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Gold Cup: Matchday Three (Your Running Commentary)

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The CONCACAF Gold Cup returns to action today with Mexico and Group C kicking things off. Here is today's schedule of games:

  • Panama vs. Guadeloupe, 5pm (Galavision)

  • Nicaragua vs. Mexico, 7pm (Univision)

If you will be watching today's matches please feel free to share your own thoughts, opinions and some play-by-play in the comments section below.

Enjoy the action.

Comments

  1. At least we’re playing soccer right now. The Gold Cup is something to watch on TV, and it’s giving some of our youngsters an opportunity. I’d rather have this tournament going on than no soccer at all.

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  2. mjo-

    re: ’99- you mean the one where you beat usa in extra time 1-0 at azteca in the semi’s? gotta love home field advantage.

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  3. Mexico fan here. I agree with some of the comments. Mexico played a horrible, boring game, and sure this is kind of our ‘B’ side (plenty of regulars: Torrado, Pinto, Magallon, Ochoa, Dos Santos) but the ‘A’ team is not doing any better. Unless something clicks before August we will get manhandled by the USMNT.

    On a side note – the commentators are not Mexican. They’re from somwhere in South America and they’re VERY annoying. Not a lot of knowledge or insigth and one of them keeps taking cheap shots at ‘El Tri’. Not that we don’t deserve it, but come on, know your freakin’ audience.

    Anyway, way to represent on the Confederations cup – maybe next time you’ll win one just like we did back in ’99.

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  4. No one is saying that Mexican soccer in general sucks. It is of a very high quality and I enjoy the professional league games quite a bit.

    This particular version of the Mexican national team, however, is not very good. They are small, slow, predictable, and don’t do anything particularly well. It is the B team. No doubt. But the A team, whatever it is these days, is not very good either, and for the same reasons. Not sure how that troubles anyone. Facts are facts.

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  5. I am as big a US fan as anyone. I’m going to next Wednesday’s game against Honduras just blocks from my house… but…. This is a Mexico B team. Clearly. And this is a US B team. Clearly.

    Thus, clearly, we should not jump to any conclusions. A win at Azteca would be wonderful, but it isn’t the World Cup. Frankly, this whole “Mexico sucks” approach is ridiculous. If we want US soccer to get better, we should want CONCACAF opponents to get better, especially when they are 2/3 of our international games. The US will get better playing sharks, not minnows — and beating the 88th ranked team 4-0 just doesn’t cut it for me.

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  6. Christian is funny. A couple of realistic comments from USA fans and he whips out his usual hyperbole, saying that we’re all declaring ourselves world champs. Get some reading skills for crying out loud

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  7. Christian —

    I don’t need the US to beat anyone to tell you that Mexico’s team right now is terrible. Ask a Costa Rican. Ask a Belizian. Not sure how you could take honest comments about Mexico’s team as statements that the US are “world champs.” Probably you’re just slow.

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  8. the point is that between CONMEBOL and CONCACAF there are two world class teams, Brasil and Argentina, I think its fair to put the US in the running for the 3rd best team, which again isn’t saying a whole lot, but they are certainly in the argument

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  9. Uruguay does have plenty of talent. I’m just not ready to put them in 3rd in the Americas.

    Vela picked up a strange injury – must have rolled his ankle or something. Bummer if you’re an Arsenal fan — and I am.

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  10. US fans are funny.

    They beat Spain and all of sudden they’re world champs.

    Get some perspective for crying out loud.

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  11. well Uruguay isn’t struggling a bit in WC Qual but they do have some real talent:

    Deigo Forlan, Athletico Madrid (32 goals)
    Luiz Suarez, Ajax (22 Goals)
    Diego Godin, Villareal

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  12. I hear a number of Mexican fans talk about the problems of team selection from the federation. What specifically is that all about? The only thing I can see is that the makeup of the team seems really balanced among Mexican club teams? (more so than usual)

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  13. A classic goal against a bad team — a soft 40 yard cross-field pass and then a missed cross into the penalty spot that’s picked up by an unmarked midfiel trailer. Should’ve been dealt with.

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  14. Maybe Edgar Castillo also but I don’t know if he is good enough to break into the rotation on the national A team side.

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  15. Anybody heard if we are going to have Jermaine Jones by then? I think he will be eligible by then but I am not sure.

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  16. 3 points in azteca would be a huge monkey off their back, and would really put the pressure on mexico, and i don’t see them recovering. I think the US’s best chance is to score early and try and keep that place relatively quiet.

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  17. For starters, on an even field (i.e. no elevation) I’d take the US, Ecuador, Colombia, and sometimes Chile over Mexico’s “A” team. Second, 3rd best in the Americas does not an international powershouse make — see above list. Third, Mexico has never been close to a dominant team when playing good competition — a few fluke wins over bad Brazilian teams to the side.

    Mexico needs to get its team selection in order. I live in Houston and have played against professional Mexican teams before — I can tell you that the Mexican talent pool, at least at the U-20 level, is plenty deep. I can also tell you that if you don’t live in DF, play for Chivas, or luck into a foreign contract on your Dad’s name (Dos Santos) then you have a hard time getting picked. And that’s why the team continues to suck. And suck they do — hard.

    US may lose at Azteca — the altitude, pollution, and usually questionable officiating help with that, but the Mexican team plays better there. That being said, the US team, right now, is much better.

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  18. that was the commentator here in Mexico, i live in Mexico, the mexican commentators said it clearly wasn’t a penalty

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  19. Well according to the FIFA World Rankings it is the USA at #3 in the Americas.

    1. Brazil
    8. Argentina
    12. USA
    20. Uruguay
    22. Paraguay
    27. Chile
    30. Costa Rica
    33. Mexico

    Looks like Mexico isn’t even the #3 team in CONCACAF .. but then again we knew that by looking at the WC Qualifying table …

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  20. If you are talking about the Americas, that includes the entire western hemisphere and based on current form I would say the United States is the third best team in the Americas.

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  21. Who’s saying that the US team isn’t better than Mexico (at the moment), and when did I say that the US team did not perform better yesterday than this Mexican team!
    And Chase when did I say that Mexico was the superior team in CONCACAF?
    But I repeat, stating like some of you love to do, that Mexico has never been good at the international level is laughable!
    Again, two of the players that started this game are FIFA WC Champions! Again beating Brazil in the final!

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  22. Oh dear….

    “3rd best team in the Americas…” ?????

    And here I thought our Mexican friends were delusional.

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  23. just to put into perspective how bad Nicaragua is … they got bumped out of WC qualifying by Netherland Antillies in the PRELIMINARY round 3-0 on aggregate. the NA then promptly got bumped in the second round by the powerhouse Hati.

    so did Mexico get a penatly kick because being super embarrased by your own tripping over your own two feet in the opposition in penalty box is a penalty on the guy nearest you when you tumble over like a buffon?

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  24. mexican commentator (translated), “My God, i hope we find a miracle between now and August or we’ll be in trouble, we can’t do anything”

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  25. Jackie, I couldn’t agree more. Hopefully the US national team will play with the same intensity that it did in the last few games in the Confed cup. If that happens than the US could have a very real shot at finally beating Mexico in Azeca.

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  26. Can anyone translate what the announcers were saying as they rewound the foul/dive that led to the penalty? Its too blurry for me to see if the feet touch.

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  27. Unfortunately, Jackie, if USA plays like they did in Costa Rica we’re gonna get bent over. It’s OK though, I’m saying (hoping) that we’re beyond all that

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  28. watching the game in Mexico, even their announcers who are incredibly biased said it wasn’t a penalty, this team is pathetic, so much talent in Mexico, but there is too much dirty politicking that happens in the Mexican league and with the national team, until that gets cleaned up its gonna be tough for them

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