UPDATE: The American

US wins first Gold Cup final since 2007

Match with Panama was repeat of 2005 final (which the US won on penalties)

(Just a small Update, but The American almost got it right - but then, who else was he going to pick?!)

Brek Shea scored just 42 seconds after coming into the final as a substitute, and his goal in the 69th minute gave the US a 1-0 victory over Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final. It is the fifth Gold Cup title for the U.S., but it's first since 2007. The victory also extended the Americans' winning streak to a record 11 games, four more than their previous best.

(Here's the original post)

Is there any team in the world as good as the Americans right now??

I didn't have access to a television on Wednesday night and wasn't able to watch the US-Honduras game, so I had to rely on Twitter updates. Soon after the game started, tweets started scrolling across my screen saying things like Eddie Johnson makes it 1-0!!! 

A few minutes later: Donovan scores!, US up 2-0!!!

I emailed the Geezers and wrote what any red-blooded American would say: U-S-A! U-S-A!

With the Stars and Stripes' 3-1 semifinal win over Honduras, coupled with a loss by arch-rival Mexico, the US is in prime position to capture the CONCACAF Gold Cup, its first since 2007.

This begs the question: Is there any team in the world as good as the Jurgen Klinsmann's team right now??

Okay, come back. That is not a serious question. Yes, of course there are; better in fact. But that's what happens when you rip off a team-record 10-straight wins while channeling our nation's government by imposing their will on other countries; confidence gets high, so Americans get cocky.

And I know all this because 1) I'm an American and we get excited when we win anything. And 2) I read it somewhere. ESPN maybe?

Now, nobody is suggesting the Americans would go right out and play at this high a level against Brazil or Spain. However, it's fun to get excited about your national team and dream a little bit bigger.

On Sunday, the US will take on Panama--a rematch of the 2005 Gold Cup final. I know a little about soccer and even less about Panama the country. Therefore, any prediction presented herein is completely biased by my own national pride.

But screw it. US wins it 3-1. U-S-A! U-S-A!

                                                                                  - Nick Hatcher

The Gold Cup - that summer trophy every player dreams of

Klinsmann Finally Facing Some Selection Questions

Teams finally begin to challenge the US/Mexico monopoly on the Gold Cup

If there’s a time for the U.S. to lift the Gold Cup trophy, it’d be now. Sure, they’re deploying a ‘B’ team and wins over Cuba and Belize won’t exactly light a fire in any other international tournament but this is still a competition---a win will send them to the next Confederations Cup slated to be in Russia in a few short years. And the U.S. side looked and played dynamic in their wins over Costa Rica and El Salvador.

Now’s the real test: Honduras in the semifinals. The Catrachos have risen in the ranks of CONCACAF, especially after qualifying for the World Cup in 2010 and subsequently sending their best players to top leagues. They beat the U.S. in the first round of the hexagonal qualifying stages earlier this year, the last time the U.S. suffered a loss in nine matches in 2013. And they haven’t been to the Gold Cup final since 1991, where they lost to the U.S. in penalties.

The U.S. is still reeling from its 4-2 loss to Mexico in the 2011 edition. But their wave of confidence at the moment should help them to not only lift the trophy this year but also provide manager Jurgen Klinsmann with a headache when planning to see how his ‘B’ team players will fit into his ‘A’ side come the World Cup next year.

Canada are the only team other than the US or Mexico to have won the Gold Cup (in 2000), but with the Klinsmann trying a few players out and El Tri (who play Panama in the other semi-final) struggling for form, maybe times are changing in the Gold Cup.

                                                                                                         -Tio Pelotas

Summer Blues

It's almost enough to make me a baseball fan...

Rooney to leave, Mourinho’s return, Monaco to buy everyone, Cassano joins his 29^th team, Messi not turning up for an autograph signing – it’s summer, so plenty of people making up stories to fill the back pages and websites with rumors and gossip.

We all love it to some degree – the hope that our teams are signing someone great, selling the deadwood and moving forward from last season, but it can be too much. I started watching Panama against Martinique last night, and was tempted to stay up for the Mexico v Canada game in the Gold Cup. It’s July – there’s no need for TV. Sit on the deck, drink beer, watch the world go by and think about anything but football.

There’s the Ashes cricket, the Lions tour, the Open, the X games, MLS soccer – hey, there’s even the opportunity for conversation about something other than sports, but who are we kidding. The countdown is on. Pre-season has begun. A summer without a major tournament just isn’t the same. The Confederations Cup doesn’t count. Tahiti were fun to watch, Brazil even more so, but all the players looked like they wanted a few weeks on the beach – and who can blame them.

Instead we’re stuck with stories of Nigerian teams winning 76-0 and 67-0 to try and boost their goal difference to get promoted, tales of Gareth Bale being seen shopping in the same place as Real Madrid’s communications officer’s third cousin, and beheadings in Brazil over a missed offside call.   

Roll on August. The rumors get too crazy in July, and ‘journalists’ really scrape the barrel to fill some space. Another Moyes and Rooney bust-up story is going to turn me into a baseball fan.

 -JEM