Gold Cup Final

The Gold Cup is a soccer tournament between the national teams governed by CONCACAF, which is the region with teams from North America, Central America, and the Carribean. It is held every two years, and when it is not in the year before a World Cup (as in this year) the winner qualifies for the Confederations Cup which is held at the site of the World Cup the summer previous to the tournament itself (the US played in the Confederations Cup in 2009 in South Africa having won the 2007 Gold Cup). By playing in the 2009 Confederations Cup, the US team ended up playing in all the stadiums they played in during the 2010 World Cup. This is a huge advantage for those teams and they can get some understanding of the environment before playing in the biggest tournament of their lives. 

The US and Mexico have combined to win 9 of the 10 tournaments that have been held, the first being held in 1991. This year was the 11th playing of the Gold Cup and as expected, the US and Mexico met in the final (though the US struggled in the group stage). The final was played Saturday evening in Pasadena, California at the Rose Bowl (where Michigan has a game on January 2nd, 2012; if that actually is the case, I am going). 

In the final the US jumped out to a thoroughly undeserved 2-0 lead and ended up getting slaughtered 4-2. The scoreline doesn't do Mexico justice, they should have fun by 4 goals as the US had no players capable of competing with Mexico's midfield and forward lines.

This game has put Bob Bradley's job on the line and I am one of many who believe he has been too shortsighted in his aims. We failed to use young players in this tournament and instead relied on veterans who will be beyond their playing years when the 2014 World Cup rolls around. A better mix of young and old is needed as the national team enters a transitional period before World Cup qualifiers begin. Fortunately the US is almost assured qualification as CONCACAF is such a week region but we need to develop some young new talent in order to avoid embarrassment at Brazil in 3 years time.

The link below is to a site that analyzes the tactical decisions made throughout the game and has a video with the highlights:

http://www.zonalmarking.net/2011/06/26/mexico-4-2-united-states-gold-cup-final/

I read every match report that Zonal Marking puts up as they do amazing analysis work and have greatly expanded my knowledge and love of the game.