As I was requested to do I'm starting a score prediction contest for the Gold Cup. Each score prediction will be worth 0, 1, 2, or 3 points according to the same rules I use for the WCQs. Here is the first round schedule: July 3 (Los Angeles): Canada:Jamaica and Costa Rica:El Salvador July 4 (Seattle): Honduras:Haiti and Grenada:USA July 5 (San Francisco): Panama:Guadeloupe and Nicaragua:Mexico July 7 (Columbus): Jamaica:Costa Rica and El Salvador:Canada July 8 (Washington, D.C.): Haiti:Grenada and USA:Honduras July 9 (Houston): Guadeloupe:Nicaragua and Mexicoanama July 10 (Miami): Costa Rica:Canada and El Salvador:Jamaica July 11 (near Boston): USA:Haiti and Honduras:Grenada July 12 (Phoenix): Panama:Nicaragua and Mexico:Guadeloupe For this contest all predictions for games on a certain day must be made before the start of the first game played that day.
July 3 (Los Angeles) Jamaica 2 Canada 2 El Salvador 2 Costa Rica 1 July 4 (Seattle) Honduras 3 Haiti 1 USA 2 Grenada 0 July 5 (San Francisco) Panama 2 Guadeloupe 0 Mexico 4 Nicaragua 0 July 7 (Columbus) Costa Rica 2 Jamaica 1 El Salvador 2 Canada 0 July 8 (Washington, D.C.) Haiti 2 Grenada 2 Honduras 2 USA 1 July 9 (Houston) Nicaragua 1 Guadeloupe 0 Mexico 3 Panama 1 July 10 (Miami) Costa Rica 2 Canada 0 El Salvador 1 Jamaica 1 July 11 (near Boston) USA 3 Haiti 0 Honduras 2 Grenada 1 July 12 (Phoenix) Panama 3 Nicaragua 0 Mexico 5 Guadeloupe 0
Here's mine after seeing the gold cup squads: http://www.concacaf.com/competitions/goldcup/2009/teamRosters.aspx July 3 (Los Angeles) Jamaica 1 Canada 2 El Salvador 0 Costa Rica 2 July 4 (Seattle) Honduras 1 Haiti 1 USA 4 Grenada 0 July 5 (San Francisco) Panama 2 Guadeloupe 0 Mexico 4 Nicaragua 1 July 7 (Columbus) Costa Rica 2 Jamaica 2 El Salvador 0 Canada 3 July 8 (Washington, D.C.) Haiti 2 Grenada 0 Honduras 3 USA 3 July 9 (Houston) Nicaragua 0 Guadeloupe 0 Mexico 3 Panama 2 July 10 (Miami) Costa Rica 2 Canada 2 El Salvador 0 Jamaica 1 July 11 (near Boston) USA 3 Haiti 0 Honduras 4 Grenada 1 July 12 (Phoenix) Panama 3 Nicaragua 0 Mexico 4 Guadeloupe 0
Obviously Harry Caray's ghost is a newbie, I actually think he hasn't even been watching the world cup qualifiers. El Salvador 0 Canada 3, hahaha......................hahahaha... July 3 (Los Angeles) Jamaica 0 Canada 0 El Salvador 2 Costa Rica 2 July 4 (Seattle) Honduras 3 Haiti 1 USA 3 Grenada 0 July 5 (San Francisco) Panama 2 Guadeloupe 0 Mexico 3 Nicaragua 0 July 7 (Columbus) Costa Rica 3 Jamaica 1 El Salvador 2 Canada 0 July 8 (Washington, D.C.) Haiti 2 Grenada 2 Honduras 2 USA 2 July 9 (Houston) Nicaragua 0 Guadeloupe 1 Mexico 3 Panama 1 July 10 (Miami) Costa Rica 2 Canada 0 El Salvador 0 Jamaica 0 July 11 (near Boston) USA 3 Haiti 0 Honduras 2 Grenada 1 July 12 (Phoenix) Panama 2 Nicaragua 0 Mexico 2 Guadeloupe 1
I'll give you that I'm a bigsoccer newb. However I actually put some effort into this, and after a quick vist to wikipedia, found out a few things. 1. Canada has made the semifinals of the goldcup the last three times. 2. They will have a defense that consists of two starters on top MLS teams, a starter on a top belgian league side, and two solid bundesliga players. Besides Mexico and the US, no other team has that depth/talent on D. 3. Canada also has two of the top mids in concacaf in De Guzman and Hutchinson. Also, this tourney is in a neutral environment. No crazy fans haning over the rafters here. Get learned.
I'm expecting an upset in one of these opening round games remember Guadeloupe making it to the semifinals in 2007 when nobody even picked them to win any games i just got that feeling somebody will take one of these team that we don't really know anything about lightly they will be an upset teams like Nicaragua, Haiti or Grenada might cause an upset thats my prediction
So let me get this straight. ES ties CR 2-2, JA loses to CR 3-1, JA ties Canada but ES beats Canada 2-0, And you guys tie with JA in S. Florida? Good luck ES going to be in for a rude awaking when they face Canada and Jamaica. Followed by a defeat in TNT. "Ah mi sey so"
All you have are local players. We'll see when you guys are getting trashed and start with your well known injury tactics. What a guy he's happy ES A-team tied with JA C-team.
I hope you don't dissapear when we beat you. But I honestly think we will tie, we will probably have already qualified to the next round by the time we play you guys so we will probably take you guys as a practice match for the Trinidad game.
Don't make me laugh. We have played the hex against everyones best players yet we have managed to outplay them almost every game. The game we didn't was against CR but even then we only lost 1-0 without are two best attacking midfielders. So what makes you think Canada and Jamaica can trash El Salvador there not in the Hex because they aren't better than the teams that are in the final hex, and we have shown we are capable of beating them. So were more than capable of beating anyone in this group. Get off your high horse.
July 3 (Los Angeles) Jamaica 2 Canada 1 El Salvador 0 Costa Rica 3 July 4 (Seattle) Honduras 2 Haiti 1 USA 3 Grenada 0 July 5 (San Francisco) Panama 3 Guadeloupe 0 Mexico 8 Nicaragua 0 July 7 (Columbus) Costa Rica 2 Jamaica 2 El Salvador 0 Canada 3 July 8 (Washington, D.C.) Haiti 2 Grenada 1 Honduras 2 USA 2 July 9 (Houston) Nicaragua 0 Guadeloupe 8 Mexico 3 Panama 2 July 10 (Miami) Costa Rica 2 Canada 1 El Salvador 2 Jamaica 2 July 11 (near Boston) USA 4 Haiti 0 Honduras 2 Grenada 1 July 12 (Phoenix) Panama 5 Nicaragua 0 Mexico 2 Guadeloupe 0
July 3 (Los Angeles) Jamaica 2 Canada 2 El Salvador 1 Costa Rica 2 July 4 (Seattle) Honduras 3 Haiti 1 USA 4 Grenada 0 quien va a contar los puntos?
Hmmm... You seem to have missed the part where I said BESIDES THE US AND MEXICO. Yes I believe that Canada has the third best defence at the gold cup. Name for me two or three countries that definitely have a better defence at the gold cup. Please. Running down the rosters we see that... El Salvador's defence is made up of mostly local players and Pacheco at NYRB. (I don't mean to underestimate the local leagues however I'm confident that MLS is better most Central american leagues) Jamaica also has two starters for good MLS teams, however most of their other players play at the championship level in england or lower. (Not bad but Canada, again, has two players in the Bunderliga, one on a europa cup bound Belgian team, a first division danish league team and two starters on top MLS teams.) Haiti looks to have a few promising players, same as Guadeloupe, Honduras has all local players. The only country that might be about even is Costa Rica, which has Segeras at the Fire, Diaz at Krakow and some guy at a Serie B club. And Johnson at NYRB (I would not be bragging about that) FIN
I'll predict by round, thanks.. 3 - 5 July .. once that round is over or almost over, then i'll predict the 2nd round, thx July 3 (Los Angeles) Jamaica 2 Canada 2 El Salvador 1 Costa Rica 2 July 4 (Seattle) Honduras 1 Haiti 1 USA 3 Grenada 1 July 5 (San Francisco) Panama 3 Guadeloupe 1 Mexico 3 Nicaragua 1