2019 Gold Cup Thread

[nappyvalley]

Gold Cup groups are out.

Weird draw. 3 hex teams in Group D, and 1 each in the others? How easy do Mexico and the Ticos have it?

Oh wells, there's still no reason we shouldn't be fine in group. After the World Cup qualifying debacle, here's our first chance to get back on a winning track in a competition!

USA path to Gold Cup:
(Group stage)
6/18 vs Guyana (Allianz Field, St. Paul MN)
6/22 vs Trinidad & Tobago (FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland OH)
6/26 vs Panama (Children's Mercy Park, Kansas City KS)
---
Quarterfinal: 6/30 vs likely Honduras or Jamaica (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia PA) *planning to attend this one!
Semifinal: 7/3 (Nissan Stadium, Nashville TN)
Final: 7/7 (Soldier Field, Chicago IL)

 

[handicappers]

Is this the first time we've played T&T since the World Cup 2018 qualifiers?

 

[bksballer89]

Is this the first time we've played T&T since the World Cup 2018 qualifiers?

Believe so

 

[StuUKWI]

When the Euros expanded to 24 countries (and I guess with the World Cup expanding to 48) people complained about diluting the quality with more teams. Are people saying the same thing for the Gold Cup? Personally I like seeing some different sides - can't wait to see Bermuda and Guyana play.

 

[nappyvalley]

Is this the first time we've played T&T since the World Cup 2018 qualifiers?

Kinda feels like we're getting trolled by putting them in our group lol

 

[bksballer89]

Wake me up when final stage of WC qualifying starts.

Don't care about anything this group does until that point

 

[nappyvalley]

When the Euros expanded to 24 countries (and I guess with the World Cup expanding to 48) people complained about diluting the quality with more teams. Are people saying the same thing for the Gold Cup? Personally I like seeing some different sides - can't wait to see Bermuda and Guyana play.

I lurk over at the "Big Soccer" forum sometimes and I seem to recall some minor bitching about that, but otherwise not really. It wasn't a great quality tournament to begin with (but hey it's what we have to work with in North America), so it doesn't really feel much different.

So yeah I agree with you, I'm curious to see some teams we don't normally get to see. Sure the Mexico-Martinique type matchups will probably result in a few 8-0 ass-blastings, but those minnows all won at least 3 of 4 matches in a qualifying round, so they all earned their way in and IMO earned this rare shot at the big dogs. And I bet on a good day some of them are capable of nabbing some points off the middle of the road teams

 

[rsw626]

I lurk over at the "Big Soccer" forum sometimes and I seem to recall some minor bitching about that, but otherwise not really. It wasn't a great quality tournament to begin with (but hey it's what we have to work with in North America), so it doesn't really feel much different.

So yeah I agree with you, I'm curious to see some teams we don't normally get to see. Sure the Mexico-Martinique type matchups will probably result in a few 8-0 ass-blastings, but those minnows all won at least 3 of 4 matches in a qualifying round, so they all earned their way in and IMO earned this rare shot at the big dogs. And I bet on a good day some of them are capable of nabbing some points off the middle of the road teams

To me, the best solution overall is to combine CONCACAF and CONMEBOL.

CONCACAF in general doesn't have enough quality teams, a handful of decent ones and a bunch of small ones
CONMEBOL only has 10 teams, and usually when they have the Copa America they have to invite outsiders, traditional one CONCACAF team, and one other.

Both would benefit, as the South American teams would get a bigger influx of money, fans etc, the North American teams would get better competition and eventually get better.

IF they combined, it wouldn't really change much as far as WC spots, as A) there are so many spots with the WC expanding, and B) if they combined, they'd have roughly the same amount of countries as UEFA and would get around the same number of spots.

 

[StuUKWI]

I wondered about that too. I think you'd have to have some way of guaranteeing that at least a couple of Concacaf teams qualify for the WC. It wouldn't be inconceivable that all ten South American teams could finish ahead of the USA & Mexico in a qualifying tournment.

Conmebol needs to do something. Once the World Cup's expanded and they get 6.5 places that doesn't leave much suspense in a 10 team qualifying group.

 

[handicappers]

To me, the best solution overall is to combine CONCACAF and CONMEBOL.

CONCACAF in general doesn't have enough quality teams, a handful of decent ones and a bunch of small ones
CONMEBOL only has 10 teams, and usually when they have the Copa America they have to invite outsiders, traditional one CONCACAF team, and one other.

Both would benefit, as the South American teams would get a bigger influx of money, fans etc, the North American teams would get better competition and eventually get better.

IF they combined, it wouldn't really change much as far as WC spots, as A) there are so many spots with the WC expanding, and B) if they combined, they'd have roughly the same amount of countries as UEFA and would get around the same number of spots.

It’s been tossed around for almost 12 years now. I think the FIFA scandal, particularly Jack Warner’s part, was a set back.

 

[rsw626]

I wondered about that too. I think you'd have to have some way of guaranteeing that at least a couple of Concacaf teams qualify for the WC. It wouldn't be inconceivable that all ten South American teams could finish ahead of the USA & Mexico in a qualifying tournment.

Conmebol needs to do something. Once the World Cup's expanded and they get 6.5 places that doesn't leave much suspense in a 10 team qualifying group.

Currently, UEFA has 13 WC spots (16 for the expanded WC), if North and South America combined, I imagine they's have roughly the same.

Not all 10 CONMEBOL teams are that good, Paraguay, Bolivia, Venezuela and Ecuador are spotty, occasionally one of them may have a good team and pull an upset, but not consistently.

and yeah, with the 6.5 slots currently, it pretty much guaruntees, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia, Chile and Peru will always qualify, with one of the four I mentioned above having a shot against the Oceania winner (usually New Zealand)

 

[StuUKWI]

I agree it's a good idea as a whole but I'd bet Concacaf wouldn't do it if it means there's a chance their big teams might not qualify for the World Cup.

 

[bksballer89]

Gold Cup: Yedlin left off U.S.'s preliminary roster

 

[bksballer89]

Lol

 

[nappyvalley]

Lol

Nappy was in attendance for that abortion. Audi Field made an awful lot of money off beer concessions from him

 

[ckhokie]

Nappy was in attendance for that abortion. Audi Field made an awful lot of money off beer concessions from him

I ended up having to work late and couldn't make it (I live 2 mi from the stadium). Glad I missed it. TV was painful enough.

 

[ckhokie]

Gold Cup: Yedlin left off U.S.'s preliminary roster

Surprised no talk so far of Sargent being left of the GC and the U-20s. Zardes and Altidore over him? GTFO. Zardes sucks, I'm not sure why this is still an experiment with him, and Bradley, Altidore, and Gonzales should have been cut on principal. Time for the USMNT to move on.

 

[ralphiewvu]

It was a young Us squad wasn’t it? A bunch of the senior players didn’t play iirc.

 

[romeo212000]

This team does not have a high soccer IQ.

 

[WizardHawk]

USMNT is fucking horrible.

That was an embarrassing goal to give up against Venezuela. All because the fucking goalie can't clear a ball to save his ass.

Will be another early departure for this team in world cup.