Gold Cup Final Thoughts

So the Gold Cup is over, and the U.S. is left with a disappointing fourth place finish following their shootout loss to Panama. Here's some final thoughts on the tournament:

1) The U.S. definitely appeared flat in this tournament and the team we fielded didn't play anything like the inspired group we saw beat Germany and the Netherlands overseas. So of course the question comes up, should this tournament cost Klinsmann his job? I say no and it sounds like U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati agrees. Here's my thinking: while the U.S.'s play was poor, a few bad games shouldn't derail what Klinsmann has done. Love him or hate him, there's no debating what the U.S. has accomplished in the Klinsmann era. Wins in Italy, Germany and the Netherlands, a Gold Cup title in 2013, emerging from the Group of Death in the 2014 World Cup, and bringing all sorts of new players into the fold (Bobby Wood, Fabian Johnson, John Brooks, Miguel Ibarra, Jordan Morris, Aron Johannsson, etc). Has the era been perfect? No, but like anything, this is a process, and bringing in a new coach now would likely require taking more steps backwards. Does Klinsmann deserve some of the blame for our showing in the Gold Cup? Absolutely. He made some questionable decisions when forming this roster, his inconsistency with starting lineups failed to build continuity and his inability to make in-game adjustments against inferior opponents (Jamaica, Haiti, Panama) definitely hurt us. But I'd argue he's earned enough credit during his tenure to warrant a longer leash than what some fans are calling for.

2) So what did we learn from this tournament? We learned that Joe Corona is not a one-for-one replacement for Kyle Beckerman. We learned that Fabian Johnson is much more valuable in defense than he is in the midfield. We learned that Clint Dempsey is far and away our most dangerous attacking option. We learned that our young center backs, Ventura Alvarado and John Brooks still have a ways to go. We learned that the U.S. suddenly struggles in defending set pieces. We learned that CONCACAF's overall level of play has been elevated and it's no longer just a two-horse race with the U.S. and Mexico. We learned that we have absolutely no idea on a given night who our Starting Eleven might be. And we learned there are still a lot of questions to be answered before the U.S. plays Mexico this fall for a berth in the 2017 Confederations Cup.

3) Speaking of questions that we don't have answers to: When will we see Jozy Altidore in a USA jersey again? Who should be starting in the back? Brad Evans and DaMarcus Beasley are fine, but certainly aren't the future. Are we grooming anyone to take over Kyle Beckerman's role as a holding midfielder? Anyone other than Joe Corona? What is our identity? Attack first? Defend and counter? Can anyone name our Starting Eleven? It changes nightly! I'll leave it at that for now.

4) Mexico is vulnerable right now, especially after an unconvincing tournament win (just ask Costa Rica and Panama) and the fact that they just fired their coach. That makes our October showdown a golden opportunity for the U.S. as a Confederations Cup berth would be a tremendous boost to our 2018 World Cup chances. There's not a lot of time between now and then for Klinsmann to figure things out. I just hope we show up so we don't let this tremendous opportunity go to waste.

MLSers in Action

Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Sub, 60 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal, Made PK
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 120 mins, Missed PK
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City/USA) - Started, 60 mins
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes/USA) - Started, 60 mins, 1 shot
DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo/USA) - Sub, 30 mins, Missed PK
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 89 mins, 1 shot, yellow card
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Sub, 30 mins 1 shot, 1 goal

Gold Cup Scorers by League

While the Gold Cup may have been  a huge disappointment for the U.S., more on this later, it'd have to be considered a pretty solid success for MLS as the league boasted 11 different goal scorers representing six different countries for a total of 20 goals. Here's a rundown of all the Gold Cup's goal scorers broken down by the league they play in:


MLS (20)

Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 7
Giles Barnes (Jamaica) - Houston Dynamo - 2
Michael Bradley (USA) - Toronto FC - 2
Darren Mattocks (Jamaica) - Vancouver Whitecaps - 2
Roy Miller (Costa Rica) - New York Red Bulls - 1
Cordell Cato (Trinidad and Tobago) - San Jose Earthquakes - 1
Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) - Chicago Fire - 1
Blas Pérez (Panama) - FC Dallas - 1
Omar Gonzalez (USA) - LA Galaxy - 1
Gyasi Zardes (USA) - LA Galaxy - 1
Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) - LA Galaxy - 1***

Gold Cup Semifinals

Jamaica 2 USA 1

I'm still a bit gutted by this result. Despite holding a 20-10 advantage in shots, and owning nearly 60% of the possession, the U.S. lost 2-1 to the Jamaicans and will miss their first Gold Cup Final since 2003. Ironically, it was Jamaica's MLS contingent that did the damage as Darren Mattocks (Vancouver) and Giles Barnes (Houston) scored the goals while Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls) picked up an assist. The tournament isn't over for the U.S. just yet though as they have a chance at redemption in the third place game against Panama. The U.S. drew with Panama 1-1 in the opening round. Jamaica, meanwhile, will gear up for their first ever Gold Cup Final. Their previous best finish was fourth place in 1998.

Mexico 2 Panama 1

For the second match in a row, Mexico was the beneficiary of a late (and controversial) penalty, this time allowing them to score the equalizer deep into stoppage time and then later the game winner in the first half of extra time. Despite playing a man down from the 25th minute on, Panama kept Mexico off the board and even took the lead in the 57th minute on a goal by Román Torres. But a questionable handball call against Torres paved the way for Mexico to once again advance to the Finals. Mexico now gets ready to take on Jamaica after going 120 minutes in back-to-back matches, as they seek their third Gold Cup win since 2009.

MLSers in Action

Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 7 shots
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/USA) - Started, 67 mins, yellow card
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots, 1 goal
Alan Gordon (LA Galaxy/USA) - Sub, 17 mins, 1 shot
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 85 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Started, 57 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Jaime Penedo (LA Galaxy/Panama) - Started, 120 mins, 3 saves, 2 goals allowed

Gold Cup Quarterfinals, Day 2

Jaime Penedo saved Lester Peltier's penalty to give Panama a 6-5 shootout win over upstarts,  Trinidad and Tobago. The shootout went 9 rounds with Valentín Pimentel scoring what ended up being the winning penalty. In the nightcap, controversy spoiled a epic clash between Costa Rica and Mexico. A questionable, and that's putting it nicely, penalty call in stoppage time of extra time gifted Mexico a 1-0 when Andrés Guardado converted the spot kick. Mexico will now face off against Jamaica in the semis.

MLSers in Action

Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 66 mins, 1 shot
Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 120 mins, 1 shot
Kevan George (Columbus Crew /Trinidad and Tobago) - 120 mins, yellow card
Blas Pérez (FC Dallas/Panama) - Started, 120 mins, 6 shots
Jaime Penedo (LA Galaxy/Panama) - Started, 120 mins, 3 saves, 1 goal allowed, 2 PK saves
Gabriel Torres (Colorado Rapids/Panama) - Sub, 37 mins, 1 shot
Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/Costa Rica) - Sub, 41 mins, yellow card

MLS Weekly Recap, Week 20

Here's this week's recap:

Aaron Maund's 87th minute goal was the difference in the match as Real Salt Lake spoiled Steven Gerrard's official Galaxy debut knocking them out of the U.S. Open Cup, 1-0. Gerrard did not start the match but logged 45 minutes off the bench, while Real Salt Lake becomes the first team to clinch a berth in the Open Cup semis... The league's leading scorer (Kei Kamara) combined with the league's leading distributor (Ethan Finlay) for the only goal of the match as Columbus got a much needed win over the Chicago Fire on Wednesday... Quincy Amarikwa scored two quick goals, but the Galaxy countered with five unanswered as the tandem of Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard completely overwhelmed the Quakes' defense. Gerrard finished his MLS debut with a goal and an assist... Sebastian Giovinco notched a goal and an assist as Toronto knocked off Philadelphia 2-1. The news gets worse for Union fans as they lost both Richie Marquez and Andrew Wenger to injuries during the course of the match. Jozy Altidore returned to TFC and turned in an 85 minute shift up top... Lee Nguyen scored in the first half, and the Revs benefitted from a second half red card to Ned Grabavoy as New England snapped their 5-game losing streak with a 1-0 win over New York City FC... Cyle Larin was sent off in the first half and the Red Bulls capitalized riding the man-advantage to a 2-0 win over Orlando City. Bryan Róchez appeared in a match for Orlando for the first time in over two months when he came off the bench in the second half... Benny Feilhaber's career year continued as he notched a goal and an assist in Sporting's 2-1 win over Montreal. Dom Dwyer also scored as Sporting won their third straight and fifth in six matches... FC Dallas won their fourth in a row as they took advantage of Bill Hamid's injury and used a stoppage time winner from Fabián Castillo to defeat DC United 2-1... The Rapids used a late winner from Kevin Doyle to send them to a third straight win and knock off the struggling Sounders, 1-0. The win spoiled the return to Seattle of Swedish midfielder Erik Friberg and leaves the Sounders with five losses in their last six while being shutout four times during that stretch... Joao Plata scored for the first time since September and added an assist as Real Salt Lake picked up their second shutout of the week with a 2-0 win over the Giles Barnes-less Houston Dynamo... A pair of stoppage time red cards spoiled an otherwise exciting match between the Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps that ended in a 1-1 draw. Vancouver's Christian Dean, formerly the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, made his first MLS appearance of 2015... Columbus made it a sweep of the Fire on Sunday behind goals from each of their big three, Federico Higuaín, Kei Kamara, and Ethan Finlay. Chicago's Jason Johnson earned a second yellow early in the second half for diving.

Here's a rundown of all the action:

RESULTS

MONDAY

Haiti 1 Honduras 0 - Gold Cup, Group A
USA 1 Panama 1 - Gold Cup, Group A

TUESDAY

Jamaica 1 El Salvador 0 - Gold Cup, Group B
Canada 0 Costa Rica 0 - Gold Cup, Group B
Real Salt Lake 1 LA Galaxy 0 - US Open Cup Quarterfinals

WEDNESDAY

Cuba 1 Guatemala 0 - Gold Cup, Group C
Trinidad and Tobago 4 Mexico 4 - Gold Cup, Group C
Columbus Crew 1 Chicago Fire 0

FRIDAY

LA Galaxy 5 San Jose Earthquakes 2

SATURDAY

USA 6 Cuba 0 - Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Jamaica 1 Haiti 0 - Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Toronto FC 2 Philadelphia Union 1
New England Revolution 1 New York City FC 0
New York Red Bulls 2 Orlando City SC 0
Sporting Kansas City 2 Montreal Impact 1
FC Dallas 2 DC United 1
Colorado Rapids 1 Seattle Sounders 0
Real Salt Lake 2 Houston Dynamo 0
Portland Timbers 1 Vancouver Whitecaps 1

SUNDAY

Panama 1 Trinidad and Tobago 1, Panama Wins 6-5 in Shootout - Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Mexico 1 Costa Rica 0 (a.e.t) - Gold Cup Quarterfinals
Columbus Crew 3 Chicago Fire 1

NOTABLE GOALS

Blas Pérez (Panama) - Pérez scored against the U.S. for the third time in his career, all three times in Gold Cup matches, and now has 38 goals in his international career. He is two goals behind teammate Luis Tejada for Panama's all-time scoring lead.

Michael Bradley (USA) - Not a bad week for the Bald Eagle as he scored his 14th international goal in the U.S.'s draw with Panama and added three assists in their 6-0 win over Cuba.

Clint Dempsey (USA) - After his hat trick against Cuba on Saturday, Dempsey is just ten goals away from tying Landon Donovan for the U.S.'s all-time scoring lead. This was Dempsey's first international hat trick and his six goals lead all players in this year's Gold Cup.

Omar Gonzalez (USA) - Gonzalez scored his first international goal in the U.S.'s rout of Cuba. He scored twice for the US U-18s back in 2007.

Gyasi Zardes (USA) - Zardes hit a nifty volley off of a Fabian Johnson cross to, for all intents and purposes, put the game out of reach against Cuba. Zardes, who scored against the Netherlands last month, has two goals for the U.S.

Giles Barnes (Jamaica) - Barnes, who only became eligible to play for Jamaica this year, scored his second international goal and punched Jamaica's ticket to the Gold Cup Semifinals.

Kei Kamara (Columbus) - Not slowed by his omission from the MLS Fan XI voting for this year's all-star game, Kamara scored in both of the Crew's matches with Chicago this week and now has a league-high 14 goals on the year and 66 goals in his MLS career.

Aaron Maund (Real Salt Lake) - Aaron Maund's first professional goal, an 87th minute header, has sent Real Salt Lake through to the U.S. Open Cup semifinals. Maund, in his fourth MLS season, has still yet to score his first MLS goal.

Quincy Amarikwa (San Jose) - In just his second match with San Jose, Amarikwa scored a pair of quick goals, but had his evening spoiled when LA rattled off five in a row unanswered.

Robbie Keane (LA Galaxy) - After a quiet start to the season, the 35 year-old Keane has back-to-back hat tricks, first last weekend against Toronto, and now this week against San Jose. Keane has nine goals on the season, and already has 62 goals in his MLS career.

Steven Gerrard (LA Galaxy) - Welcome to MLS, Steven Gerrard. The English star scored a goal and added an assist in his MLS debut as the Galaxy rallied from a 2-0 deficit to rout the Quakes 5-2.

Sebastian Lletget (LA Galaxy) - Lletget scored his fifth goal in six games and now has 5 goals in just 466 minutes of play since joining MLS. The Galaxy are 4-1-1 in that stretch.

Sebastian Giovinco (Toronto FC) - The Atomic Ant continues his stellar first season adding another goal and an assist in Toronto's win over Philadelphia. Giovinco now has 12 goals and nine assists, just over halfway through the 2015 campaign.

Conor Casey (Philadelphia) - Casey scored his first goal of 2015 in Saturday's loss to Toronto. He now has 69 goals in his MLS career (good for 22nd all time). He needs just one more to tie Cobi Jones for 21st.

Lee Nguyen (New England) - Nguyen's third goal of the season snapped a five game losing streak for the Revs. Nguyen led New England with 18 goals in 2014.

Sacha Kljestan (New York Red Bulls) - Just watch the video.



Benny Feilhaber (Sporting KC) - Feilhaber's career year continues as he extended his career high with his sixth goal of the season and reached double-digit assists for the first time in his career in Sporting's 2-1 win over Montreal.

Dom Dwyer (Sporting KC) - Dwyer hasn't been the prolific scorer he was a year ago, but with his goal against Montreal on Saturday, he now has six goals on the season and 30 in his brief career.

Fabián Castillo (FC Dallas) - Castillo has scored or assisted in each of Dallas's last five matches during which Dallas is 4-0-1. With eight goals on the year, the young Colombian is just two shy of his career high set last season.

Kellyn Acosta (FC Dallas) - Acosta doesn't turn 20 until next weekend, but now he has scored his first MLS goal.

Kevin Doyle (Colorado) - Doyle has started to find his scoring touch (two goals in the last three games), and not coincidentally it's aligned with Colorado's three game winning streak.

Joao Plata (Real Salt Lake) - Plata scored for the first time since mid September as his return to form appears to be complete. Plata, who scored 13 times for RSL last year, now has a goal and three assists in his last four matches.

Diego Valeri (Portland) - Valeri, who set the Timbers single season scoring and assist records last season, scored his second goal of 2015 in Portland's 1-1 draw with Vancouver.

Ethan Finlay (Columbus) - Finlay continued his recent strong form and now has a goal or an assist in six of Columbus's last seven games.

SHUTOUTS BY:

Jeff Attinella (Real Salt Lake) - Attinella helped Real Salt Lake to wins in both the U.S. Open Cup and in League play as he shutout the red hot LA Galaxy in the Open Cup Quarterfinals and the Houston Dynamo in action on Saturday. Saturday's shutout was Attinella's first of the season and the fifth of his MLS career. In 19 career starts backing up Nick Rimando, Attinella is 5-8-6.

Steve Clark (Columbus) - Clark beat the Fire twice this week, earning his fourth shutout of the year during Wednesday's 1-0 win.

Brad Knighton (New England) - Bobby Shuttleworth's back-up earned his first shutout since July of 2013 while making a rare start in place of the Revs' starting net-minder. Knighton has made just four starts in two seasons with New England, and now has eight shutouts in his eight-year career.

Luis Robles (New York Red Bulls) - The Red Bulls won their fourth in five tries behind four saves from Luis Robles. It was just Robles's fifth shutout of the season, but his next one will equal his season total from 2014 where he made all 34 regular season starts.

Clint Irwin (Colorado) - Irwin made three saves against the Sounders to help Colorado to their third straight win, more than their win total in their first 17 matches combined. Irwin now has 7 shutouts on the season, just three shy of his career high set during his rookie season (2013).

Gold Cup Quarterfinals, Day 1

So as luck would have it, I actually got to attend both of today's quarterfinal matches, so before we get to our normal Gold Cup rundown, here's my thoughts on each of the two games:

USA 6 CUBA 0

In honor of the U.S.'s six goals, here are six things:



1) Cuba was badly overmatched in this one. I don't know if the defections have taken a toll, but Cuba never really looked threatening at any point in the match. It was so bad, that I had one of my college teammates posit that our Division III collegiate team could've given Cuba a run for its money. While I'm not sure that's a fair statement, it does capture how bad the U.S. made the Cubans look. It didn't help that there wasn't really a Cuban contingent to cheer them on either. Maybe the next Gold Cup will be different.

2) It was only one game, but the U.S. didn't really appear to miss Jozy Altidore at all. Yes, it helps when you're playing against the Cubans, but Aron Johannsson looked more than capable alongside Clint Dempsey in his 90 minute shift. The U.S. didn't even need to bring on its veteran reserve strikers, Alan Gordon and Chris Wondolowski. Fun fact, when the two played together for San Jose in 2012, they combined for 40 goals and 14 assists.

3) DeAndre Yedlin's speed makes him unbelievably dangerous every time he gets the ball, and it was all the more evident against a team like Cuba. I just wish his services were a little more dangerous. If he develops that part of his game, look out world. The one thing that really struck me as interesting was that when Yedlin came into the game, Gyasi Zardes slid over to left mid/wing while Alejandro Bedoya held down left back. I'm not really sure what the driver behind that move was since Yedlin can defend, but nevertheless, there we were. That said, I do not expect we'll see Bedoya patrolling the back line moving forward.

4) I'm not sure I like Joe Corona in the holding midfielder role, but that does beg the question: Since Kyle Beckerman is no spring chicken, who are we grooming to take over that role? Perry Kitchen? Wil Trapp? Alfredo Morales just went home, Tim Ream is almost 30... I dunno. I don't want to say he's irreplaceable or anything, because we obviously did fine after Becks left the game, but I am curious as to what our long term plan is in the central midfield.

5) So our back four certainly wasn't exposed against Cuba, but I still think they're the team's weak link. I'm pretty comfortable with Fabian Johnson on the left side, but the other three spots are all pretty suspect. I wouldn't go as far as to say that we're playing guys who don't belong on the international stage, but they currently aren't one of our strengths. And I'll be honest, I know Timmy Chandler had a nifty assist on the opening goal, but I think the team plays better with Brad Evans back there. And I couldn't begin to tell you which pairing of center backs we should be starting. It wouldn't have mattered against Cuba, but I guarantee it will come up in the semifinals and potentially the finals assuming we can get that far.

6) It's hard to believe that that was Clint Dempsey's first hat trick with the U.S. It's the fourth time a U.S. player has picked up a hat trick during the Gold Cup, with Chris Wondolowski (2013), Landon Donovan (2003) and Brian McBride (2002) owning the other three. Dempsey's now just 10 goals away from tying Landon Donovan for the all-time U.S. lead at 57, and his six goals lead all players in the tournament.

Jamaica 1 Haiti 0



I've got to tell you, I was really impressed with Haiti tonight. No, they didn't win, and they're at least a solid striker away from really being competitive in CONCACAF, but they were a lot of fun to watch. They're fast, they attack, they take players on, and their fans were amazing. Drums and horns and chanting for the whole 90 minutes. It was awesome to experience. Unfortunately, they just lacked creativity and vision in the final third and despite outshooting Jamaica 28-12 and attempting 17 corners while controlling over 60% of the possession, they just weren't particularly dangerous. Jamaica's back four and back-up keeper Ryan Thompson were up to the task. As far as Jamaica goes, I never realized what a beast Giles Barnes is. He definitely plays bigger than his 5'11" listing suggests, and it was his rocket from no angle that was the difference in the match. I like the U.S.'s chances against Jamaica moving forward, but they'll have to contain Barnes if they hope to advance.

MLSers in Action

MLSers combined for six goals in the first two quarterfinal matches. Here's a rundown of all the action:

Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots, 1 goal
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/USA) - Started, 45 mins
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 3 shots, 3 assists
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 5 shots, 3 goals
Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Sub, 45 mins
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 89 mins, 3 shots, 1 goal

Gold Cup Goal Scorers by League - Group Play

As we get ready to kick off the Gold Cup Quarterfinals, here's a list of all the players who have scored (for their own teams) so far in this year's tournament broken down by league. MLS currently leads the way with nine goals scored by seven players representing five different countries. Here's the complete list:

MLS (9)

Clint Dempsey (USA) - Seattle Sounders - 3
Roy Miller (Costa Rica) - New York Red Bulls - 1
Cordell Cato (Trinidad and Tobago) - San Jose Earthquakes - 1
Joevin Jones (Trinidad and Tobago) - Chicago Fire - 1
Michael Bradley (USA) - Toronto FC - 1
Blas Pérez (Panama) - FC Dallas - 1
Giovani dos Santos (Mexico) - LA Galaxy - 1***

Gold Cup Day 9

Gold Cup group play is over, but not without a couple more surprises. Cuba shocked Guatemala 1-0 behind a second half goal by Maikel Reyes. It was Cuba's first win of the tournament and miraculously sent them through to the quarterfinals despite getting outscored 8-1 in their three matches. Group C's other match saw Trinidad and Tobago go toe-to-toe with Mexico and play to a wild 4-4 draw that saw seven goals after the intermission and both sides score in stoppage team. Yohance Marshall's 94th minute equalizer clinched first place in Group C for T&T. With that, the quarterfinal match-ups are now set. In one bracket, the U.S. will take on Cuba while Haiti takes on Jamaica, and then on the other side Trinidad and Tobago faces off against Panama, while Costa Rica takes on Mexico. The quarterfinals start on Saturday.


MLSers in Action

Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 90 mins, 1 assist
Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist
Kevan George (Columbus Crew /Trinidad and Tobago) - 90 mins
Elías Vásquez (Real Salt Lake/Guatemala) - Started, 90 mins, yellow card
Marco Pappa (Seattle Sounders/Guatemala) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots

Gold Cup Day 8

Gareth McCleary's (Reading) second goal of the tournament clinched first place in Group B for Jamaica as they defeated El Salvador 1-0. Jamaica caps off group play with a record of 2-0-1. In the nightcap, Costa Rica ended Canada's hopes of advancing with a 0-0 draw. Canada finishes the tournament without a goal in three matches. With one day of matches remaining, seven of the eight quarterfinal spots have been filled. Guatemala can claim the final spot with a win over Cuba, otherwise the last spot goes to El Salvador. Trinidad and Tobago takes on Mexico in the other match tomorrow.

MLSers In Action

Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 9 mins
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, yellow card
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 70 mins
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Started, 81 mins, yellow/red cards
Alvas Powell (Portland Timbers/Jamaica) - Sub, 20 mins, 1 shot
Darwin Cerén (Orlando City SC/El Salvador) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City/Canada) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Karl Ouimette (New York Red Bulls/Canada) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/Canada) - Started, 69 mins
Maxim Tissot (Montreal Impact/Canada) - Started, 68 mins, 2 shots
Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps/Canada) - Sub, 23 mins, 2 shots, yellow card
Cyle Larin (Toronto FC/Canada) - Sub, 22 mins
Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/Costa Rica) - Sub, 16 mins

Gold Cup Day 7

Haiti got an early goal against Honduras and clinched a spot in the Gold Cup quarterfinals following a 1-0 win. The win itself wasn't enough to put Haiti through, but they got some help from the U.S., who battled back for a 1-1 draw with Panama. Blas Pérez (FC Dallas) and Michael Bradley (Toronto FC) traded goals, bur while the U.S. threatened, they couldn't find a game winner. Panama must now wait to see if they can advance as one of the tourney's top two third place teams.



MLSers In Action

Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes/USA) - Started, 45 mins
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Sub, 45 mins, 2 shots, 1 assist
Blas Pérez (FC Dallas/Panama) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots, 1 goal
Jaime Penedo (LA Galaxy/Panama) - Started, 90 mins, 2 saves, 1 goal allowed

Gold Cup Day 6

Trinidad and Tobago locked in a trip to the quarterfinals with a 2-0 win over Cuba as they took over sole possession of first place in Group C. Meanwhile the group favorites, Mexico, were held scoreless by Guatemala despite outshooting their Central American rivals 19-3.

Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes/Trinidad and Tobago) - Sub, 8 mins, 1 shot
Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 90 mins
Kevan George (Columbus Crew /Trinidad and Tobago) - 90 mins
Elías Vásquez (Real Salt Lake/Guatemala) - Started, 90 mins
Moises Hernandez (FC Dallas/Guatemala) - Started, 83 mins, yellow card
Marco Pappa (Seattle Sounders/Guatemala) - Sub, 12 mins

Gold Cup Day 5

Jamaica pulled off a 1-0 stoppage time victory against Canada thanks to a late goal by Rodolph Austin. Canada has yet to score in the tournament. In Group B's other match, Dustin Corea netted a stoppage time equalizer to deny Costa Rica a win and the two countries settled for a 1-1 draw. Real Salt Lake striker Álvaro Saborío assisted on Costa Rica's goal. Tomorrow pits Mexico against Guatemala and Cuba against Trinidad and Tobago in Group C.

MLSers In Action

Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 4 shots
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Sub, 25 mins, 4 shots
Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City/Canada) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots
Cyle Larin (Toronto FC/Canada) - Started, 45 mins
Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas/Canada) - Started, 71 mins, 1 shot
Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps/Canada) - Sub, 19 mins, 1 shot
Darwin Cerén (Orlando City SC/El Salvador) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, yellow card
Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/Costa Rica) - Started, 90 mins
Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake/Costa Rica) - Started, 77 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist

Gold Cup Day 4

The US clinched a spot in the Gold Cup Quarterfinals thanks to a 1-0 win over Haiti. Clint Dempsey scored his third goal of the tournament on an assist from Gyasi Zardes as the US managed a victory despite getting outshot by Haiti 21-6. Brad Guzan made four saves to earn the shutout. In Group A's other match, Honduras got a goal from former DC United midfielder Andy Najar (Anderlecht) as they rallied for a 1-1 draw with Panama. Group B is back in action tomorrow with Jamaica taking on Canada and Costa Rica facing off against El Salvador.



MLSers In Action

Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy/USA) - Sub, 45 mins, 1 assist
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake/USA) - Sub, 7 mins
Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/USA) - Started, 45 mins, 1 shot
Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City/USA) - Started, 90 mins
Mix Diskerud (New York City FC/USA) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Blas Pérez (FC Dallas/Panama) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Jaime Penedo (LA Galaxy/Panama) - Started, 90 mins, 7 saves, 1 goal allowed, yellow card
Gabriel Torres (Colorado Rapids/Panama) - Sub, 2 mins

Gold Cup, Day 3

Trinidad and Tobago scored three goals in the opening 25 minutes as they pulled off a surprising 3-1 upset of Guatemala in the opening match of Group C. MLSers Cordell Cato (San Jose) and Joevin Jones (Chicago) both scored for T&T while Elías Vásquez (Real Salt Lake) picked up an assist on Guatemala's lone goal. Former MLS MVP, and Guatemala's all-time leading scorer, Carlos Ruiz scored Guatemala's lone goal. In the day's other match, Mexico throttled a short-handed Cuban squad 6-0 behind a hat trick by Oribe Peralta (Club América). Mexico outshot Cuba 44-3. The U.S. is back in action tomorrow when they take on Haiti while Honduras faces off against Panama.


MLSers in Action

Cordell Cato (San Jose Earthquakes/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal
Joevin Jones (Chicago Fire/Trinidad and Tobago) - Started, 80 mins, 1 shot, 1 goal
Kevan George (Columbus Crew /Trinidad and Tobago) - 90 mins
Elías Vásquez (Real Salt Lake/Guatemala) - 90 mins
Moises Hernandez (FC Dallas/Guatemala) - 90 mins
Marco Pappa (Seattle Sounders/Guatemala) - 90 mins, 4 shots

Gold Cup Day 2

CONCACAF's highest ranked team, Costa Rica, opened the Gold Cup with a 2-2 draw with Jamaica as Group B kicked off play. Costa Rica led 2-1 before Jamaica's Jobi McAnuff (Leyton Orient) equalized early in the second half. New York Red Bulls defender Roy Miller scored for Costa Rica, his second National Team goal in 53 CAPs. Miller has yet to score in six MLS seasons. Miller's Red Bull teammate Kemar Lawrence had an assist for Jamaica. Group B's other match saw Cyle Larin and Canada play to a scoreless draw with El Salvador. Group C kicks off play tomorrow with Trinidad and Tobago taking on Guatemala, and Mexico taking on Cuba.



MLSers in Action

Roy Miller (New York Red Bulls/Costa Rica) - Started, 90 mins, 2 shots, 1 goal
Álvaro Saborío (Real Salt Lake/Costa Rica) - Sub, 31 mins, 2 shots
Jermaine Taylor (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins
Kemar Lawrence (New York Red Bulls/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, 1 assist
Je-Vaughn Watson (FC Dallas/Jamaica) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot, yellow card
Giles Barnes (Houston Dynamo/Jamaica) - Started, 61 mins, 1 shot
Darren Mattocks (Vancouver Whitecaps/Jamaica) - Sub, 29 mins, 1 shot
Darwin Cerén (Orlando City SC/El Salvador) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Marcel de Jong (Sporting Kansas City/Canada) - Started, 90 mins, 1 shot
Kyle Bekker (FC Dallas/Canada) - Started, 86 mins
Cyle Larin (Toronto FC/Canada) - Started, 69 mins, 1 shot
Tesho Akindele (FC Dallas/Canada) - Started, 90 mins
Russell Teibert (Vancouver Whitecaps/Canada) - Sub, 7 mins, 1 shot
Jonathan Osorio (Toronto FC/Canada) - Sub, 4 mins

Gold Cup Day 1

The US opened their Gold Cup defense with a 2-1 win over Honduras behind a pair of goals by Clint Dempsey. The US jumped out to a 2-0 lead will both goals coming off of set pieces before surrendering a goal in the second half and then hanging on late to earn the full three points. Next up for the US is a showdown with Haiti in Foxborough on Friday. Haiti tied Panama 1-1 in their opener. Group B will be in action tomorrow with Costa Rica taking on Jamaica and El Salvador taking on Canada.

Which Team Has the Most Players in the Gold Cup?

Wondering which team has the most players on Gold Cup rosters? Wonder no more! It's Guatemala's Comunicaciones with a staggering 12 players that will be suiting up next month. Even crazier, ELEVEN of those players will suit up for Guatemala. Here's the complete list:

Jorge Aparicio - Guatemala
Jairo Arreola - Guatemala
Rolando Blackburn - Panama
Carlos Castrillo - Guatemala
José Manuel Contreras - Guatemala
Brandon de León - Guatemala
Carlos Figueroa - Guatemala
Kendel Herrarte - Guatemala
Wilson Lalin - Guatemala
Jonathan Marquez - Guatemala
Carlos Mejía - Guatemala
Ruben Morales - Guatemala

Not surprisingly Comunicaciones has won the league's last six titles (2 per season over the past three years) and are headed back to the CONCACAF Champions League this fall.

Gold Cup's Coming!!!

Gold Cup's Coming, time to start getting excited!! Just to get you in the mood, I've pulled some highlights for you:

Gold Cup Snubs in MLS

Here's five MLS-based players who didn't make Jürgen Klinsmann's provisional Gold Cup roster that have a right to feel snubbed:

1) Benny Feilhaber - Feilhaber is in the midst of his best MLS season with 5 goals and a league-leading 7 assists while starting every game for Sporting Kansas City. Feilhaber has been more or less a non-factor since the 2010 World Cup Cycle appearing in just 3 matches for the U.S. since 2010. Replaces: Brad Davis.

2) Ethan Finlay - Like Feilhaber, Finlay also has seven assists this season tying his career high set in 2014. Finlay has either scored or assisted on 45% of Columbus's goals this season. Despite an 11-goal season in 2014, Finlay has yet to appear in a match for the United States. Replaces: DaMarcus Beasley.

3) Will Bruin - Bruin's been one of the hottest players in MLS lately. The only American with more goals in MLS this season is Chris Wondolowski, but unlike Wondo, Bruin hasn't been doing his damage at the penalty spot. In fact, Bruin leads all Americans in goals from the run of play with 7. That's more than Clint Dempsey and more than Jozy Altidore if you're keeping track. Replaces: Chris Wondolowski.

4) Charlie Davies - This one might be a bit of a reach, but I really like what Charlie Davies brings to the table. He's not the player he was before the accident, but hasn't his play in last year's postseason and in the early part of this season earned him something? Replaces: Alan Gordon.

5) Clint Irwin - Irwin is tied for the lead in shutouts among American keepers in MLS with Nick Rimando and he has a better goals against average than the U.S.'s #2 keeper does. Irwin's save percentage trails only Stefan Frei and Bill Hamid among keepers with at least ten starts this season. Replaces: William Yarbrough.

USMNT Provisional Gold Cup Roster

Here's a list of the 35 players named to the U.S.'s preliminary Gold Cup roster. The list needs to be pared down to 23 before the 27th of June, but up to six players can be added for the quarterfinal stage. MLS Players are listed in bold.

Goalkeepers:

Brad Guzan (Aston Villa)
Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)
William Yarbrough (Club Leon)
Bill Hamid (DC United)

Defenders

John Brooks (Hertha Berlin)
Ventura Alvarado (Club America)
Omar Gonzalez (LA Galaxy)
Matt Besler (Sporting Kansas City)
DeAndre Yedlin (Tottenham Hotspur)
Timothy Chandler (Eintracht Frankfurt)
Brek Shea (Orlando City SC)
Michael Orozco (Puebla)
DaMarcus Beasley (Houston Dynamo)
Brad Evans (Seattle Sounders)
Tim Ream (Bolton)
Greg Garza (Club Tijuana)

Midfielders

Michael Bradley (Toronto FC)
Alejandro Bedoya (Nantes)
Kyle Beckerman (Real Salt Lake)
Mix Diskerud (New York City FC)
Joe Corona (Club Tijuana)
Brad Davis (Houston Dynamo)
Fabian Johnson (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
Perry Kitchen (DC United)
Alfredo Morales (Ingolstadt 04)
Lee Nguyen (New England Revolution)
Gyasi Zardes (LA Galaxy)
Graham Zusi (Sporting Kansas City)

Forwards

Juan Agudelo (New England Revolution)
Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC)
Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders)
Alan Gordon (LA Galaxy)
Aron Johannsson (AZ Alkmaar)
Jordan Morris (Stanford)
Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)