2020 CONCACAF Olympic qualifying

Hear, hear.

 

Well some good news about the broadcast schedule: Hulu now has all the tournament matches in their guide except one, one of the third day matches for the other group is not yet shown, even the semifinals and finals are in the schedule in their proper positions.

It should be noted that the Friday second round match for the US vs Panama that is scheduled on Fox Soccer Plus will be replayed on Saturday on FS2 at 20:00 EST. That will allow those without access to Fox Soccer Plus to at least have a chance to see the match albeit delayed.

 

I know that if I miss Concacaf qualifying matches I won't be missing much. A big shark, a tuna and a bunch of minnows equals zzzz, sorry.

 

Actually as long as we do not shoot ourselves in the foot it is pretty assured that we qualify BUT there are two things that are interesting:
1. If Canada falters a bit or some other team over preforms we could meet Canada in a semi and if we falter there Canada does, at least it appears, have enough quality to sneak out a win.
2. The battle, or at least skirmish, for the other qualifying spot could get very interesting. There are a couple of "lesser" teams with individuals that by an individual performance or two could upset Canada. In particular Panama, if they manage to finish second in our group, have a goalkeeper that has had performances that can cause an upset.

So, to my point of view, the other matches have great interest and I kind of like watching the US beat up on the minnows. So there is a good deal of interest, for me, in this tournament.

The format of this tournament makes for anyone, no matter how good they are, to be nervous. If you lose a semifinal you are done and it is possible for a much weaker team to win in a one and done match with an out of mind performance by one or two players or just bad luck. I have seen a much better team get beaten just because of one bad bounce or one bad call. Remember we have CONCACAF referees and bad calls are almost a given.

 

It was also mentioned that all of the USA games will be streamed on foxsports.com for anybody with FS1-level authentication. That means that anybody with a cable/satellite/whatever subscription that includes FS1 should be able to get the live streams even if they don't have FS2 or FSP. I don't think this applies to non-USA games.

 

Yes. I pointed that out in an earlier post. In fact I believe all the matches will be available to stream on the Fox Sports Go app. Just about everything that is broadcast on FS1 or FS2 is also available on that app. I often use the app on my Roku or my Fire TV or my Shield TV. I strongly believe that it is good to have redundancy when it comes to watching soccer matches.

 

Yes, it should be a cakewalk but....I recall 2010 when Mexico beat the U.S. and we had to play Italy to get into the World Cup. A close call.

Back in those days, Mexico had Maribel Dominguez -- right up there as one of the best soccer players who ever put a boot on. I don't know that Mexico has any game changer like her this year, but we will see.

 

Meanwhile the Fox S2 is showing Panama-Costa Rica right now-- but when you hit record on it, it tells you you are recording a Rachel Maddow show on sports betting.

Panama defense promptly gives up a 3 on 0. Then Bailey takes down the shooter on a 1 on 0 for a PK. No card for some reason but the PK makes score 2-0 in the 17th minute. Bailey has also stopped a 1 on 0 shot from about 10-12 feet and had a ck goal called back for offsides, and now stops another point blank shot. Lawsuit for non-support is coming shortly.

 

Panama has been trying to run an offside trap but the are doing it VERY poorly. They seem VERY poorly coached both at the national level and it is clear that most of the players are also getting bad coaching at the club level.

The last time I saw a defense as poorly organized as Panama's I was watching U12 rec.

Of course Costa Rica is just a little better and is screwing up almost as much.

I do wonder what Bailey would be able to do if she really had a defense in front of her that she could count on.

 

WOW!! Shirley Cruz with a screamer.
She scores a volley goal off a CK.
3-1 CR

And 2 mins later CR scores again off a header.
It's getting ugly now.
4-1 CR

A minute later another goal by CR.
5-1 CR,
Bailey got hurt.

I'm checking out.
Panama is minor league.

 

Is it just me or does Panama look VERY slow and out of shape?

About Bailey: She needs work on her "hands" in that she has too hard hands and poor rebound control BUT she still, as I said when I first saw her, the absolute best first step I have ever seen in a female goalkeeper. If she had a decent team, particularly a defense, in front of her she has the basic tools to become one of the best goalkeepers in the world. It is unfortunate she must play for such a poor team as Panama, with a good team she would excel. It is a little like watching Brad Guzan when he played for Chivas USA. He had nothing in front of him and was, by far, the best player on the field. It is hoped that Bailey will develop like Brad Guzan did by facing so many uncontested shots she simply gets better and better.

 

Definitely a close call. I think that loss scarred the team so badly that they haven't allowed a goal in a qualifying match since that game.

 

After Sinclair breaks the record, I sincerely hope Abby avoids aviation.

 

It'll be interesting to see you starts at center forward for the US. Lloyd or Williams or McDonald or who?

 

Sinclair ties the all time goal record with Wambach now after earning a PK and finishing it in goal.

 

And she breaks the record a bit later. Canada is up 6-0 at 40 minutes in the first half. They basically have put the match away. Saint Kitts and Nevis really needs a goalkeeper.

 

This particular match seems a tad one-sided. I am not sure if I will tune in for the 2nd half, I was hoping that they were already in the 2nd half. Much congrats to Sinclair and may she continue to set the record up high so another player eventually breaks it someday.

 

The next match features 14 US-born/raised players in the starting lineups and an additional 5 on the bench.

Starting XIs for Mexico vs Jamaica. Crowd has grown somewhat as Mexico is undoubtedly a larger local draw. #CWOQ pic.twitter.com/roKf7W1Q1o

— Steph Yang | Horrible Soccer Goose (@thrace) January 29, 2020

 

Mexico 1-0 Jamaica in the vital Group B game, likely to decide which team advances to the semifinal round.

The Matchday 3 games, United States v Costa Rica and Canada v Mexico, should still be very interesting, especially the latter, whether a fierce battle - if the winner avoids the US in the semifinals, or a comical one - in the unlikely event that the winner gets the US.

 

Congratulations, Christine Sinclair! You deserve all the accolades you will receive.

 

CONCACAF olympics is a nail-biter if you aren’t the United States. You basically have to do everything possible to avoid them.