In an hour or less the US meets Mexico to decide the CONCACAF Gold Cup title. The US has come off second best in the two previous finals between both countries in 1993 and 1998. So they will be trying to overcome a jinx. However, they have been dominant against Mexico this decade piling up an impressive 7-0-1 home record. The US have poured in 13 goals with no Mexican reply.
A strange phenomenon considering the fact that the El Tri have a number of high quality players with experience in the European leagues like Jared Borgetti, Pavel Pardo, Carlos Salcido, Ricardo Osorio, Rafael Marquez, and Nery Castillo. The Mexicans also have their next generation of starlets who are coming of age like Carlos Vela and Giovanni Dos Santos, part of the team that won the U-17 world title. Despite the impressive amount of talent, Mexico has underwhelmed against the US.
The US have been winning the Gold Cup matches through Landon Donovan who has a pretty good track record against Mexico, scoring three goals in his previous 8 matches. He will be looking to add more to his 33 scored with a chance of passing Eric Wynalda’s record. The US are without the services of Frankie Hejduk and Michael Bradley, out through suspensions. This will deplete the defensive midfield as Hejduk and Bradley have been having a good tournament. Jonathan Spector will be asked to contain the dangerous Andres Guardado.
The Mexican attack up front has been led by Jared Borgetti and Cuauhtemoc Blanco although Nery Castillo will probably challenge for a start. Their attack has been ragged and they will run into Oguchi Onyewu and Carlos Bocanegra, not really built for speed, who have been having a bit of an up and down tournament so the Mexicans will try and exploit the center. As usual the Mexicans will control the ball with the US counterattacking through Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley faces a potential roadblock in experienced Ricardo Osorio and Carlos Salcido.
I think this match will finally see Mexico dust off their underwhelming performances and win by a goal through a defensive lapse on the part of the US. The Mexican defense will hold strong against the inevitable barrage of chances as the US throws everything into it including the kitchen sink.
3 comments on “Gold Cup final: Will Mexico underachieve yet again?”
I think you are very right and it’s evident with what has happened in the first half. I’m writing b/c Onyewu is seriously one of the most overrated players on the squad. He consistently chokes, he’s slow and has a touch like a slab of granite. In the Canada game he headed the ball down DIRECTLY into the path of the Canadian player! I mean it was a PERFECT pass to that player and it should have been their equalizer. I cannot believe he’s in the starting lineup, WHY! Does Bradley not see how much of a liability he is? Put someone in there that has some pace, can get up in the air and who has a decent touch. I don’t think it’s that hard to find. There’s people on the bench that can EASILY fill his stone shoes. Newcastle let him go for a reason, HE SUCKS… the US should follow suit.
Wow. I just caught the last 20 minutes of the match. A furious finish and the US proves once again it doesn’t have the ability to put teams away as they miss TWO…TWO open nets!! Granted, Mexico had a botched chance as well, but this is a constant issue for the Americans that they must over come.
On a personnel note, Taylor Twellmen continues to make a strong case for his irrelevance. I can’t even begin to understand why he sees any playing time at all.
Heck, even one of the girls on the univision postgame show looked like she was going to cry and we cry with you; not literally, it’s shocking for the TriColores to go down again…maybe they broke the goal drought Shourin Roy speaks of above.
It was a good game; and I think the Univision announcers were questioning the penalty call; I need to rewatch it, but straight off; a bit “iffy” and their goal was grand and our second was too.