While July 25 is circled on Canada’s calendar – that’s when it finds out its next opponent in World Cup qualifying – the Gold Cup offers Floro a chance to test his team against CONCACAF opposition, rise in the rankings and to spend valuable time working with his players.
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“It was tough. They came out really aggressive and caused us some problems”. But the Gold Cup itself was always to be an anomaly; Klinsmann has said all along he planned to bring his best roster, because he wanted to win this thing. While Honduras is superior to the other US group foes, Panama and Haiti, both teams have tricky players who like to take on challenges one-v-one and can also play combinations. USA, Mexico, Costa Rica & Jamaica have already qualified. That part, at least, is off to a good start.
Interestingly, Gomez did not use 2013 Gold Cup tournament leading scorer Gabriel Torres, the Colorado Rapids man resigned to a spot on the bench throughout – and Panam could not hold a one-goal lead without him.
“The main aim in this Gold Cup for us is to get as far as possible”, he explained after naming his 23-man squad. The lanky center back will anchor America’s backline as they look to retain their title. The group’s winners and runners-up each qualified for the Gold Cup.
While Honduras are yearly contenders, they haven’t played that great in the last two World Cups they participated. The positive was that the United States proved that it belonged with the world’s elite.
Last summer, every American fell in love with United States Goalkeeper Tim Howard after his ridiculous, record-setting 16 save performance against Belgium in the round of 16. Are the USMNT due for a slip up or will they continue their positive play and extend their winning streak to five? He’s improved throughout his time with the national team, looking more comfortable and becoming very impactful.
[MORE: Chicago soccer fans go wild over USWNT World Cup title] .
“It would be better for us to play not only three, (but) four or five games here”, he said. But he hasn’t played in a competitive worldwide game for the United States since 2009 (3-0 Confederations Cup win over Egypt). While Zusi was less than spectacular, Yedlin and his pace created a number of chances going forward. The USA struggled a bit early on in that win but found their footing late in the game with a couple good goals from Timmy Chandler, Clint Dempsey and Chris Wondolowski.
The next three weeks will be critical for the future of USA soccer.
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Just like the women, the American men are counted on to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup, entering their first match as the tournament’s heavy favorite.
