U.S. MNT wins Fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup

In the final of the 2005 Gold Cup, the U.S. Men's National Team defeated Panama and where named Champions. This past Sunday the Americans secured a repeat victory over Panama in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final, giving them their fifth title (Mexico leads with six).


Landon Donovan was named MVP of the tournament and leads the all-time scoring with 18 goals in Gold Cup matches.



Check out highlights from the Championship match:

Five goals by five different Americans helps USMNT cruise past El Salvador

USMNT vs El Salvador (photo credit: Chris Wimmer)

On a hot summer day in Baltimore, MD the U.S. Men's National Team dismantled El Salvador with a 5-1 win in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal round.

U.S. supporters were witness to a goal scoring frenzy that saw five different American players find the back of the net. Most impressive would have to be the goal by second half substitute Eddie Johnson -- scoring only seconds after entering the match for Chris Wondolowski. Landon Donovan had no problem finding Johnson's bright blonde hairdo for a beautiful header to put the USMNT up 3-1 near the middle of the second half.

With a two goal lead the American side began to have fun with the now exhausted El Salvador defenders. Shot after shot was sent toward Dagoberto Portillo and eventually the U.S. side would add another two goals to finish with an easy 5-1 victory. The final score could have easily been 7-1 or even 8-1 had Donovan and Johnson finished some excellent opportunities directly in front of the goal (completely unmarked). 

Landon Donovan (photo credit: Chris Wimmer)

The four goal difference was enough to send most of the El Salvadorian fans headed toward the exits, but not before showing their displeasure for their national side by raining trash down onto other fans below them and even at one point stopping the match during a U.S. corner kick attempt.  

Video: USA vs El Salvador Match Highlights

Next up for the USMNT on their quest to reclaim the Gold Cup title will be Honduras on Wednesday in Texas.



Second Half Match Notes:

• El Salvador put on a ton of pressure to begin the first half but unable to finish on any attempts.
• Eddie Johnson scored immediately after subbing in for Wando!!!
• Brek Shea coming in as the second substitute for USMNT
• El Salvadorian crown silenced following 3rd US goal.
• Shea immediately creates opportunity finding Johnson inside the box.
• Johnson whiffs on a beautiful cross , while being completely unmarked.
• Knocking on the door - Donovan mis-hits a clear goal scoring opportunity.
• Rain begins to come down steady at 72 minute mark.
• Orasco is final sub for US
• Great flick on by Johnson to Donavan who goes around keeper to put the 4th US goal in (78).
• El Salvadorian fan heading for the exits.
• US keeps applying pressure until the final whistle.
• Good depth on US squad leads to the Red, White, and Blue outplaying El Salvador.
• Fight breaks out in stands as trash comes raining down, meanwhile Mix heads in another goal for good measure (5-1).

USMNT beat Costa Rica, 1:0 - face El Salvador in Baltimore Sunday

• USA Sets All-Time Record for Consecutive Wins at Eight in a Row
• USA Will Face El Salvador in Quarterfinal on Sunday, July 21 at 4 p.m. ET at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md., Live on FOX and Univision - Buy Tickets Here
  

EAST HARTFORD, Conn. (July 16, 2013) - The U.S. Men's National Team clinched first place in Group C of the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 1-0 victory against Costa Rica at Rentschler Field. Midfielder Brek Shea, a late substitute who came on in the 77^th minute, scored his first international goal off a breakaway with eight minutes left in regulation time.


The victory gave the USA eight wins in a row, setting an all-time record for consecutive wins for the U.S. Men's National Team.

The United States upped its record to 13-12-6 all-time against Costa Rica while ending the Ticos' shutout streak at 785 minutes. The last time Costa Rica allowed a goal was Clint Dempsey's strike on March 22, 2013, during the FIFA World Cup Qualifying match in a snowy Commerce City, Colorado.
The U.S. will now face El Salvador, the third-place finisher in Group B, in the quarterfinal on Sunday, July 21. Kickoff from M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore is 4 p.m. ET and the match will be broadcast live on FOX and Univision. Fans can also follow on ussoccer.com's MatchTracker and Twitter @ussoccer.

The game appeared headed for a 0-0 stalemate as legitimate chances were in short supply for both sides, but in the 82^nd minute Costa Rica earned a corner kick on the left side of the field that would trigger a wild sequence and lead to the U.S. goal. Celso Borges sent his service to the far post where Carlos Johnson powered a header towards the upper right corner. U.S. goalkeeper Sean Johnson, who was making his first start and seeing his first minutes of the tournament, made a spectacular leaping save, just getting a piece of the ball to push it off the crossbar.


The USA scrambled to clear their penalty area, and the ball eventually got to the feet of Joe Corona on the right side. He then sent a perfect long service to the streaking Landon Donovan down the wing. With the scrambling Costa Rica defense pulled out of shape, the USA's all-time leading scorer Donovan used a marvelously efficient first-time touch into the middle of the field to spring Shea behind the last defender with a perfectly weighted pass.

Shea ran onto the ball, settled with one touch and struck a low shot with his preferred left foot to the left of Costa Rican goalkeeper Patrick Pemberton, who was coming off his line to cut down the angle. Pemberton got a piece of the ball but could not keep it out of the net as it tucked nicely into the lower left corner.

MNT vs Costa Rica: Brek Shea Goal - July 16, 2013

Costa Rica pushed hard for an equalizer, firing two shots on goal in the last two minutes of stoppage time, but Johnson was up to the task with two solid grabs and earned the clean sheet.
Additional Notes:

• Brek Shea is the seventh player on this U.S. roster to score his first international goal in the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Shea joins Corona as the second player to score his debut goal in the 2013 edition of the regional championship.
• The match marked the first start in official competition for Sean Johnson, who now has three caps. Johnson started in the 0-0 draw against Canada on January 29 in Houston earlier this year.
• Midfielder Alejandro Bedoya got his first start in the 2013 Gold Cup. He played in five matches in the 2011 edition, including all three games in the knockout phase. Bedoya scored his first international goal in the USA's 6-0 win against Guatemala on July 5 in San Diego.

VIDEO :: Alexandria, VA native Clarence Goodson discusses his Gold Cup goal

Check out USMNT player and Virginia native Clarence Goodson discuss his Gold Cup goal:


The Wikipedia page of Clarence Goodson says he was born in Alexandria, Virginia, Goodson attended Annandale High School his freshman and sophomore seasons before moving to Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School. He was the Annandale team MVP, setting a school record for goals and points by a sophomore in 1998. He then went on to win the Virginia State High School Soccer title playing for W.T. Woodson High School in 2000. He played his club soccer with the Braddock Road Warhawks, winning the 1999 U-17 national championship.

Portland TIFO for USA vs Belize July 9, 2013

Great job by the USMNT supporters in Portland, OR last night. Here is a picture of the "Community, Club, Country" TIFO for the USA vs Belize 2013 Gold Cup match.

Portland's terrific tifo for USA-Belize last night pic.twitter.com/HokCK5W5tC
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) July 10, 2013

American Outlaws #USMNT #USAvBLZ #USA #ussoccer #tifo #choreo #cascadia #unclesam #GoldCup #GoldCup2013 pic.twitter.com/PgcLNqsBOq
— Casual Life (@AmericanCasual1) July 10, 2013