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USA beats Panama to win 2013 Gold Cup

USMNTGoldCUp (ISIPhotos.com)

Photo by ISIPhotos.com

By IVES GALARCEP

CHICAGO– It has been six years since the last time the U.S. Men’s National Team lifted the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and while that might not seem like that long, a pair of brutal losses to Mexico in the 2009 and 2011 finals made that drought feel even worse.

Perhaps that is why the celebration at Soldier Field on Sunday, the same venue where the U.S. last won the Gold Cup, felt so festive. Even more lively than the celebrations here in 2007 (in large part because the majority of the fans in Soldier Field back then were rooting for Mexico).

On this day, with Mexico already out of the tournament, the crowd filling Soldier Field was largely American, and they watched their U.S. team finish off an impressive Gold Cup with a hard-earned victory against a Panama side that was always going to make things difficult.

It took 68 minutes to find a goal, with Alejandro Bedoya sending in a pass that went past Landon Donovan and looked to be heading toward goal before Brek Shea buried  the chance to provide the winning goal for the U.S. and help lead the Americans to their record 11th-straight win and fifth Gold Cup title.

The Americans were in control for much of the match, but struggled to break through in the final third against a stingy Panamanian defense. The U.S. suffered an early blow as starter Stuart Holden was forced to leave the match in the 19th minute after suffering a strained right knee. The injury was especially worrisome given Holden’s track record with leg injuries.

His departure created an opportunity for Mix Diskerud and the Norwegian-born midfielder took full advantage, turning in a strong showing in midfield to help the Americans control the action and keep Panama at bay.

The U.S. delivered three times more completed passes than Panama and managed three shots on goals to Panama’s zero.

Though Panama never truly tested Rimando, they did push the U.S. defense at times in the first half, but never really threatened near the goal.

The U.S. was in a similar position, enjoying long spells of possession, but failing to really threaten Jaime Penedo before Shea’s winning goal.

The victory marked the fifth straight Gold Cup the Americans have beaten Panama in the knockout rounds, and marked their second victory in the finals over Panama (2005 being the other).

Landon Donovan was awarded the Golden Ball as the Tournament MVP. An easy choice after a dominating tournament that saw him re-establish himself as a force on the U.S. team.

The victory ensures the U.S. a place in the 2015 Confederations Cup play-in match, which will be against the winner of the 2015 Gold Cup. If the Americans win the 2015 Gold Cup, then they will automatically qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup.

What did you think of the match? Who impressed you the most? Were you surprised by the turnout for the match?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. A few thoughts:
    – The pocession was great but we did not move the ball fast enough
    – Panama knows how to play their opponent
    – Still smiling that Mexico was knocked out and blows so bad right now
    – Stuey has some serious issues to consider going forward
    – Still need to see Lando in a couple of first team matches

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  2. The USA was the best team in this tournament and deserved the 1-0 win in the GC final. And congrats to Panama for going to the final.They should be proud of their performance and also defeating Mexico twice. On another note:Happy Peruvian Independence day.

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  3. So what’s your 2014 World Cup roster now? I’d go with:

    Forwards: Altidore, Dempsey, Gomez and E. Johnson

    Midfielders: Bradley, Donovan, Jones, Zusi, Corona, Bedoya, Beckerman, Diskerud and Shea

    Defenders: Gonzalez, Besler, F. Johnson, Beasley, Cameron, Goodson and one of Cherundolo/Chandler/Parkhurst

    Goal: Howard, Guzan, Rimando

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    • Remove Beckerman and add Orozco, another of the RB’s, or Edu. I wouldn’t complain if Beckerman made it but I think we need more defensive cover.

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  4. not a beautiful game, a total grinder, but whatever. Happy to win, a team win

    feel sick for Stu, just sick. You don’t have to have suffered numerous injuries to feel that way, but if you have you know what he was feeling with his head in his hands on the sideline, that hopeless gutted feeling. Hope he can rebound again but it really sucks

    the defense was stout right down to Gonzo who was in the game for just a few minutes and had how many clearances down the stretch? I counted 4 won headers in and around the area in the final 5 minutes

    I wonder how many and who get into the squad for the WC qualifiers from this, and does Klinnsman start any of them, not guys like Beasley and Besler who started already, but from the others

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  5. Thought Beckerman played a great game. Bedoya did well. Johnson was disappointing. I thought Shea had his best game of the tournament, even ignoring the goal. Donovan wasn’t nearly as involved but often showed his class when the ball did get to his feet.

    They weren’t tasked with a whole heckuva lot but the defense looked very organized. It’s too bad Parkhurst isn’t great going forward because he’s outstanding at positioning. I wonder if he starts in September.

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  6. I thought this game went about like scripted. Panama sat back a bit countered, but unlike the other opponents were able to pressure the US immediately and that led to a lot of lateral and back p@sses from the US with very little chance to make good serves into the box. I thought EJ’s speed was pretty much negated by the deep-lying Panamanians (you can’t outrun someone to spot if he is already there). I was surprised that Panama was not more effective with the counter attack, but Goodson and Besler seemed pretty confident in handling everything sent their way. Beasley did not get caught upfield too much despite his frequent forays forward and Parkhurst dealt with things on his side pretty well. FWIW, Wondo scored more goals per minute played in the GC than anyother player who scored 3 or more goals. Still, The thought to use EJ’s speed and aerial ability against Panama was probably the right one. However, if the US had not gone up a goal it might not have looked like such a good thought.

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    • I think that the coaches should get a lot of kudos for making the right personnel decisions close to 100% of the time.

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  7. Solid game, props to panama but great showing by the US all summer long. Jurgen really has this program running stronger than ever.

    Get well soon Stu

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  8. I disagree with most in regards to Bedoya. The guy clearly was the only attack for most of the game. If we had started JT I can guarantee the temple would have been slower and our chances of scoring would have been less.. Bedoya attacked every chance he got and played pressure defene for the mot part. He along with Donovan & Mix, were my MVP’s ..

    Reply
    • Amen, Bedoya looked good. Its not all about who has the cleanest touch. There is a reason Bedoya has interest from FC Twente and many others

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      • The wing is not Bedoya’s usual position with his club. He’s usually in the middle.
        I also thought he played pretty well against three teams focused on defensive tactics (CR, Honduras, Panama). I think JK realizes he just matches up better with a physical strong teams playing a pressing defensive game than Torres, and is more of a threat to shoot.
        A good move for him to jump to Holland. We’ve had a few players do well there.

    • Bedoya would have been clear MOTM if his service was better outside of the goal. He was definitely the most successful at attacking today, though.

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  9. You could see the trainer doing the shelf test on Stu’s knee on the sidelines. Didn’t look good at all- no support pulling forward or lateral. My orthopod friend says that usually means at least a full ACL tear. Hurts just to watch but it hurts to see that happens to a guy like Holden. I really hope I’m wrong.

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  10. Winning is great and all BUT what really matters is that we capped that young handsome beatiful man mikkel diskerud. That’s all I cares about. Who else is with me ??!!??

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    • Was he not capped already? What about Corona? Was he cap-tied before this tourney too? (Sorry, too lazy to do my own internet research.)

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      • Corona came on late in one of the games in the last round, I think, of the Hex. If not the last round, it was the first round, but I remember it happening. I always thought he should have been brought on in the home game vs. Antigua and Barbuda, but Klinsmann waited until later.

  11. So frustrating to watch another game with a terrible ref. Blaz Perez committed eight fouls, but no card. That was only the fouls the ref actually called. How the US had 50% more fouls in a game where they had over 70% possession is beyond me. Way too many times where the exact same play resulted in a call for them but nothing for the US. I think it would have been a quite different game if we got some more calls.

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    • Spot on dude, spot on. CONCACAF consolidated itself as the laughing stock of all FIFA confederations by condoning this despicable refereeing against top world class team like USA by bush soccer teams like Honduras and Panama, even Costa Rica was a big let down.

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    • “So frustrating to watch another game with a terrible ref. Blaz Perez committed eight fouls, but no card.”

      I said the exact same thing.

      I’ve given up on the logic by our CONCACAF referees and I think they’ve become borderline criminal in their rulings.

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  12. Teams like Panama and Honduras is what CONCCAF wants to promote by such a biased refereeing against the United States. Today again a hand ball PK for USA not called; clear fouls on US players not called; Panama players would dive an get the calls to disrupt dominating play; three yellow card for USA and 1 for Panama that was unbelievable. Congratulations to the USA team, they dominated and were the best team in the tournament by a large margin.

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  13. Panama plays bush football; other than a lucky bounce or a tragic USA mistake they would never score against the USA. The only two reasons this game was only 1-0 were the ref again and Eddie Johnson who certainly made it very interesting in the end after missing so clearly. Panama is a shit team.

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  14. Interesting lineup choice. I, for one, would not have started Bedoya fr Torres. Torres’ ability to keep the ball and play telling p@sses was desperately needed against a team who bunkered. One good game was not enough for Bedoya to start, either. I thought he was generally terrible aside from the somewhat lucky @ssist. Poor touches, bad crosses, and mistimed giveaways.

    Mix was the man.

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    • What was “lucky” about the cross? He was unlucky that LD scuffed the shot.

      I really disagree with your take on his performance. To me, he was the most dangerous guy in the first half. He was one of the only guys that showed any attacking intent. His work rate created issues for Panama. I really suspect that a year in Holland will really help, and I will be surprised if he isn’t in Brazil.

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    • Agree with the others, there was nothing ‘lucky’ about Bodoya’s cross.Should’ve been finished cleanly by Landon. And in the 1st half, he was the only guy the US had that looked dangerous on the pitch.

      Now Corona never got into the match, and that was disappointing.

      I do agree Mix was the best US player on the pitch, and I think at the moment, healthy or not, he’s ahead of Stu. He was more assertive going forward, and he never seemed to make the wrong pass. Whereas I never felt Holden looked really confident going forward.

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    • I watched Bedoya closely and he has serious first touch problems. Until that improves he’s not going anywhere

      I think the problem early on was with the lineup. Lots of energy, not so much skill. I did not see Holden creating much. He doesnt seem to have the vision or touch that Mix does. Also, Bedoya and Corona doen’t have the touch… all this results in not many chances till later in the game. I think Torres should have started over Corona and we might have got more goals

      That goal was going in and Shea didnt need to touch it. He should have just followed it in and made sure it went… It was Donovan’s all the way

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      • the issue early on was the high pressure from Panama. They were going for the early goal, trying to force the telling turnover, but it didn’t happen. Still, the US was thrown off and punted long balls that didn’t work and were turned over, but not in their own 3rd

      • Corona does have the touch, he was played out of position on the left instead of the right. Would have liked Corona on the right with Torres on the left. Agree about Mix, been saying all along he has better vision than the other mids. Love to watch him play a ball into space on the wing.

      • I agree, I thought Torres could have given us more possession higher up the field and better passing… a counter point to LD or Mix.

      • Shea should definitely kick that in. He came from an onside position and the ball was not yet in the net. He could not be sure whether the Panama defender behind him was in position to clear it off the line. Donovan’s stats are not important.

      • I believe Donovan made some sloppy contact. In any case, some of the replays show that Bedoya’s cross deflected off a Panamanian defender, thus even if Donovan whiffed Shea was simply preventing the own goal. But ha, we won. Who’s counting?

    • Bedoya had an excellent game today and a good tournament in general. I also liked Torres’ tournament and the reason he did not play today is because Bedoya fitted JK strategy for the game, which we all saw it finally paid off.

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    • Given the quick pressure Panama was applying, Torres would have struggled. His penchant for taking 3 or 4 touches every time would have led to him being the most fouled player on the US team.

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      • Perhaps but considering the strategy jk is pushing is to take it to our opponents using quick passing and possession on our opponents half of the field he doesnt fit. Inviting fouls that break up our attacking rhythm is completely counter to what he wants to see.

    • Love Mixx, but don’t get the Bedoya hate at all. All he’s done is assist on three of the last four goals USA scored. The guy makes plays.

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    • Love Mixx, but don’t get the Bedoya hate at all. All he’s done is a$$ist on three of the last four goals USA scored. The guy makes plays.

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  15. For me, clear A teamers after this tournament are Mix, Beasley, Besler, Goodson, Shea, Rimando, and LD really goes without saying. Great to see him with his legs and his desire back.

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    • What is encouraging to me is that basically every player that stepped on the field had some good moments for the U.S. The only guys that actually played who have no clear future with the national team are Onyewu (best days are behind him) and Beltran (better options at his position). Otherwise, displayed good depth, saw the reemergence of Donovan and hopefully Holden, and a potential future star in Diskerud. Successful tourney, for sure.

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    • Shea proved he can be big and fast and Klinsmann has a soft spot for speed. He did not prove he can play soccer all that well. At best, the jury is still out while he struggles do become more versatile and tactically more sound.

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      • Yeah putting in dangerous crosses, finding dangerous spaces in the attack while also tracking back defensively, winning balls out of the air and combing well with Donovan and EJ didnt prove anything right? Jury? Is this the same jury that said Dempsey, Bradley and Altidore werent or would never be good players? Or that Donovan needed to prove his worth to this team?

        The game is all about production and the fact remains an out of form Shea was involved in the 2 best scoring opportunites all game and scored the winning goals against the two best teams the US played. Shea has played well against Mexico, France and Italy the so called best results of the JK era so you can see why JK has rightfully stuck with him

      • Shea did have some impressive balls into the box and seems to be able to provide service in traffic. I think that this quality and his physical tools are why he’s at Stoke and with the national team. If he ever cleans up his touches and his mind catches up to his speed, he will be a very good player.

      • Most of his touches were very clean, also I admired his defensive efforts.

        Only thing he needs to work on is aggressiveness, and that just has to do with feeling confident, which he is more and more each game.

      • I have to disagree. He has speed and positioning on offense cown very well. His crosses can be brilliant but arenthat isnt consistent enough yet. His combo play down the side is regularly poor either due to poor weight on his pa$ses or due to a lack of awareness which causes him to play the ball into 50/50 situations. Thrice beasley lost the ball or had to boot it under pressure in the final few minutes because of a dangerous shea p@ss back. 2 Of those times were in our half. Shea’s def positioning isn’t the best either.

        the boy has great athleticism and has tons of raw talent that can be glimpsed during moments of brilliance but he needs a few years of polishing in order to fulfill his potential. He isnt starting even on the b team for a reason.

    • That’s a great question.

      Outside of the usual; KC, Seattle or Columbus, it’ll be a “home field” for Mexico.

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      • If its the US v Mexico, you can be damn certain CONCACAF will grab that dough. Hence, Rose Bowl.

      • Mexico does not want to host the next GC. Mexico and all the other Concacaf teams like having it in the US because it makes a lot more money here. All the country federations split that money and it’s a huge source of income for them.

      • I never said they wanted … oh wait, maybe they do want to host one contrary to what you wish/say.

      • This. Mexico knows it can get more money from fans traveling north and immigrants than it can by playing in their own country. And, outside of a few locations, they enjoy massive support in any case.

        Now, if Mexico wins the 15 GC and they have to play the ‘playoff’ to determine the ConfedCup representative, THAT may make for some interesting wrangling.

      • Do you really think they ask the countries? CONCACAF just does it because of the money. No questions asked.

      • Why do you think Mexico plays almost all of its friendlies in the US? It’s all about the money.

      • Mexico does not care about fair. Mexico cares about money. That’s why the Mexican national team has played ALL of its recent friendly matches in the US, and why an increasing number of Mexican clubs are playing friendlies in the US.

  16. I felt the U.S. would win by several goals but Panama played back and congested the middle. It was tough sledding for the U.S. and Panama does play rough and you could say dirty! Still they put up a good game and I was impressed with Romando, good job. Holden appears to have a sprained knee from what I have been hearing. That’s a relief for us and him of course. Great win U.S.A.

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  17. Donovan, Diskerud, and Rimando helped themselves the most in this tourney. I feel all three booked tickets to Brazil with their play. Other winners: Goodson may have taken a starting spot from Omar, he paired well with Besler, and Beckerman was surprisingly good in most of the games he played, though he is more of an alternate for Brazil at this point.

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      • EJ did nothing against Panama. Nothing. If Wondo had blown that sitter like EJ the howls would never end…

      • I said the exact same thing to my friend sitting next to me. Wondo was benched as soon as he went scoreless for 90 minutes

      • Totally agree.

        With LD dealing with a lot more defensive pressure, EJ didn’t have the same impact on the game. Without LD feeding him he reverted back to a few old habits, standing on the ball with the comical stationary step-overs. When defenders see that, they actually say “thank you” you’ve just enabled two more defenders to get a better angle on the play and reset our defense.

    • Agreed on Donovan, Diskerud, and Rimando.

      I hope JK doesn’t take a younger third string keeper just for the sake of getting them experience. Sure it would be great for Sean Johnson or Bill Hamid to get some experience but Rimando deserves to go as the third string keeper.

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  18. ¡Campeones! Campeones! Ole ole ole! What i tale sean frontera this gold cup. Landon Donovan deserves to start for “A” team. Holden mix and corona definitely make A team
    Squad. I started this tournament a beckerman hater. Not anymore. I definitely don’t see him replacing Bradley jones in the mid but I won’t sh1t my pants if he’s in the lineup against a WCQ team. Great tournament.!!!

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  19. I guess there’s no such thing as good losers in CONCACAF… not a particularly ‘sporting’ region. If my team began fouling like that i would be incensed… with the off the ball hit to the back of Shea’s head and attempting to headbutt Johnson i think the U.S. responses were warranted. However, aside from the obvious handball PK the officiating wasn’t as bad as the last match. Team looked tired but good enough to beat panama. Considering Landon & Corona’s poor headers and EJ’s volley miss we could’ve won relatively comfortably or at least had plenty of clear chances. If we win the next gold cup as well maybe we can have the A team play the B team in a friendly to see who gets to go to the confederations cup…

    Corona was really classy in the first half. Shea’s tap in was kind of a dick move but I guess he didn’t know who was behind him; Fair play. Hope Holden is alright and that it is ‘only’ a sprain. Congrats to the players, the temporary coaching staff and Klinsmann.

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    • Yeah, but he’ll be okay. I can understand his frustration, but if he had ruptured the ligament he’d have needed to be carried off.

      Any setback, even if just a few weeks, sucks, but he’ll only miss a few matches for Bolton, and probably won’t make the friendly in Bosnia.

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  20. Congrats to the players, the staff and JK – who has some ideas that are staring to take beautiful form. Job well done, guys.

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    • I’d like to see the average possesion time for the US through out the Gold Cup. I’d venture to say it is the highest or closest to the highest it’s ever been. I know it’s the Gold Cup but isn’t that what Klinnsman was saying when he said “being more proactive, taking it to the opposition.”?

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      • But is Goodson and Besler p@ssing it back and forth to Rimando taking it to the opposition? The possession stat is overrated. You should be looking at % of possession in Panama’s half or p@sses completed in the attacking third. Its not about possession its about what you do with it. Having 70 to 80% possession and only having 2-3 legitimate scoring chances is sad.

        We might have had lots of possession but when the speed of play and thought is so slow from the US does it really matter? Watching Parkhurst miss easy chances to progress the attack only to twirl in circles and eventually pass it right back to where it came from will increase the possession % but does nothing for the team

      • But is Goodson and Besler p@ssing it back and forth to Rimando taking it to the opposition? The possession stat is overrated. You should be looking at % of possession in Panama’s half or p@sses completed in the attacking third. Its not about possession its about what you do with it. Having 70 to 80% possession and only having 2-3 legitimate scoring chances is sad.

        We might have had lots of possession but when the speed of play and thought is so slow from the US does it really matter? Watching Parkhurst miss easy chances to progress the attack only to twirl in circles and eventually p@ss it right back to where it came from will increase the possession % but does nothing for the team

      • It’s not sad. Panama had nothing and never really threatened. But I suppose you are one of those that cant enjoy the rose for the thorn.

      • Or maybe I’m one of those who realize that there is always something to improve on. Complacency from beating Panama gets you no where

      • While I think that was true today, it wasn’t in earlier games. It was a testament to how and how well Panama played defense, pressing high with forwards and being compact and organized in their half of the field.

      • The US had more than twice the amount of shots an goal than any other team. That’s what they did with their possession.

      • That stat is a bit misleading as well. We had at least 3 chances i can remember where great entry p@sses were squandered with very poor shots or headers that went well wide. Several more where panama just did well to collapse on the ball handler or block the shot like bedoyas try. Not saying there isnt room for improvement in the speed of play or creativity deptments but you are being overly negative.

  21. I would say Beckerman was MotM. Great game from the timekeeper and midfield destroyer. Adapted well after Holden left and Mix came on. He had a great Gold Cup!

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    • Especially in the first half I thought his play/p@sses were too negative and he didn’t force the play forward enough. But I think that overall during the tournament he was one of the better players on the team.

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      • Sprained knee could be a complete tear of a ligament. It’s the degree of sprain that determines the severity, grade three being the worst. A complete tear would be a grade three. So, he likely has some ligament damage but it’s not likely an ACL, because they probably would have known that with the checks the Dr. Was doing on the field. My guess is an MCL sprain, which could be a complete tear but would not require surgery and therefore a shorter recovery.

      • Non contact injury. Doc was testing acl on sidelines. Looked loose from couch, which is concerning. Hopefully it’s not his acl, but all signs indicate it is…

    • Sucks, but could be worse. If it was a ruptured ligament, he wouldn’t be walking. That said, he’ll probably miss a few weeks of the season for Bolton, but after his solid play in this tournament, he should be seeing time for them this season for sure.

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      • ” If it was a ruptured ligament, he wouldn’t be walking. ”

        Absolutely false. MRI could prove a torn ACL and MCL, and he could still be walking. Source: Have blown both knees out. Hopefully it isn’t that bad, but we won’t know til the MRI.

      • I’m no Dr. But I’ve blown out a knee. It is NEVER a good sign when a knee injury occurs without contact. I wouldn’t be surprised if it was ACL.
        I feel really bad for the dude.

      • What gives me some hope is Stu’s reaction. Usually guys with multiple serious knee injuries know immediately if they did a knee again. He was clearly gutted, but not in the same fashion that I would expect with a torn ligament.

      • Dude, Stu’s reaction was not good. He had his head in his hands for 5 minutes. Sure he was walking but what else is he gonna do, he’s gotta celebrate with the team.

      • “Stu” is done, imo. He should’ve been taken out sooner with his poor judgement passing and horrible shooting. He felt was shooting a American Football field goal every time he took shot on goal from distance, not only in this game. Unimpressed by Holden’s performance, yet of course I wish he has no serious injury.

      • I remember when Chris Klein tore his ACL playing for the Wizards he walked unassisted off the field.

  22. What I saw during this Cup run:

    -A team showing depth
    -A team showing development
    -A team showing displaying a certain style of play
    -A team showing the that it’s not satisfied with a one goal lead
    -A team showing fight for one another
    -A team showing heart
    -A team showing a trophy off.
    -A team….

    Those who have stubbornly avoided jumping on the Jurgen Klinsmann bandwagon, you’re welcome on board any time. You may not have agreed with the steps he made along the way. You also may not agree with his choices for tactics, selections or lineups.

    However, the time is over for disagreeing he’s been the right man, at the right time, for our Nats. If people are unable to see a distinction between the last regime and the many before it, your bias blinds you far too much to provide a sound judgement on reality.

    Jurgen continues to prove the nay-sayers wrong with each passing month. How many “firsts” have we experienced under his leadership? I’ve lost count.

    The journey isn’t over. Not by a longshot…but this undefeated Cup run and the hoisting of the trophy is a culmination of the direction this team is going.

    Sidenote: Classy move by Jurgen to fly the players who were replaced/went home back out for the Final to be a part of the……TEAM.

    Reply
    • Any updates on your moderation system, Ives?

      If it’s nauseating being constantly asked, it’s equally nauseating constantly having posts filtered by the system.

      Reply
      • i think if you take a long time to respond it ends up getting moderated. So if you have something to say that takes awhile to type just type it in word then paste it in the box and click send. Your post won’t be highlighted for moderation.

      • While I appreciate the suggestion, that doesn’t apply to my post.

        Additionally, the amount of hoops we’re having to jump through is a giant waste of time.

        I’ve loved this website, really appreciate what Ives has done for the coverage of the sport in this country. However, there are other sites that are less bothersome to post after spending time to do so. Of course, they lack the quality in reporting and by the fellow posters but at least you’re capable of engaging in discussions, debates and general banter.

        Taking the time to post your thoughts or respond to someone elses and having the ridiculous moderation system filter has me counting the days before I find another site permanently. I’m only one person but if more people start feeling this way too, I don’t think the moderation system is doing what it’s supposed to.

      • I have to say I agree. I’ve already gone back to posting on another site for this very reason.

      • There are many others who agree with you. It’s a pain to have posted a long reply and have it approved by moderation 8 hours later (especially in the evening). By then people have moved onto another blog entry altogether.

      • I’m with you. For the most part, I’ve never really been able to join a conversation real time. I’ve tried everything. I have noticed that the shorter responses only get held up a few hours. It’s a drag, I really enjoy the site.

      • So far the only posts I have had that were “awaiting moideration” were those where I forgot tp type p@ss or @ssist or @ssure or various other words that contain a – s – s.m Length of posts has nothing to do with it except that when I get long-winded (when not?) I am more likely to miss typing @ for a in the appropriate spots.

      • Yep. In review, I used the word that shall not be mentioned on an actual soccer website: “pa$$ing”.

      • Almost daily there is a complaint about this and when you can’t even write p@sses correctly, it’s ridiculous. Don’t know why this hasn’t been fixed yet as it has been a problem for quite a while.

  23. Panama is tough. Going down to the Canal and getting a “W” is going to be tough even for the “A” team. Tough, mean, fast, technically adept team, especially dangerous down the wing, and very big in the back. They’re peaking and playing great team ball and they’ll fight all the way to make the World Cup. I think they can.

    That said, they’re kind of weak at center mid and their forwards didn’t overly impress. They never really imposed themselves in the center of the park even when they were throwing all those bodies forwards. I thought they were equal or even better than the US on the flanks, but they didn’t have a Diskerud or a (cough) Beckerman at CM and that was really the difference.

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    • I wonder what the game would have looked like if Panama had play the US honest? Yanks had 70+% of possession and Panama fouled throughout the match. I think they are good enough to play the US straight up and given our B team as good a game as we got today. That said, it was a tight 1-0 and I can’t blame Panama for their tactics.

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      • We will see haw far the usa go during the Brazil World Cup…Panama beats Mexico x2…Panama a country with 3.5 million and no professional soccer is making progress. That’s for sure. Proud of Panama despite the defeat!

      • You have the right to be proud all you want, but don’t gimme anymore the less population BS. You know that in Panama nobody works and all they do is play soccer all day. The United States, a country where you most likely live in, will be represented at the WC unlike the Colombian Republic of Panama.

      • Please… The US had more fouls than Panama and the US was playing dirty. We saw the entire game and what the US did. Panama played the best game that they were able to play DESPITE the dirty moves of the US, who are nothing but a bunch of BULLIES… on and off the field!

      • Rubbish. I’ve never seen a match where one team enjoyed 70%+ possession and then was called for twice the fouls. Panama came in to play on the counter. There’s nothing wrong with that. But don’t say they tried to attack. They didn’t. They had zero intention to play attractive football.

        But they were under no obligation to do so in a final. Especially where frustrating their opposition was always their best chance to win.

      • Rubbish my arse! Any time someone doesn’t agree with the US perspective it has to be “rubbish” or some other nonsense. Sorry but the world does NOT revolve around America! The American team is not even made up of all “Americans”. America only uses players from other countries to help them win games but won’t hesitate to turn around and then invade those countries. Stop the foolishness. I was born right here in the US and I’ve been watching how this countries functions CLOSELY for almost 5 decades now. Cut it out! Panama did a GREAT job of preventing the US from scoring a goal until late in the game.

      • Yeah but the Us has the statute of Liberty and Panama doesn’t. Seriously Panama should be very proud of their team. Pana Leah your world view is very narrow and off base. Please stick to soccer

      • Yawn. I wasn’t commenting on politics. So stop inserting it where it doesn’t belong.

        I didn’t insult the way Panama played the game. They played hard, and smart. Like a road team in a final should. You’ve no reason to be ashamed of how they played. Nor did I ever say you should.

        I was commenting solely on your–yes rubbish–claim that the US truly deserved twice the foul calls in a match where they dominated 70% of the possession. Simple math dictates the team chasing WILL foul more. But the ref was from another world, including missing a blatant handball in the box. B/c players never have intent to handle when they leave their arms behind them to make themselves bigger on a low cross. CONCACAF refereeing has been a travesty for as long as I’ve watched the game. Which is to say most of 40 years.

      • “Only uses players from other countries to help them win games”?!

        I guess Altidore, Dempsey, Donovan, Howard, Besler, Beasley, and Zusi, among others, don’t help us win games.

      • “…no mames”? Why don’t you attempt to make sense?! I guess I should be jumping for joy then that Panama lost to a bunch of bullies? Now I see why the US coach was suspended and where his aggressive and violent players get their behavior from. Enjoy your temporary “victory”. It won’t last forever…

      • Youre right. It will last until the next Gold Cup when US knocks out Panama for the fifth time in a row.

      • You are in the wrong blog I am afraid. However, I agree Panama did the best they could’ve done (20% possession and handballing in PK area) against a vastly superior United States of America team. You may also be in the wrong country, I am also afraid.

      • Sore loser here… The US did some bullying at the end, prompted each time by Panamanians. Pretending that the US played negative at all is just a sham. Credit to Panama for a good tournament, but they were just unbelievably boring to watch today and had no ideas of anything to do besides try to just stay behind the ball and hope for a scoreless draw. They’ll be a more potent force in CONCACAF qualifying most likely now, but they were just weak today. I expected more from them. They certainly know how to come out against a good team and beat them. They did it twice to Mexico.

      • The truth hurts. Telling the truth about how the US bullied Panama does NOT a sore loser make!

      • I know that you are upset with the outcome of the match but you really need to sleep on this one. I’m sure from a cooler perspective you’d come to see how off base you’ve been in posts.

    • Panama ain’t tough. Panama is a bush soccer team with trickery and conniving tactics that only knows how to pack the box well and launch aerial ball towards the opposite team’s goal hoping for a lucky bounce, and a team betting on scoring from set pieces. You call that tough. They may seem tough because they are allowed by ref to play dirty and get away with it, while every time they are touch they dive to disrupt dominating USA play. I respectfully disagree. And… Panama AIN’T GOING TO BRAZIL, at least not to play WC.

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    • As I recall, most of their remaining games are on the road, so their chances of making it would appear to be slim unless they can sneak into 4th and win the playoff against New Zealand, which they are capable of doing.

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    • Probably either Beckerman or Goodson. Beckerman contributed greatly to the long periods of possession the US enjoyed, and kept Panama from ever seriously threatening by shielding the backline effectively.

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      • bedoya was the difference cutting in from the right. creating the goal and a couple of other threatening runs.

        if not him, someone in the back four excluding beasley

      • +1 on Beasley honestly he looked like he was playing in an exhibition match, just looked like he could care less. Very strange!

      • Yea, if you are having trouble with Marcos Sanchez, then you are not even fit to play in MLS. He just got dropped from the team with the worst record in MLS.

      • I didn’t think Bedoya had a bad match, but I don’t think he impacted it enough to be MOM. Goodson might have deserved it, if he hadn’t missed a good chance to score.

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