2017 Gold Cup: Our B team is better than your B team

InstaFace

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Guzan fucks that up

(Back to the Howard super save. Had a few beers)
I just hope Howard teaches some other US goalie the various jedi mind tricks he uses to get strikers to shoot the ball right at wherever he is. Right at Urena's control touch, Howard decided to go cut off the middle of the goal, leaving a huge gaping hole at the near post, and where did the shot go? Towards the middle / far post-ish. Into his leg.
 

Titans Bastard

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The US looks much more cohesive than in earlier GC games but despite improved possession there really wasn't much in the way of chance creation.
 

McBride11

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I just hope Howard teaches some other US goalie the various jedi mind tricks he uses to get strikers to shoot the ball right at wherever he is. Right at Urena's control touch, Howard decided to go cut off the middle of the goal, leaving a huge gaping hole at the near post, and where did the shot go? Towards the middle / far post-ish. Into his leg.
Learning you are
 

Titans Bastard

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Dempsey on for Arriola and I assume Morris goes wide. I thought Arriola had a good night and given the soft competition on the wing I think he's earned a place in the 23 for the next qualifiers.
 

InstaFace

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I realize Bradley doesn't exactly have the leg he had in 2009, but I might've tried putting that directly on goal at near post and seen what Pemberton was thinking about.
 

Titans Bastard

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YES!!!!

Great stuff from Dempsey there, and Jozy with a good finish.
 

InstaFace

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I talk a lot of shit about Matt Besler, but what he lacks in positioning, control, awareness or strength, he does somewhat make up for in sheer hustle.
 

Titans Bastard

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Coaching a team that looks uninspiring only to have them pull their shit together when it comes down to brass tacks is classic Arena. LA Galaxy did it every season under him.
 

Titans Bastard

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Does anybody else feel like Michael Bradley has gotten his mojo back to a certain degree? He's been more consistent of late and has avoided the perplexing errors that plagued him for a while (getting caught in possession, stupidly poor passes).

This jumped out at me:

In 750 minutes under Arena with [Bradley] on the pitch at defensive midfield, the US have conceded exactly one open play goal.
I still think that high-level teams that can exploit his lack of elite quickness will give him fits, but he can and should boss the next tier down.
 

OCST

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His wonder-goal vs Mexico notwithstanding- I think you have to regard that as a lightning-strike that he couldn't do again if you spotted him another 100 tries, and that's fine, it happens and you gotta love it when it does - I agree. He has sucked less than he did in the recent past, when it seems all he did was make a (poor) back-pass to the keeper, and/or cough up the ball.
 

OCST

Sunny von Bulow
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MEX-JAM is entertaining and fiercely contested. 0-0 at 38'. Mexico has had the better of it but the Jamaica keeper has been great. Very physical game.
 

Bosoxen

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I think Cubo Torres is lucky to still be in this game but I have no idea what that foul was supposed to be for at the end of the half.
 

Titans Bastard

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You know how there are sometimes orange card type fouls? That Cubo Torres tackle was a dark red card:

 

InstaFace

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You might have thought, going in, that Jamaica would be playing to park the bus. But while it might still be 0-0, this has been end-to-end stuff, very watchable.
 

SoxFanInCali

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California. Duh.
I already have finals tickets. I think I could have gotten them cheaper if I'd waited. There's going to be a lot of them up for resale tomorrow.
 

Bosoxen

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I didn't expect much with this squad going in but this is still super disappointing.
 

Titans Bastard

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Mexico lost to a team that started Je-Vaughn Watson at CM.

What a world.
 

OCST

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Much respect for Jamaica. Had to be bailed out by their keeper and probably should have given up 2-3 goals but they competed like hell for the whole 90 minutes.
 

Titans Bastard

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The Reggae Boyz are a decent team. Let's not forget that they beat the USA to get to the 2015 cup final.
Have you ever watched Watson play for the Revs, though?

Much respect for Jamaica. Had to be bailed out by their keeper and probably should have given up 2-3 goals but they competed like hell for the whole 90 minutes.
Andre Blake is really good, one of the best GKs in MLS.
 

Zososoxfan

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Jamaican MLS keepers are the new market inefficiency.

Anyhoo, can anyone explain to me why the Gold cup is every two years rather than every 4 like Eurocup or Copa America? I was thinking about why this cup is considered such a joke and the fact that it's played so frequently is definitely a part of it. While I think the US likely benefits from having more international matches that matter, I wish the GC was held less frequently and meant more.
 

Infield Infidel

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Besides filling the pockets of CONCACAF and the recently deceased Chuck Blazer? IIRC, the Gold Cup was his idea.

My hope is that Copa American expands to 16, and a quadrennial Gold Cup becomes a qualifying tournament for the last 6 spots. Edit: the semifinalists get 4 spots, and the QF losers are drawn into two games for the last two spots.
 
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InstaFace

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I believe it's because Chuck Blazer saw that the US had few if any opportunities to play decent-quality international games and created the Gold Cup to be an answer to that, since we're essentially permanent hosts.

Even if we bring back guest countries as competitors, it's never going to "mean more". There are no WCQ bids on the line. There are 3 meaningful national teams in the confederation. I'd rather have it continue as it is, because it's entertaining, you see our top prospects and a good number of A-team players, and what the hell else would the team do during the other years' summers?