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| Gold Cup expectations? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Jun 22 2013, 08:14 AM (726 Views) | |
| americafutbol10 | Jun 22 2013, 08:14 AM Post #1 |
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With the Gold Cup just two weeks away, I was curious about what everybody's expectations, coming off such a successful June, are for the tournament? To be brutally honest, I expect & want nothing less than a Gold Cup title...and, believe it is quite possible. Yes, the roster will be quite different but I believe in the roster. Bigger question might be what effect a poor Gold Cup would have on a very confident USMNT, coming off a fantastic run of results in June. IMO, it's imperative that we keep the momentum going...at any costs!! I'd love to see Holden get major playing time in this tournament & also anxious to see how numerous players perform...Boca, Gooch, Landon, Orozco, Bedoya, Corona, Gatt, McInerney, Feilhaber...and, whether they "earn" their way onto the "A" team! Should get a solid roster soon...so, we can debate the possible starting XI. Thoughts?? |
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US Soccer...Don't Thread On Me! Michigan Football...Harbaugh Effect (GO BLUE!) LA Galaxy...5-time MLS Cup Champions! Colombia...VIVA, Cafeteros! | |
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| shelsoccer | Jun 22 2013, 09:55 AM Post #2 |
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My thoughts go back to when JK was the heir apparent to Arena. A major reason he didn't take the job at that time was his refusal to send an A team to the Copa America, something US Soccer was pushing for. Now that he has the job, I don't think he's changed his reasoning. Apparently, US Soccer has. He's going to send a B team to the Gold Cup, searching for maybe three players who can help in Brazil, and not be worried about results. In a year when the Gold Cup doesn't count for qualification to the Confed Cup, I'm fine with that. |
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| vince stravino | Jun 22 2013, 11:51 AM Post #3 |
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I am expecting the Mexican giant to awaken. They cannot keep going on this lousy run they are having. Still, the boys are playing well and we will have some prideful vets still seeking another WC roster. It should be fun. |
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| Yogi | Jun 22 2013, 09:08 PM Post #4 |
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I am wondering if Costa Rica, Honduras and Panama will be sending their top teams or like Mexico and the US their 2nd teams? I'd assume that their European based players would not be selected. But to be honest until I see who the US and the other competing nations will be selecting for this tournament it is hard to imagine what to expect from any of these teams. |
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| hobbes | Jun 23 2013, 11:12 AM Post #5 |
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I expect a dismal wide-open tournament! I actually thought Panama might send their best team to take a run at winning this thing. But they're not. They're leaving Baloy, Tejada, Cooper, Luis Henriquez, Amilcar Henriquez, Barahona at home. They can put together a solid starting 11, but I don't think they have the talent that US and Mexico have. Honduras has enough depth to contend even if they leave key players at home, but if the five Hex teams all bring lesser teams then the field gets even more wide open. I think whoever finished second in Group B (ES, Haiti & T&T) could have a decent shot at making the semis. I would bet on a US-Mexico final again, but I think Haiti and Martinque will be competitive and there's no real front runner. It may not be a great tournament, but it should be pretty close at least. I wonder if this year's tournament moves us closer to this being an every four years event. It's tough to call it a confed championship with all of the top players missing. But if the crowds come, nothing will ever change. cheers, hobbes |
| Saskatchewan for the CPL: multis e gentibus vires | |
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| Sammy Maudlin | Jun 23 2013, 10:50 PM Post #6 |
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I did not realize other nations are essentially taking their B teams too. Kind of takes the excitement away from this year's tourney but I do not expect the Gold Cup to become a once every four years event. CONCACAF will keep it every two years because this is the confederations cash cow. |
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| Winslow | Jun 24 2013, 08:26 AM Post #7 |
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I have no expectations; I hope to see surprises, in the vein of Panama a few years ago or Canada a few years before that. US-wise, it would be nice if LD shows he still wants to play, and Holden shows he can play. |
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| libero | Jun 24 2013, 08:56 AM Post #8 |
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Well said Winslow. realistically this B team should not really provide many answers for Klinsmann's needs in the rest of World Cup qualifying except for the two that have been pointed out, to see if Donovan can bounce back (he looked pretty anonymous last night vs Chivas USA) and to give Holden the chance to show he can contribute again in the near future. Maybe you can add Bocanegra and Onyewu's attempts at a national team revival to the list too but unless they play like Fabio Cannavaro circa 2006, I think they will each be on the outside looking in come September and the resumption of qualifying. |
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| Johnbuildr | Jun 24 2013, 10:47 AM Post #9 |
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I'm with Hobbes. This tourney could be a bit ugly and and a lot unpredictable. I like the idea of only having this once every four years. The "real" attendance will be interesting if we can find out what it really is. |
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Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum | |
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| americafutbol10 | Jun 24 2013, 12:23 PM Post #10 |
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Must admit to not knowing that there is no Confederations Cup spot on the line & most countries using "B" teams <_< I like the idea of playing it every 4 years...would definitely allow for only "A" teams to be used. Truthfully, I'd love to see the day when the Copa America & Gold Cup are merged into one enormous tournament in the Americas...a la European Championships Having said all that, I'm still planning on watching & supporting the USA 110% and hope we win the whole thing...and, if Landon, Holden, Gooch & Boca regain some of their past form, it will prove beneficial IMO!!! And, if guys like Gatt, McInerney & Corona show themselves capable of playing at the international level, that will be an added bonus! With all the issues at LM, I'm surprised that JK hasn't given a look at Mike Magee of the Fire...he's lighting up MLS this year & might be a better choice than others!! |
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US Soccer...Don't Thread On Me! Michigan Football...Harbaugh Effect (GO BLUE!) LA Galaxy...5-time MLS Cup Champions! Colombia...VIVA, Cafeteros! | |
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| hobbes | Jun 24 2013, 04:05 PM Post #11 |
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To be fair, I have no idea who Costa Rica and Honduras are bringing, but if Panama are giving some of their foreign players time off, I can’t imagine the Ticos or Catrachos won’t do the same with some of their Europeans. With Jamaica and Guatemala not involved, T&T looking pretty poor right now and Belize almost assuredly off the pace, it’s going to be an odd tourney. I think ES and Canada are best equipped to be the surprise team, but I do think Haiti, Martinique and possibly Cuba (though I question if they can keep together) could offer a surprise result if not a real surprise in the grand scheme of things. If the other Hex teams aren’t bringing their best then I think it stands to reason that Mexico’s depth will serve them well and the US is using a pretty solid team. I think the US and Costa Rica should have little trouble with their group and the fight for second in Group B should be quite interesting. And I think Group A is wide open. Mexico should win the group and Canada should challenge Panama for second, but I kind of expect some unusual results. What do you think Landon has to do to stake his case for getting back in the team? Or is it more stuff in training and attitude wise, as opposed to results on the pitch, given the level of this competition. I agree that this will stay every two years as long as people keep coming out. But if I were a fan of a team in the hex I wouldn’t make any effort to go to this. It’s the least consequential soccer of the summer for all of the favourites. FWIW I don’t see a Confed berth as a terribly important thing. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I give the Confederations Cup absolutely no importance. Don’t get me wrong, I watch it, it’s a fun tournament, but it’s totally meaningless. Winning the Gold Cup is much more important than the Confed berth that accompanies it in my opinion. In fact I was far more excited for the Copa America invite that came after 2000 than I was in taking part in the Confederations Cup. cheers, hobbes [edit] Costa Rica's team is maybe even less full strength than Panama. Seven big names not there: Keylor Navas, Gamboa, Oviedo, Bolaños, Ruiz, Campbell and Brenes. |
| Saskatchewan for the CPL: multis e gentibus vires | |
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| shelsoccer | Jun 24 2013, 06:32 PM Post #12 |
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I don't put any more stock in the Confed Cup than Hobbes does, but I'm not so sure that managers and administrators see it the same way. A chance to get assimilated to the next World Cup site, another opportunity to test players in a fairly high-level competition and all that. |
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| Johnbuildr | Jun 25 2013, 04:39 AM Post #13 |
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Good follow up point to Hobbes well stated case Shel. The Confed Cup also provides a platform for national teams to compete at a high level with several other countries in a "real" competition, rather than simply 1v1 friendlies. Obviously a completely different and more competitive atmosphere. And you don't see teams bringing their B line ups either. |
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Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum | |
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| americafutbol10 | Jun 25 2013, 09:10 PM Post #14 |
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Just read this off Grant Wahl's SI column: The Gold Cup, which runs from July 6-28 in 13 U.S. venues, will have mostly B-team squads from the U.S. and Mexico. But there's a bit more at stake in this so-called "off-year" Gold Cup, since the winner will now get to meet the winner of the 2015 Gold Cup in a playoff to determine the region's representative at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Like it or not, seems the Gold Cup does have some meaning this year!! Also, the 23-player rosters should be released in the next few days...and, according to Grant Wahl, Landon Donovan & Jack McInerney are included in the US roster! No surprise but still happy about that
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US Soccer...Don't Thread On Me! Michigan Football...Harbaugh Effect (GO BLUE!) LA Galaxy...5-time MLS Cup Champions! Colombia...VIVA, Cafeteros! | |
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| Johnbuildr | Jun 26 2013, 05:14 AM Post #15 |
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That is good news af, both about the formerly unkown implication and importance of the tourney and the LD call up prediction. It seems that the CONCACAF grand poo-bahs figured out that this year's tourney would be poorly taken, just as our group was reacting to it, so they cooked up the play off idea for the next two years' winners. Not exactly elevating it to WCQ status, but it does give the fans and team managers a little something to anticipate and talk about. As for Donovan, assuming his attitude and enthusiasm are where they should be, it is extremely hard for me to imagine that he can not and will not return as one of our top 8 to 12 USMNT players in the coming months. |
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Qui desiderat pacem, praeparet bellum | |
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