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Gold Cup Final: USA vs. Panama (SBI Live Match Commentary)

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By IVES GALARCEP

CHICAGO- The U.S. Men’s National Team will look to recapture the CONCACAF Gold Cup title we haven’t seen the Americans lift since 2007, and the U.S. will look to do so today against Panama (4pm, FOX) in Soldier Field, the same stadium where their last Gold Cup triumph took place.

Standing in the way of an American championship and Windy City celebration is Panama, which rolls into the Gold Cup riding a wave of confident after beating Mexico for the second time in the tournament to secure a place in the final.

Landon Donovan has been the player of the tournament, leading the U.S. attack, but he will go up against a tough Panama defense that has come together well despite missing captain Felipe Baloy. For Panama, Blas Perez will look to lead an attack that features another dangerous striker in Gabriel Torres.

SBI will be providing live commentary on today’s Gold Cup Final, so please feel free to follow along with the action here. As always, you are welcome to share your own thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action (Today’s SBI Live Commentary is after the jump):

Comments

  1. Brek looks slower off the mark than he was before the foot injury.Seems to have trouble cutting different directions.He looks less mobile than when he tore up MLS for that one season.I wonder if we underestimate how long it will take him to get back to that top form.

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  2. So does the 4th official always check substitutes nails? I just saw him looking at Shea and they made the Panama sub get out a nail clipper and trim his earlier.

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  3. They look better this half. First half was them bunkering and then throwing Quintero at us. This is starting to open up a little and we’re getting down the flanks.

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  4. obvious A-team
    ————————-Altidore————————-
    Dempsey——————————————Donovan
    ————————-Bradley————————–
    ————-Cameron————-Jones——————-
    F. Johnson—————————————–Chandler
    —————Besler————–Gonzo——————
    ————————-Howard————————–

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      • Dolo, like Holden, can’t stay healthy enough to merit any sort of preference.

        But I did think Chandler was not playing as well when he came back. I agree there.

        But we keep trying to use him L and he’s R. If Dolo is out and we’re considering Cameron or whatever why not Chandler. I think we see where either FJ or Beasley can hack the L so forcing a switch is unnecessary.

      • Cherundolo’s a founding father–gotta love him. I just see Chandler as the heir-apparent, and Cherundolo’s still getting back in form.

        Also, figuring out where Zusi fits in is fun

    • Not so your A-team is so obvious. Is Cameron a lock? Is Chandler,…his future is actually quite murky at this point and no so sure he will even be in the squad. Gonzo,….you think Goodson will have anything to say about that?

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  5. Drop beck who does very little p@ssing going forward and sub in Torres.Hopefully that will mean quicker and more insisive p@ssing out the back.Question is can Torres and Mix do the same job defensively that Becker does.

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  6. Drop beck who does very little passing going forward and sub in Torres.Hopefully that will mean quicker and more insisive p@ssing out the back.Question is can Torres and Mix do the same job defensively that Becker does.

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  7. Man I hope Stuart Holden is ok. It’s always those situations where there’s minimal contact but the injury is severe. He got bumped on his left knee but the pain seems to be in his right knee. I’m unsure which knee he had surgery on.

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  8. Just do not understand why Torres, after starting basically the whole tournament on the left with the USMNT an attacking machine, was benched for the final with Corona moved to the right for the first time. Why tinker like this in the final.

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  9. Another suspect Referee, typical. Doesn’t help that the Panaminians are going down if a fly touches them today.

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  10. John Obrien JR is done.

    Is there anyone coaching this team? Seems like our game plan is give the ball to te center backs and let them pass it back to each other then launch it 30 yard in the air for a turnover.

    Panamas gameplay is to hit the ground for anything

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  11. sub in brek shea for bedoya and switch sides with corona

    also get mix more touches hes a good conductor and has good composure and vision

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    • Should’ve moved bedoya in the middle, corona out right and put shea out left. Mixx doesn’t move out of the center circle

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      • Bedoyas been involved in every dangerous play for the us. He plays in the middle for club. Mixx gets the ball twirls and passes it right back to the defense

      • Bedoyas been involved in every dangerous play for the us. He plays in the middle for club. Mixx gets the ball twirls and p@sses it right back to the defense

  12. One of Beck or Mix need to look up and make a pass out of the back.We know it prob wont be Beck so it’s up to Mix.More importantly there needs to be some runs from the front four for this to be possible, they look pretty stagnant in transition.

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    • One of Beck or Mix need to look up and make a p@ss out of the back.We know it prob wont be beck so it’s up to Mix.More importantly there needs to be some runs out the front four for this to be possible, they look pretty stagnant in transition.

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  13. Ok… So far I’m impressed with Beckerman. His speed of play is quicker (as it should be today) and mixing up passes well. Not saying he’s the solution at D-mid in Klinsi’s 4-2-3-1 but comfortable with him (given his body of work in this tourney) as a backup to Bradley or JJ.

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  14. Well well.Stu goes off the field for a knock to his knee.It looks to bee the right knee not his bum left knee that took the knock.

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    • Not trying to be debbie downer.I’d venture to say the chances of him being the same player he was back in 10-11 are slim to none.

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    • His left knee took the hit but his right knee seemed to be the one that bothered him. The trainers were doing a “Lachman” test on him continually which is used to check for an ACL tear. Usually you hear a click when you do the test and that means the ACL is intact. Curious why they kept doing it over and over. He seemed to be in pain which usually means a sprain and not an ACL injury.

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      • Spot on…they just stated it’s a sprain. That is not as bad, I have had it before. Depending on how severe it is, he should be fine in a few weeks. I wonder how much of it is a result of the fact that his body is not used to playing every 3 days and could take a while to acclimate.

      • I always understood part of the reason you “test” both is one is a “control” to see if the sideways movement on the other is comparable. You’re concerned if one knee shifts more than the other.

        Also was a weird situation where he hurt one knee noncontact but also maybe hyperextended the other a little knocking knees.

    • I think he hurt it a step before most everyone thinks. I think you see the twitch on the step before he knocks knees or puts the right back down. No contact at that point.

      The rate at which he’s walking strikes me as either a real good or bad sign.

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  15. This line-up, with Corona on the left for the first time in the tournament is making me nervous. Usually, the best policy is, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

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  16. I’m stuck on a long road trip. Anyone know a radio station I can get on I heart radio to listen to the final?

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  17. Ives– Do you think CONCACAF would have moved on the Klinsmann suspension if Mexico had defeated Panama. I doubt it would’ve happened — would’ve provided an unnecessary and barely deserved distraction to the anticipated clash of the traditional regional heavyweights.

    It’s hard for me not to think that the suspension was an opportunistic chance to give the appearance of fairness at a minimal price. Same old CONCACAF..

    It doesn’t really matter– as everyone has said, the USA players should be capable of taking care of the remaining business

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    • CONCACAF simply followed the FIFA rules and chose not to overrule the referee. CONCACAF did NOT engineer a separate ruling, they merely failed to overrule. No conspiracy, no drama. Happens all the time, all over the world.

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    • Love having both Bedoya and Corona! It’s like having two real wingers out there. Torres shows promise in the middle, but I’m not a huge fan of him out on the wing.

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      • Sorry but Bedoya and Corona aren’t “real” wings.Bedoya is somewhat like a traditional wing, he can get past a fullback sometimes.Two real wingers in our player pool would be Joe Gyau and Josh Gatt.

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