Gold Cup: USA vs. Belize

[CarolinaPanthers8789 4,525]

Tonight is the opening game of the Gold Cup for the U.S. Men's National Team.

 

The U.S. is playing in Group C with Belize, Costa Rica, and Cuba

 

When: 11:00 P.M.

Where: Fox Soccer Channel

 

The United States is up to 22nd in the Coca-Cola FIFA Soccer Rankings and are playing the 130th ranked Belize national team... If the boys play like they did against Guatemala in the tune-up match, this won't be a close game at all.

 

U.S. Roster: http://www.ussoccer.com/teams/us-men/latest-roster/130627-gold-cup.aspx

 

 

 

[CarolinaPanthers8789 4,525]

Just make sure you guys are here tonight, last game it was just me and Sapper.

 

It was boring lol.

[Happy Panther 3,961]

I wish we could get ESPN to start covering more of these.

[Happy Panther 3,961]

Just make sure you guys are here tonight, last game it was just me and Sapper.

 

It was boring lol.

 

I'm in for any good match especially USA.

 

This should be a rout given how we have played recently. I think our offense is showing so much promise right now. I hope klinsmann tells them to go for it.

[Sapper 1,282]

Hah, I plan to be back on here tonight again.

[CarolinaPanthers8789 4,525]

Yeah, I particularly like the Gold Cup because it gives everyone a chance to see all the players with a lot of the players training or playing games (MLS) with their club teams.

 

It's nice to see Donavan back out there.

 

I'm extremely excited for Stuart Holden, he has worked his ass off to get back to this level and he had a magnificent game against Guatemala.

[Seal (SmittyIsOurSavior) 1,670]

11 PM? I gotta be up for work at 5 otherwise I probably would watch it. Not really a US soccer fan though. My family is English and both my family over in the UK as well as my father over here are huge England fans, so I've never been able to get into the US soccer team and really feel for it.

[CarolinaPanthers8789 4,525]

If you are talking about the way the game is played then I totally agree with you. I have a friend that plays college soccer that turned down UNCC because their coach plays an English style game more than an American game.

If you are talking about who is better overall, it's close. Currently England is ranked 15th where the U.S. is ranked 22nd and the last time we played, it was a 1-1 draw.

[Doc Holiday 2,071]

11pm and I have to be up at 5am :-(

[CarolinaPanthers8789 4,525]

With an assist tonight, Donavan would become the first player in U.S. Soccer history to record 50 goals and 50 assists in international play.

Donavan is currently at 51 goals and 49 assists.

[ARSEN 9,448]

I'll be up

[ARSEN 9,448]

11 PM? I gotta be up for work at 5 otherwise I probably would watch it. Not really a US soccer fan though. My family is English and both my family over in the UK as well as my father over here are huge England fans, so I've never been able to get into the US soccer team and really feel for it.

I'm European and a die hard gunners fan but I still watch and support US national team.

[CarolinaPanthers8789 4,525]

The U.S. game has come around under Klinsmann due to him recognizing what our personnel is.

 

Klinsmann's attacking style is much more suited for the U.S. than the possession (hold and wait style) that the European's play. The U.S. just doesn't produce technically sound soccer players (or should I say football players) that the European's (and some South American teams... Brazil, Argentina, and Columbia) do because U.S. players are taught to shoot and score goals before they are taught fundamentals such as possession and ball movement. Klinsmann has incorporated a possession oriented attacking style of play. If you watch, you will see that the only time that U.S. plays negative is when they are under pressure or there is truly nothing open forward.

 

The U.S. plays a very similar game to Uruguay... the goal is to work straight up the middle rather then in-out-in (European style). One reason the U.S. can  play this way is because they have a semi-technically sound players in Graham Zusi and Michael Bradley who are both capable of feeding Dempsey and Altidore. The same with Uruguay, they have a semi-technically sound player in Diego Perez whose entire job is to feed Cavini, Suarez, and Forlan.

 

It's a shame that Uruguay probably won't qualify for the World Cup... There's also talk that Forlan may transfer to Toronto FC of the MLS.

[CarolinaKid704 24]

USA formation 4-1-3-2

 

Striker

 

Chris Wondolowski

Landon Donovan

 

Attacking Mids

 

Jose Torres

Mix Diskerud

Joe Corona 

 

Defensive Mid

 

Kyle Beckerman

 

Defense

 

DeMarcus Russell 

Clerance Goodson

Micheal Orozco Fiscal

Micheal Parkhurst

 

Goalie

 

Nick Rimando

[CarolinaPanthers8789 4,525]

Based on purely Fifa Rankings Group C is the toughest, followed by Group A, then Group B.

 

Group A

Mexico: 20th

Panama: 51st

Canada: 88th

Martinica: Not Fifa Affiliated

 

Group B

Honduras: 55th

Haiti: 69th

Trinidad & Tobago: 87th

El Salvador: 94th

 

Group C

USA: 22nd

Costa Rica: 39th

Cuba: 82nd

Belize: 130th