally in the late in the second half Benny Feilhaber silenced Mexico has he recovered a Donovan corner kick at the top of the box to volley it home for the go-ahead goal. Feilhaber’s strike is surely to become the one goal that people will remember when they look back on the tournament.

The United States has taken home two consecutive Gold Cup’s. The only thing different about this one, is that they were able to lock up a bid in the 2009 Confederations Cup which will be played in South Africa against other Confederation champions. The Americans are moving fast up the FIFA rankings, but they will have to continue this run into next week’s Copa America when they take on Argentina on Thursday.

It took some effort and hard work from the United States to get past Canada in the semifinals of the Gold Cup last night. The win by the Americans secures a spot in the finals to face heated rivals Mexico Sunday afternoon in Chicago.

Even though the attendance at Soldier Field was minimal and the temperature was blanketed by humidity, the United States soccer team fought to the very end to hold on to a 2-1 win. Frankie Hejduk (left) scored the first goal of the game for the United States in the 39th minute. He received a pass from Landon Donovan at the top of the box and rocketed a shot off the left post, past Canadian keeper Pat Onstad. The goal by Hejduk was his first since June 11th, 2000.

Demarcus Beasley cruised down the field on a breakaway right before the halftime whistle and Onstad reacted quickly, but rather rough as well. The Canadian goalie tripped up Beasley in the box to get a penalty kick for the United States. Donovan took the kick, put it right past Onstad, and the Americans had a solid 2-0 lead going into the interval.

Read the rest of this entry »

A win against Trinidad and Tobago on Saturday afternoon would have guaranteed the United States a spot in the knockout stage of the 2007 Gold Cup. With a more suitable crowd on hand to cheer on the United States, the Americans took care of business in Los Angeles with a 2-0 win.

The lineup that new full-time coach Bob Bradley presented for the second group game looked entirely different from the first game. It was as if Bradley took the entire bench and inserted it into the starting eleven. Landon Donovan, DaMarcus Beasley, and Tim Howard all took a seat. Newcomers Benny Feilhaber, Steve Ralston, and Ricardo Clark were plugged in. World Cup keeper Kasey Keller took command in goal.

Halfway through the first half in the 29th minute the United States grabbed their first goal of the afternoon almost identically to the goal that they scored on Thursday night. A through ball down the left side was crossed in, finding a sprinting Brian Ching, who struck it home. As the half continued, the youth movement of the United States took center stage. Shots on goal by winger Justin Mapp and Frank Simek nearly found the net, but ended up just wide. The halftime score at the Home Depot Center would finish at 1-0, advantage USA.

After the interval, Bob Bradley subbed in Landon Donovan. The change by Bradley paid off quickly. After a Trinidad & Tobago corner kick, Donovan picked up the deflection from outside the box and turned on the jets. A simple give and go between Donovan and Eddie Johnson resulted in the United States’ second and final goal.

In two matches, the United States has grabbed two wins that has produced both exciting and gritty play. Bob Bradley was questioned before the start of the tournament, as many felt his squad was too young on the bench. The critics have been silenced and Bradley is still undefeated in 2007. Next up for the United States is El Salvador on Tuesday night from Foxboro.

Even though the United States opening round game of the Gold Cup was played in Los Angeles, it never seemed like a home a game against Guatemala. The huge majority of of the Home Depot Center?s capacity (27,000) was filled with the opposing nations? fans. Despite the fact that few supporters showed up to cheer on the Americans, they brought home the victory.

In Bob Bradley?s first tournament game as coach, the boys in red, white, and blue started with a bang. In the 26th minute, DeMarcus Beasley took the ball down the right wing and into the box, where he fed it to Clint Dempsey to strike home for the 1-0 lead. Continuing through the first half, Guatemala never really had a shot on goal because they simply could not outrun the American defense. First half officiating left much to be desired, as several Guatemalan attacks were blatantly offsides. Also, the referee blew the halftime whistle before an American corner kick, which should never happen.

Read the rest of this entry »

Much is at stake as the 2007 Gold Cup gets under way this week all over the United States, from Los Angeles to New York. The United States and Mexico come into the competition as favorites to win but smaller nations such as Trinidad and Tobago and Costa Rica have a shot as well. The Gold Cup is made up of three groups with four nations in each group. The tournament will be played from June 6th-June 24th, with the winner going to the 2009 Confederations Cup in South Africa.

Group A
Costa Rica highlights group A as the favorite in the group. In last summer’s World Cup in Germany, they were eliminated in the first round after losing all three of their matches. The results in Germany should not be overshadowed by negativity. Costa Rica has won six UNCAF Nations Cups, including the last three. Other countries in the group include Canada, Haiti, and Guadeloupe. Of those three, Canada has the best shot of advancing with Costa Rica. But watch out for first-timers Guadeloupe.
Matches:
June 6th
Costa Rica vs. Canada
Guadeloupe vs. Haiti
June 9th
Canada vs. Guadeloupe
Costa Rica vs. Haiti
June 11th
Costa Rica vs. Guadeloupe
Haiti vs. Canada
*All matches will be played at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida.

Read the rest of this entry »