CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015

I thought I'd create this thread to have a single place to discuss the tournament. In past years, international talk has often gotten lost in the one big soccer catch-all, which is focused on club soccer. Having a thread for the Women's World Cup has been fantastic, so get in here and post if you'll be watching the Gold Cup!

I hate Benito Archundia.

No idea what to expect from Canada. Hutchinson's missing but Cyle Larin's been good this year.

USA!
USA!
USA!

Stele wrote:

USA!
USA!
USA!

:D

+ 1

I'm also elated to see a U Washington grad - Hope Solo - shine on the world stage. Lord knows that the Huskies won't be vying for first place in either football or basketball anytime soon.

Stele wrote:

USA!
USA!
USA!

:D

On this, we agree!

Interested to see what kind of teams nations will field without a world cup looming. USA at least seems to have gone with less of the B team from the last cup. Though Beckerman is STILL in the running it seems. I DO NOT GET IT.

So if the USA wins this, they get automatic qualification into the 2017 Confederations Cup? If someone else wins, there is a 1-game playoff between the teams for who gets to represent CONCACAF in the Confederations Cup?

Stele wrote:

So if the USA wins this, they get automatic qualification into the 2017 Confederations Cup? If someone else wins, there is a 1-game playoff between the teams for who gets to represent CONCACAF in the Confederations Cup?

Yes!

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!

Nice, off the rebound.

Good start to the tourney to get a win, but we need to play better going forward.

Well that got interesting. Will take the win!

Any Honduras loss is a good loss in my book. #fh

I would rather the team starts playing well toward the end of the tournament than at the beginning.

Zaque wrote:

I would rather the team starts playing well toward the end of the tournament than at the beginning.

Yep. The Women certainly peaked at the right time.

Following matches through a phone app is surreal and rather unsatisfying.

Better off to follow it on twitter. Replay video of goals will be up within a minute or two at most.

Canada's midfield has less creativity than I do. Granted, we're missing Hutchinson but for the love of God put Osario or Teibert on there instead of Bekker.

It's not as if the gritty midfield's doing a good job defensively either, getting overrun even though there's a defender playing as a holder plus another holding midfielder.

Also https://vine.co/v/enQXTznHFra

Edit: that was... a soccer match. Apparently Jamaica-Costa Rica was a good one but unfortunately I didn't watch it.

Stele wrote:

Better off to follow it on twitter. Replay video of goals will be up within a minute or two at most.

Ugh, but then I'd be on Twitter!

Okay, this will give away my ignorance, but I'm still kind of new to the international soccer scene.

Why should I care about this tournament?

I'm not trying to put it down, just trying to figure out its place as one of many cups around.

In a nutshell, this is the regional tournament for CONCACAF, which is comprised of North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

There are six regions, called Confederations, in FIFA:
Asian Football Confederation
Confederation of African Football
CONCACAF
South American Football Confederation
Oceania Football Confederation
Union of European Football Associations

Each of the confederations puts on a tournament. In CONCACAF's case, the winner qualifies for a playoff to determine their participant in the FIFA Confederations Cup, which is basically a dress rehearsal for the World Cup. Since the US won the 2013 Gold Cup, if we win this time, there is no playoff, we go to the Confed Cup. If we don't win, we will play the winner in a playoff to get to the Confed Cup.

Clear as mud?

For what it's worth, keep an eye out next summer for the UEFA Euro tournament. Many folks, (especially our European friends) will claim that this is the best of the Confederation Tournaments, and many others would agree. Without a "horse in the race" it was a blast to watch back in 2012 with some of my soccer fan friends and family.

Godzilla Blitz wrote:

Okay, this will give away my ignorance, but I'm still kind of new to the international soccer scene.

Why should I care about this tournament?

I'm not trying to put it down, just trying to figure out its place as one of many cups around.

What Abu said. Also, generally speaking, the Gold Cup and the World Cup (and their qualifying matches) are your only regular places to see the USMNT in competitive play (meaning not friendlies).

So if you like watching the USMNT, the Gold Cup is central to your experience.

The Confederations Cup is one additional opportunity every four years, if we are the team that qualifies to represent all of CONCACAF.

We've also been invited to the Copa America Centenario next year, but that's a one-off.

Our victory over Guatemala last Friday is looking a lot less impressive right now.

I'm not sure T&T are looking good so much as Guatemala's defense is looking like they didn't make the trip.

Guatemala is totally outclassed, especially on the defensive line. On the flipside, TnT is fun to watch.

Abu, Fedaykin - Thanks! That does help quite a bit, especially the part about getting a chance to see the USMNT in action.

I noticed the games are on Fox 2 Go, so I'm happy to get more value out of my $99 for the year.

The folks who did make it to the game for Cuba didn't put up much of a fight today. A Chicharito-less Mexico put six on them while keeping a clean sheet.

So Mexico and T&T have three points each in their group, and Mexico leads via a vicious goal differential. This incentivizes T&T (and Guatemala, if they can) to also hang as many on Cuba as possible.

Not super impressed with our play so far, but that AJ goal should have counted.

USA can clinch the group with a win tonight.

Ugh, new house maintenance. Totally missed the game tonight. At least there will be more to watch.

I quite rudely caught the game while at a birthday party in a bar. After a month and a half or so of the watching the impressive defense of the women's team, Yakity Sax might as well have started every time the men had to defend.

SpacePPoliceman wrote:

I quite rudely caught the game while at a birthday party in a bar. After a month and a half or so of the watching the impressive defense of the women's team, Yakity Sax might as well have started every time the men had to defend.

I unashamedly watched the USA-Germany WWC game during my mother's birthday at a restaurant.

It's not that big a deal, since I've provided two grandchildren (with an assist from Sigsbee). No one really wanted to talk to me anyway.