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.

Goal.com name Howard and Churendolo to Gold Cup Best XI

Goal.com names their Gold Cup Best XI and includes two American players, Tim Howard (GK) and Steve Churendolo (D).

See if you agree with the list: Gold Cup Best XI - Goal.com

USMNT fall to Mexico for Second Straight Gold Cup Final loss

In two CONCACAF Gold Cup finals the U.S. Men's National Team has not only been outscored 9-2 but has also been demoted to the second best team in their region.

Many USMNT fans thought the 2-0 early lead had all but ensured the return of the Gold Cup trophy to the Americans but an injury to defender Steve Cherundolo and a nonstop attack by the Mexicans lead by Chichirito (MVP) and Dos Santos resulting in 4 unanswered goals culminating in an embarrassing 4-2 loss in the 2011 Gold Cup Final in Pasadena, CA.

The lone bright spot for the U.S. besides the two early scores would have to be the surprise play of the once forgotten Freddy Adu. Adu has seemingly put his name back into the mix when it comes to international selection for any future USMNT matches and may well have earned himself a ticket out of the Turkish Second Division with his solid play to finish out the 2011 Gold Cup.

The main questions remaining is did head coach Bob Bradley do enough to secure his job by advancing to the final game and what is the state of the U.S. squad which showed obvious signs of lacking quality striking and defensive play throughout this tournament?

Mexico last hurdle for USMNT to regian Gold Cup

The U.S.A advanced to the Gold Cup Finals for the 4th straight time. Looking to win back the cup, the USMNT will get one more chance at revenge against heated rival Mexico in Pasadena, CA. on June 25th.

photo property of: USSOCCER.com

• Clint Dempsey leads the U.S. with 3 goals this tournament.
• Only three U.S. players have scored a goal during 2011 Gold Cup:
• C. Dempsey (3)
• J. Altidore (2)
• C. Goodson (1)
• The U.S. has won the Gold Cup 4 times.
• Mexico beat the U.S. 5-0 in the 2009 Gold Cup final.

USMNT 1-0 Panama | Semifinal | Video Highlights

Living my Dream...at least part-time

On February 16, 2010 I created and wrote my first ever blog post on Virginia Online Soccer News. The first post was about the horrible facility where my daughter and her team played an "indoor soccer game", Frying Pan Park, titled: Lack of Quality Indoor Youth Soccer Fields.

In a little over one year I found myself with an official CONCACAF Gold Cup press credential observing the U.S. Men's national team practice session as they prepared for a quarterfinal match against Jamaica at RFK stadium in Washington, D.C.

As I arrived at RFK stadium to pick up my credentials one thought kept running through my mind, what if I wasn't really on the press list? My nerves where settled after the CONCACAF official took my I.D. and returned with my Gold Cup credential. Whew, what a relief!

Coincidentally I met Sports Illustrated Senior Writer Grant Wahl during the practice session and asked him if he remembered his first ever opportunity to cover the USMNT. Not only did he remember, he said it was a match-up of the U.S. vs. Jamaica at RFK back in 1997.  What a random coincidence and in the back of my mind I couldn't help but think, what if I could have a career covering soccer that was even half as impressive as Grant Wahl.

After the practice ended I was able participate in a Q&A session with some of the U.S. players. We were able to speak with Carlos Bocanegra, Steve Cherundolo, Clarence Goodson (Alaxandria, VA native) and Jozy Altidore who has already scored twice (see both goals: here and here) during the 2011 Gold Cup.

It took me until the very last player to build up the nerve/confidence to finally ask a question myself,

Me: How important is it for you guys to score early and score first, to build your confidence up quickly?

Jozy Altidore: I don't know if it's important, as long as I can remember we go down a lot in games and then we come back and make it hard on ourselves. I just think it's more important that you start well. Sometimes you start well then you let in a stupid goal but this is how football (soccer) is, it's how you react to it and how you play over the 90 minutes.

And with that question I officially got my first experience as a member of the press (all be it a bottom of the rung member/ blogger). The road from disappointed soccer dad to part-time soccer blogger living out my dream has begun.

The excitement I feel to be able to both attend my first ever live USMNT soccer match and do so with the title 'Written Press' is one I hope to never forget.

A lot can happen in only one year and I hope the ride does not slow down or get any less meaningful to me for a long time to come.

*You can follow my live blog coverage of the U.S. vs. Jamaica from RFK right here on http://www.vasoccernews.com/ powered by CoverItLive

Altidore strike helps USMNT advance, despite many missed opportunities

Kansas City, KS - Following the first ever loss by a U.S. squad in opening round Gold Cup play, the U.S. Men needed at least a tie to move on to the 2011 Gold Cup Quarterfinals in Washington, D.C. Jozy Altiodore gave them that win with an unbelievable strike from distance about 10 minutes into the game.





The U.S. had a total of 19 shots, 9 of those shots on goal, but the Americans where unable to convert any of those attempts with exception of Jozy Altidores' (2 goals/3 games) amazing finish from distance which not only shocked the fans but apparently froze the Guadeloupe keeper, as he did not even attempt to react to the shot.

Leading the way with multiple misses was veteran national team player and Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey. Dempsey had so many misses on what would normally be sure goals for the veteran that he could not help but smile following his final attempt from directly in front of the goal on a cross from Steve Cherundolo in the final minute of the match.

Head Coach Bob Bradley made a change to the U.S. line-up on top by replacing the young talented Juan Agudelo with the MLS leading goal scorer Chris Wondowloski.

Wondowloski worked hard but never seemed to get in sync with his teammates and had his own fare share of "can't miss" chances fail to find the back of the net. Bradley eventually took Wondowloski out in the secon half in favor of moving Dempsey up top.

With the poor performance that USMNT fans have grown all to familiar with it begs the question, will this team EVER become an elite international squad? The mentality just does not seem to be there to finish off far inferior opponents in tournament play. Even after going ahead early in the match, the U.S. went into prevent mode for the following 10 minutes.

Why not go after Guadeloupe with a strong attack and attempt to get a decisive second goal? On what looked to be the sure game clinching goal Clint Dempsey went into slow-mo and attempted to dribble across the goal line instead of finishing the shot, allowing the defender to come from behind and clear the ball. Would Dempsey have tried this move at Fulham? No way!

Having survived a lacluster first round the USMNT travels to RFK to face Jamaica on Sunday. Hopefully this team wakes up and decides to play more like the team that had asperiations to compete for a World Cup instead of a team expecting to coast through a regional tournament, anything other than a 2011 Gold Cup trophy would be a disaster both for U.S. Soccer as well as for Bob Bradley.

USMNT Gold Cup Stats and History

A Visual Guide to the importance of the Gold Cup

Follow VaSoccerNews live Quarterfinal Coverage From RFK. VaSoccerNews will be reporting live from RFK Stadium on Sunday, June 19th. You can follow the live blog right here on our site. Powered by CoveritLive.

U.S. Falls to Panama in Second Match of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup

TAMPA, Fla. (June 11, 2011) – The U.S. Men’s National Team lost their first ever match in CONCACAF Gold Cup group play this evening with a 2-1 loss to Panama at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa Bay, Fla. The loss, which was also the first against Panama, puts the U.S. in second place with one match left to play in Group C action.




The U.S. takes on Guadeloupe on Tuesday, June 14 at LIVESTRONG Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. Kickoff for the match is 8 p.m. CT, and the match can be seen live on Fox Soccer and TeleFutura. Fox Soccer will also have a 30-minute pre-game show beginning at 7:30 p.m. CT. (tickets).

Five Observations: USMNT 2-0 Gold Cup win agianst Canada

The U.S. men kicked off the 2011 Gold Cup with an expected win over Canada 2-0 at Ford Field in Detroit Tuesday evening.

The match was shown live on Fox Soccer and the first observation is one that was easily noticed by any fan watching the broadcast, even those like me who do not have an HD TV:

#1 - The playing surface was horrific! The grass field was installed on top of the existing artificial turf playing surface used by the Detroit Lions. The seams between the pieces of "natural grass" were clearly seen by the naked eye and the players commented after the game about how the ball did not play as it should on a "natural" surface.

Neither team was allowed to warm up on the field before the match. A clear sign the field quality was questionable at best.

Multiple times throughout the match players would lose their footing and slip from the slightest changes in direction.

#2 - Juan Agudelo is not ready...yet - The 18 year old Red Bulls Striker was out of sync all match and was unable to create many real opportunities. He had a somewhat interesting strike from the outside of his right foot deflect to the keeper. Agudelo reminds me of a young Jozy Altidore, with speed and strength he just needs to mature with his decision making and timing of his runs to take advantage of the many crosses the US was sending in front of the box all game.

Don't expect Agudelo to get the starting nod again in the next Gold Cup match agianst Panama on June 11th. Instead I believe coach Bob Bradley will go with either Chris Wondolowski or possibly move Clint Dempsey up top to pair up with Altidore.

#3 - Tim Howard is still at the top of his game - Howard not only held the Canadians scoreless he also managed the back four brilliantly, helping keep the defensive shape and even draw Canada offsides throughout the match.

During the second half Howard single handily shut down any chance for Canada to get back in the game with a spectacular (Howard-esque) save of Gerba in the 70'. The Everton keeper also withstood a final flurry inside the box in the 85' to ensure the clean sheet.

#4 - The U.S. needs more quality shots - Although Jozy Altidore got the USMNT on the score board first, his shot was less a quality strike and more poor form by the Canadian keeper. Clint Dempsey was able to make good on a cross by Altidore that Agudelo was unable to reach but during the match the U.S. was not producing quality shots to go along with the excellent play in midfield and many crosses in front of goal.

Look for MLS leading goal scorer (w/8 goals) Landon Donovan to get some more opportunities in the next match and if Wondolowski (2010 MLS Golden Boot winner with 18 goals) gets the start or subs in earlier maybe he can channel the goal scoring magic he has created the last season and a half with San Jose.

#5 - Clint Dempsey was having fun! - More of an opinion than a technical observation but watching the match you noticed Dempsey was fit, relaxed, and having fun on the field. Dempsey was constantly including cheeky moves like back heels, multiple crossovers, and even at one point juggling mid dribble.

His goal was the well deserved reward for his hustle and awareness and it seemed as if the confidence of Dempsey is at 100%. It was great to see an American playing with some style and not just relying on athletic ability.





USMNT Gold Cup Stats and History

A Visual Guide to the importance of the Gold Cup

Follow VaSoccerNews live Quarterfinal Coverage From RFK. VaSoccerNews will be reporting live from RFK Stadium on Sunday, June 19th. You can follow the live blog right here on our site. Powered by CoveritLive

U.S. Men's National Team Falls 4-0 to Spain

FOXBOROUGH, Mass. (June 4, 2011) – The U.S. Men’s National Team fell to current FIFA World Cup Champion Spain 4-0 on Saturday night in front of a record crowd of 64,121 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

USMNT Gold Cup Stats and History

With the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup just around the corner, we wanted to bring our readers some interesting stats regarding the USMNT and their history in Gold Cup play.

• The CONCACAF Gold Cup has been played ten times since 1991.
• The USMNT have won the Gold Cup four times:
• 1991
• 2002
• 2005
• 2007
• Thre USMNT players have been named MVP of the Gold Cup Tournament:
• Tony Meola '91
• Kasey Keller '98
• Brian McBride '02
• Three USMNT players have won the Golden Boot Award
• Eric Wynalda '96 (4 goals)
• Brian McBride '02 (4 goals)
• DaMarcus Beasley '05 (3 goals)
• The USMNT has won the Fair Play Award twice
• 2003
• 2009
• Fourty-Three different USMNT players have scored goals in Gold Cup action
• The top three scorers in Gold Cup action for the USMNT are:
• L. Donovan (12)
• E. Wynalda (9)
• D. Beasley (6)

Bradley names crew for 2011 Gold Cup - Follow VaSoccerNews live Quarterfinal Coverage From RFK

 
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TICKETS To Gold Cup Quarterfinal Double-Header at RFK

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CHICAGO (May 23, 2011) — U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named the 23-man roster that will seek to capture the team’s fifth CONCACAF Gold Cup title at the 2011 edition of the tournament that takes place from June 5-25 in 13 venues across the United States.

The USA will begin Group C play on June 7 against Canada at Ford Field in Detroit at 8 p.m. ET. Group play continues June 11 against Panama at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. ET. The group stage will end for the U.S. on June 14 against Guadeloupe at 8 p.m. CT at the newly christened LIVESTRONG Park in Kansas City, Kan. The broadcast schedule is expected to be announced in the near future.

The U.S. will use the same roster to take on 2010 FIFA World Cup champion Spain on June 4 in Foxborough, Mass. Kickoff against the current No.1-ranked team in the world is set for 4:30 p.m. ET, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN and Univision. Fans can follow all of the USA’s action this summer live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and on Twitter @ussoccer.

The team will begin gathering for training May 26 in Cary, N.C. Players who are still involved in league competition will join camp following their weekend matches.

“We have said since the start of the new cycle that winning the Gold Cup this year is a top priority, and that was our focus as we built this roster,” said Bradley. “We have a very experienced group, and we know that in a tournament like this all 23 players will need to contribute in order for us to be successful.”
 

U.S. ROSTER BY POSITION


GOALKEEPERS (3): Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Tim Howard (Everton), Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake)

DEFENDERS (8): Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne), Jonathan Bornstein (UANL Tigres), Steve Cherundolo (Hannover), Clarence Goodson (Brondby), Eric Lichaj (Leeds), Oguchi Onyewu (FC Twente), Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls), Jonathan Spector (West Ham United)

MIDFIELDERS (9): Freddy Adu (Rizespor), Michael Bradley (Aston Villa), Clint Dempsey (Fulham), Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy), Maurice Edu (Rangers), Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution), Jermaine Jones (Blackburn Rovers), Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht), Robbie Rogers (Columbus Crew)

FORWARDS (3): Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls), Jozy Altidore (Bursaspor), Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes)

U.S. to Face Canada, Panama and Guadeloupe in Group C of 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup

From the U.S. Soccer Communications Center:

U.S. TO BEGIN QUEST FOR FIFTH GOLD CUP TITLE IN GROUP C AGAINST CANADA, PANAMA AND GUADELOUPE

First Match in Kansas City since 2001 to be Held at Sporting Park

USA to Play its 50th Match in Gold Cup History When Opening Play on June 7 in Detroit;

CHICAGO (March 8, 2011) — The United States will seek its fifth confederation championship title when they join Group C of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup along with Canada, Guadeloupe and Panama. The U.S. will first take on Canada on June 7 at 8 p.m. ET at Ford Field in Detroit. The team then travels south to face Panama on June 11 at 8 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla., before rounding out group play against Guadeloupe on June 14 at the brand new Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kansas, with kickoff slated for 8 p.m. CT.