As it turns out, the SBI staff is a pretty predictable bunch.
The CONCACAF Gold Cup gets underway on Sunday, and all of SBI's polled staffers are picking a USA-Mexico final. Recent history would dictate that to be the case, though, as the two rivals have reached the final in each of the last two Gold Cups.
There's a 6-3 split about who wins the 2011 final, though, and there's some dissention about who will win Group B and which third-place finishers will qualify for the knockout stage.
Want to check out who picked what? Check out SBI's staff Gold Cup picks after the jump:
IVES GALARCEP
Group A – Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba
Group B – Honduras, Jamaica, Guatemala, Grenada
Group C – USA, Canada, Guadeloupe, Panama
Quarterfinals
Costa Rica over Jamaica
Mexico over Guadeloupe
Canada over Honduras
USA over Guatemala
Semifinals
Mexico over Costa Rica
USA over Canada
Final
USA over Mexico
AVI CREDITOR
Group A – Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba
Group B – Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, Grenada
Group C – USA, Canada, Guadeloupe, Panama
Quarterfinals
Costa Rica over Honduras
Mexico over Guadeloupe
Jamaica over Canada
USA over Guatemala
Semifinals
Mexico over Costa Rica
USA over Jamaica
Final
USA over Mexico
MIKE NASTRI
Group A – Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba
Group B – Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, Grenada
Group C – USA, Canada, Panama, Guadeloupe
Quarterfinals
Costa Rica over Honduras
Mexico over Panama
Canada over Jamaica
USA over Guatemala
Semifinals
Mexico over Costa Rica
USA over Canada
Final
Mexico over USA
ADAM SERRANO
Group A – Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba
Group B – Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, Grenada
Group C – USA, Guadeloupe, Canada, Panama
Quarterfinals
Costa Rica over Honduras
Mexico over Canada
Jamaica over Guadeloupe
USA over Guatemala
Semifinals
Mexico over Costa Rica
USA over Jamaica
Final
USA over Mexico
THOMAS FLOYD
Group A – Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba
Group B – Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica, Grenada
Group C – USA, Canada, Panama, Guadeloupe
Quarterfinals
Costa Rica over Guatemala
Mexico over Panama
Canada over Honduras
USA over Jamaica
Semifinals
Mexico over Costa Rica
USA over Canada
Final
USA over Mexico
FRANCO PANIZO
Group A – Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba
Group B – Jamaica, Honduras, Guatemala, Grenada
Group C – USA, Canada, Panama, Guadeloupe
Quarterfinals
Costa Rica over Honduras
Mexico over Panama
Canada over Jamaica
USA over El Salvador
Semifinals
Mexico over Costa Rica
USA over Canada
Final
Mexico over USA
JOSE ROMERO
Group A – Mexico, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Cuba
Group B – Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica, Grenada
Group C – USA, Guadeloupe, Canada, Panama
Quarterfinals
El Salvador over Guatemala
Mexico over Canada
Honduras over Guadeloupe
USA over Costa Rica
Semifinals
Mexico over El Salvador
USA over Honduras
Final
USA over Mexico
JOHN BOSCHINI
Group A – Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba
Group B – Honduras, Jamaica, Guatemala, Grenada
Group C – USA, Canada, Guadeloupe, Panama
Quarterfinals
Jamaica over Costa Rica
Mexico over Guatemala
Honduras over Canada
USA over El Salvador
Semifinals
Mexico over Jamaica
USA over Honduras
Final
Mexico over USA
CALEB SONNELAND
Group A – Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba
Group B – Honduras, Jamaica, Guatemala, Grenada
Group C – USA, Canada, Panama, Guadeloupe
Quarterfinals
Costa Rica over Jamaica
Mexico over Panama
Honduras over Canada
USA over Guatemala
Semifinals
Mexico over Costa Rica
USA over Honduras
Final
USA over Mexico
—————————-
What are your picks for the Gold Cup? Do you see anybody other than the USA and Mexico reaching the final?
Share your thoughts below.
Thanks SBI. I was confused for second.
Mexico in another landslide.
I wouldn’t be shocked if the USA loses in the quarters or semis.
is this “who you want to win” or “who you think will win”.
i realize this is a US blog, but cmon. even as a fan of the USMNT, there’s absolutely no way we have an edge over mexico.
Not sure what video you’re are watching because Bradley looked fine to me.
On a sidenote: It seems to me there is a mysterious player in the video. I can’t figure out who it is. He’s black, but it’s definitely not Jozy, Freddy, Gooch, Jermaine, or Edu. Who is it? He’s playing defense on Dolo from 2:13 and 2:19. He also intercepts the ball at 2:34
(SBI-Could be Duke defender and Houston Dynamo Academy product Sebastian Ibheaga, who was training with the team as a guest player.)
Whatever I’ll give em credit for actually being able to pull it off, unlike us. All I’m saying is it sure helps when you play all your games in the Azteca.
Wasn’t the 1999 Confederations Cup, one of those “weird” Confederations Cups where it wasn’t held in the summer prior to the World Cup? I doubt Brazil’s or really anybody’s roster was “full strength”. Looks like Brazil had an almost exclusively domestic roster for the 1999 tournament. Hell we even beat Germany 2-0 and only lost to Brazil 1-0.
Detroit’s closer to most of you guys than it is to most of us 😛
But sure, you can say you’re coming too since you are crossing the border and all.
Don’t count out the Reggae Boys with a hot Ricketts in goal
I watched that same video and came to the opposite conclusion on Bradley – from what I saw, he was dictating the pace for his side, making good passes to get the attack going, etc. But in that three-minutes span, Bornstein also looked solid, so you know the video can’t be telling the whole story.
I wish ussoccer.com had posted that entire scrimmage, but even those few minutes were pretty cool to watch.
The Canucks are coming….
I think the chances of the US actually playing Honduras in the quarters are very slim.
Are y’all talking about the most recent inside the lines vid? From what I saw Bradley looked fine (with the exception of one bad pass that bounced right back to him), while Cherundolo, Agudelo, and Jozy looked particularly strong. I barely saw Adu in there.
Hey Whitehart, don’t try to steal my handle of “Whitehartlane”, can’t believe they are letting you post your nonsense with a stolen handle, what a p.o.s.
I will choose someone other than USA to make the finals, I don’t think USA under BB is going to get to the finals, if Honduras slip up in their group or we don’t come top, a quarterfinal exit (and an exit for BB) against them is a serious possibility, all the predictions listed by SBI all assume USA finish top of the group or that Guatemala will finish 3rd in their group, fwiw.
How lucky has BB been? We are still the only team to qualify from a FIFA competition 4 team group with 2 losses AND a negative goal difference (Confed Cup in S. Africa).
It is my feeling that BB’s luck, has and will finally run out in the Copa Oro.
While I get your point about practice, I’m not sure I really agree. Rico Clark and Findley both played decent enough in practice to get starts and then promptly stunk it up on the field. Bradley, on the other hand, plays consistently well for the Nats, imo.
I wish I was.
& Landon isn’t either???
The Yanks are coming, the Yanks are coming…
So ready for tomorrow as a primer and then the Tuesday feast.
1998 Gold Cup Semifinal
http://concacaf.globalsportsmedia.com/page.php?sport=soccer&language_id=us&page=tournament&view=match&match_id=251091
Somebody go out on a limb!
I’ll be at the Final. Propose a SBI tailgate on the golf course outside the Rose Bowl.
USA loses to Honduras in quarters. Chicharito scores four in final win for El Tri.
Hoping for a US v. Guadeloupe final, win or lose Guadeloupe can’t play in the confed cup
I’ve got tix to the Final as well. What bars in Pasadena are good?
Interesting, because Mexico is hosting a WC this summer. Didn’t know that Granada, Guadalupe, Costa Rica, ect had large immigrant population here.
HE was making a joke. YOU’RE out of line.
Mexico can very well trip with Costa Rica. La Volpe is a fantastic trainer that knows El TRI backward and forwards. He’s the man who brought in Salcido, Osorio, Guardado into the fold. That can be the match of the tourney depending on what the other results at that point are!
Let’s hope the final is quality stuff. That’s all I’m hoping for. If it’s the US vs Mex, as I also think it will be, let’s hope they honor the most important tournament in the region by spilling their guts on the field before the final whistle is blown. That’s the only way other confederations will respect ours.
Ok let’s see the US beat Brazil on any stadium anywhere in the US to win the final of any official FIFA tournament!
Tell me when, I’ll be there!
The U.S. has beaten Mexico countless times when Mexico had the better team on paper, particularly on American soil. I think the match-up this time around is a complete toss up, and I would not blame anyone for picking either team.
Hey buddy give credit where credit is due!
Using your logic if Mexico would have played the final of the 1970 WC vs Brazil Mexico would’ve won!
I saw that final and it was brilliant and both MEX and Brasil could have won. But Mexico was as good as it gets, and beat an amazing Brazil. It’s not like they beat American Samoa to win the final.
And i’m Brazilian
You are of course welcome to your opinions….but it gets old when you are railing on a specific player (all the time) in an article not related to MB as an individual. You were the first to bring him up, and turned the board to a different subject.
Yeah and Dida, Flavio Conceicao, Serginho, Alex, Ze Roberto and Ronaldinho also took it with a grain of salt!
You are a FOOL!
It was scoreless after the 1st half, and pretty even over all. The 2nd half was a monumental meltdown
Please tell me you’re kidding.
I think you mean the 2007 Gold Cup.
Canada lost to Honduras in the last Gold Cup…
the 09 gold cup shouldnt even count there charlie davies was the closest to a first team player that was on the roster which was before he had been playing well and mexico still had the likes of guys like vela and dos santos on their squad. troy perkins was the us’s starting keeper…that says alot about the validity of that tournament
Wow. Comments on this post dove off the deep end REAL quick and just stayed there.
Haha I have them too. I have to try to keep quiet when people are bashing City on these boards.
For what its worth… FIFA ranks the US 10 spots higher than Mexico. Will be interesting to see which team considers it a home game given the expected crowd dynamic in Pasadena.
Thank you.
Of course I can be biased. Everyone has their biases. But that video is pretty damning.
SBI Mafia Gold Cup Final pub crawl in Pasadena! Our Old Town district is great for it. There is even a Peruvian restaurant for Ives.
I agree with you that Adrian can be a pretty biased poster, not a troll though. But this time he has it right, I watched that video and Bradley just looks off the pace. The rest of the team is so much more active than him.
It is only a 4 minute video though.
ROFL
The man is a troll for saying that he watched videos of the players in question and issued an opinion?
Have you watched the videos? Michael Bradley does look horrible.
How is Adrian a troll?
Pretty much everything I’ve read from the guy is on point. Oh wait, that’s right. If you speak ill of Michael Bradley, Landon Donovan or Jozy Altidore you’re labeled a troll.