US fans will be ready for Sunday’s Final
In 2011, if you had thought two years would bring such a demonstrative shift in the CONCACAF landscape, most of the soccer followers in the Americas would have probably laughed you into a dark corner to cry at your own ignorance. Back then, Mexico had rocked the United States’ world, dumping them in a packed Rose Bowl after spotting the Americans two goals just to play nice.
Of course, the CONCACAF Gold Cup isn’t the end-all, be-all of confederation power – especially in a summer where World Cup Qualification takes top priority. But even based on the Qualifiers that have happened in this calendar year, the tide has changed. Mexico is reeling, and the US is cruising.
The Gold Cup has had it’s interesting moments. The play this year opened at the very Rose Bowl where El Tri gave Bob Bradley an unceremonious bon voyage 2 years ago. The first match saw a hopeful Canadian side have their hearts torn out late by tiny French department Martinique. But the real fireworks came after, as Pasadena witnessed Panama do the first of two dirty deeds on a Mexico “B” team behind Gaby Torres.
This result was only a confirmation of what had been building since the US went into the Azteca last summer and soiled the legacy of Mexico’s intimidating home stadium. Since the fortress took some major artillery damage, El Tri has been mediocre to say the least. They sit 4th in WC Qualifying, and flamed out of the FIFA Confederations Cup in July after uninspired performances against Italy and Brazil. They haven’t scored at Estadio Azteca in the 2013 calendar year. And the calls for Chepo de la Torre to be dismissed continue to swell, especially as they bombed out of the semifinals for the first time since 2005.
Meanwhile, the Americans have cruised. Their group was a relative cakewalk, with Costa Rica being the lone nailbiter. Resurgent and focused, Landon Donovan set up Brek Shea for the 1-0 winner in that match, and has simply been the class of the US side in this tournament. He has gone from sabbatical to stand-out in 6 months, and certainly appears ready to stake his claim for a spot in the XI in what will likely be his final World Cup tour.
If the US wins the Cup, it will complete an improbable 11-match winning streak, with their last loss coming to Belgium in a friendly back in late May. It will definitely please Jurgen Klinsmann, the man who succeeded Bradley in the role of U.S. Men’s National Team coach. He has endured plenty of criticism over the course of his tenure, but the Americans now are churning like a well-oiled machine. The only trouble? He may have to sit out the final, as CONCACAF should decide today whether his ban for the Final will remain.
So Sunday, July 28th will see the US face Panama at the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Soldier Field (apologies to any Chicagoans I have offended). The match begins at 4 PM, with all the action being shown on FOX, a broadcast network. The winner will hoist the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Suffice it to say, whoever celebrates the victory on Sunday, they certainly were not the favorites 2 years ago.