USA Gold Cup Thread

[BPBlueSox]

Group Games:

Saturday, 6:30 pm vs. El Salvador

Monday, 7:30 pm vs. Martinique

[Obri]

Dan, can I assume these to be a couple of walkovers for the Americans?

[BPBlueSox]

El Salvador shouldn't be a problem. However, they beat the Mexicans last week, I believe...

Martinique had better be a major walk-over.

If we don't win this group...somebody shoot me.

(The damn game vs. El Salvador isn't even on TV here! :angry: )

[BPBlueSox]

2-0 win over El Salvador.

:flag: :flag: :flag:

[Obri]

Yeah, seen the goals. The second one(the header) was a peach.:clap2:

Dan, we should really get a soccer forum, eh?:D

[BPBlueSox]

Yeah we should. :D

You can have your Man U thread...and I'll have my Ajax thread. :2guns:

Oh, by the way we beat Martinique 2-0. Ugly game...Martinique got their only "shot" in the 89th or so minute...

[BPBlueSox]

Next game is on Saturday in Foxboro vs. the Group D (Canada-Cuba-Costa Rica) Winner :clap2:

[Obri]

Yeah I seen the highlights of the USA Martinique game. Looked like no problem as expected.

[BPBlueSox]

U.S. vs. Cuba on Saturday...can't find the time of the match yet...

[awefullspellare]

i wish we could play Canada :D

[BPBlueSox]

Yeah, Canada sucks my ass. Cuba ain't much better, though. We should...SHOULD...win this match pretty easily...

[BPBlueSox]

GROUP A W L T GF GA PTS
- - - -- -- ---
Mexico 1 0 1 1 0 4
Brazil 1 1 0 2 1 3
Honduras 0 1 1 0 2 1

GROUP B W L T GF GA PTS
- - - -- -- ---
Colombia 1 0 1 2 1 4
Jamaica 1 1 0 2 1 3
Guatemala 0 1 1 1 3 1

GROUP C W L T GF GA PTS
- - - -- -- ---
United States 2 0 0 4 0 6
El Salvador 1 1 0 1 2 3
Martinique 0 2 0 0 3 0

GROUP D W L T GF GA PTS
- - - -- -- ---
Costa Rica 1 1 0 3 1 3
Cuba 1 1 0 2 3 3
Canada 1 1 0 1 2 3

FIRST STAGE

July 12 -- Foxboro, MA
Canada 1, Costa Rica 0
United States 2, El Salvador 0

July 13 -- Mexico City
Mexico 1, Brazil 0

July 13 -- Miami
Colombia 1, Jamaica 0

July 14 -- Foxboro, MA
Canada 0, Cuba 2
Martinique 0, United States 2

July 15 -- Miami
Jamaica 2, Guatemala 0

July 15 -- Mexico City
Brazil 2, Honduras 1

July 16 -- Foxboro, MA
Costa Rica 3, Cuba 0
El Salvador 1, Martinique 0

July 17 -- Miami
Colombia 1, Guatemala 1

July 17 -- Mexico City
Honduras 0, Mexico 0

QUARTERFINALS

July 19 -- Foxboro, MA
Quarterfinal 1: United States vs. Cuba, 3 pm Eastern
Quarterfinal 2: Costa Rica vs. El Salvador

July 19 -- Miami
Quarterfinal 4: Colombia vs. Brazil

July 20 -- Mexico City
Quarterfinal 3: Mexico vs. Jamaica

SEMIFINALS

July 23 -- Miami
Semifinal 1: Winner QF1 vs. Winner QF4

July 24 -- Mexico City
Semifinal 2: Winner QF2 vs. Winner QF3

FINAL AND THIRD-PLACE PLAYOFF

July 26 -- Miami
Third place

July 27 -- Mexico City
Final

[BPBlueSox]

5-0 win over Cuba! :D

Cuba didn't even get a shot on net...

Donovan had 4 goals.

What a walkover they were...well, we play the winner of Colombia vs. Brazil

[BPBlueSox]

Donovan nets four as U.S. routs Cuba

Associated Press

FOXBORO, Mass. -- After his fourth goal of the game, Landon Donovan stopped celebrating and started apologizing.

Donovan stepped in front of Steve Ralston and kicked in goal No. 4 to cement a 5-0 victory over Cuba on Saturday and put the United States in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals.

"He said, 'What ... are you doing? Why are you stealing my ball?"' Donovan said after the U.S. national team's first four-goal game in a decade. "I knew someone was there. I didn't know it was him."

Joe-Max Moore scored four times against El Salvador in 1993, but before that you have to go back to Aldo "Buff" Donelli in 1934 and Archie Stark in '25. Ralston also scored for the United States, which advanced to the semifinals to play either Colombia and Brazil on Wednesday in Miami.

Kasey Keller extended the Americans' shutout string to five games; the U.S. has blanked 18 of its 29 Gold Cup opponents.

With his 33rd career shutout, Keller passed Tony Meola on the U.S. national team's all-time list. Keller has not allowed a goal in 712 Gold Cup minutes, and he has not lost on U.S. soil in his last 22 games.

The Cubans, who were in the quarterfinals for the first time in their history, got off just two shots in the game -- both off-target.

"In my point of view, the team held up extremely well against a very superior opponent," Cuban coach Miguel Company said, speaking through an interpreter.

That wasn't enough to keep up with Donovan, who had scored just three times in 13 appearances with the national team this year.

"It was just one of those days," Donovan said. "I have not scored a lot lately, and it gets a little bit frustrating."

U.S. coach Bruce Arena said he didn't spend a lot of time worrying about Donovan being in a slump.

"Yeah, reminds me of Tiger Woods' slump," he said. "Landon is the least of our problems."

Donovan could have had a couple more _ one on a breakaway in the 72nd minute, when he tried to pass it to Eddie Lewis and Cuban goalkeeper Odelin Molina got to the ball first.

"If you don't appreciate someone, they're not going to keep feeding the ball to you," Donovan said. "I wish I had gotten my feet under it and gotten the ball to Eddie, because he deserved to score there."

But Donovan didn't take any chances in the 76th minute, when Greg Vanney jumped the ball on a free kick and then got the pass from Clint Mathis. Mathis crossed it, and Donovan and Ralston were both waiting for it to come down.

Molina made a nice save in the 22nd minute when Ralston headed a cross into the keeper, who knocked it down and then corralled it. But a few seconds later, Brian McBride sent it sent it across the crease to Donovan and he redirected it into the net.

Donovan scored again when Lewis' pass went over Ralston's head, and Donovan was waiting for it to come down, wide open. Donovan had yet another chance when he bounced one to the right of the goal from right in front in the 31st minute.

In the 42nd minute, Lewis went to the end line to left-foot a cross to Ralston, who put it in with a diving header. Donovan got his third in the 55th minute when he headed in a long cross from Lewis.

[awefullspellare]

Dan, is this Brazil's "A" Team cuz if so its gonna be a tough match

[BPBlueSox]

No, it's definitely not their "A" team...

But, hell, any team with Brazil on their jersey worries me...

[awefullspellare]

should be interesting to see how it turns out :)

[Obri]

Good luck to you guys, regardless of what team the Brazilians put out, it's gonna be tough.

Go get 'em.:D

[BPBlueSox]

Aaaaaaaaaaargh!

We were up 1-0 when they scored in the 89th minute...

Then in the first golden goal period, we commited a handball (that was necessary) in the box, and they put home the PK.

So disappointing...apparently this was Brazil's U-23 team...

[awefullspellare]

I read that... *sigh* we were so close :(

[BPBlueSox]

Just to finish this up...we won the 3rd Place game 3-2 over Costa Rica...Earnie Stewart had a real nice equalizer in this one...

Mexico won the whole tourney with a 1-0 win over Brazil with a golden goal (in the Gold Cup) :hmm: