With due respect to Conventional Wisdom and those who feel that we--the US--need do nothing but use the Gold Cup to prepare for WC qualifying, I think that we need to start playing the tournament with the #1 "goal" of winning. If the tournament is never taken seriously by the teams, it doesn't seem likely that it will by the fans. But more importantly, we have got to get a killer instinct. We waste so many scoring opportunities, in general, in comparison to the "powers" that be. We are fairly random: sometimes we score our half-chances, most of the time we don't. We really really really need to get to the point that our first instinct is to go for the throat and bury our opposition . . . every time. If we need to prepare for WC qualifying or the WC itself, then we should try to play more friendlies--to win--in Europe and SA. It doesn't seem to me that the Gold Cup is the place to do it. Even if things are how they are now, do we really want things to be the same a decade or two down the road, i.e., a meaningless tournament which exists so that we can send a team to a slot in the Confederations Cup? Any thoughts?
We need to win, period. That same sort of confidence that Mexico got as a result of beating Brazil in the confederations cup is the same type of confidence that we can get if we win this tournament. I think that alone is the best way we can warm up for Germany next year and for our remaining qualifiers in general.
Am I the only USA fan who isnt excited at all about the gold cup? In all honesty I would rather see the MLS sides at full strength against the European powers coming in a few weeks than the gold cup. The only thing I am hoping for in the gold cup is a USA vs. Colombia matchup so I can mock my girlfriend and her family when we destroy them. Its fun watching Mexico lose too...lets go South Africa!!!
I guess I'm excited about making it known--every time we stop on the pitch--that it's not a matter of being the Giant of CONCACAF and them being the Minnows, but that we are the Pizimp and they are our Hizoes. Speaking of things European, wouldn't it be cool if the GC was even a quarter the tournament the EC is?
Although I'm excited to watch my U.S.A play whenever and against any team, and that I ALWAYS want them to win, I gotta say that I think this tournament is garbage. It serves one and only one useful purpose. To allow Arena to test new players, experiment with new formations, trying the same players in different positions, etc... I'm a big fan of leaving CONCACAF and joining CONMEBOL if it's possible. It will be very beneficial to our team to be playing against significantly better competition. THAT would be good preparation for the world cups, in addition to going to Europe to play top teams for friendlies. Then we can use local friendlies against teams like Honduras, Guatemala, Costa Rica, etc... to try out the kind of stuff Arena is trying in the Gold Cup.
Perhaps the tournament is today's garbage precisely because it is not taken "seriously" as a tournament. How will it ever be meaningful--as a tournament--if it is always used for "tinkering"? Why not play friendlies in Eurpoe and SA to simulate qualifying and tournament conditions? Why don't we just decide to win our Regional Championship . . . period. Whether or not it is taken seriously by anyone else, we can lead by taking a simple first step: treating it as a serious tournament. Otherwise, it will always be a big, stinking pile of sh!t. We're never leaving CONCACAF. But we can make our Confederation more competitive by increasing the prestige of the Gold and Champions Cup, by MLS becoming the premier CONCACAF league, and by developing CONCACAF talent therein, etc. It's difficult to expect respect as a confederation when we don't even respect our confederation. Heck, I'd like to be insulted by the attitudes other countries display toward our confederation, but I can't quite get my indignation going when we treat our Regional Championship as a collection of f^cking scrimmages.
Problem is, BA didn't even make it useful for that purpose. Armas, Sanneh, Olsen...these guys will never make it to Germany. I would have been happier to see the U-20s fly straight from Enschede to Seattle - Benny, Marvell, Freddy...now that team would have been fun to watch in the Copa Oro. For some reason I wouldn't mind reading "fans poured onto the streets of Tegucigalpa/Kingston/Port of Spain, setting off fireworks, after their country's first major tournment win ever." Lord knows no one gives a rat's ass here.
I have to agree. I'm nearly an Arena-Homer, but this tourney has been a debacle thus far from all vantage points beyond simply baldly stating what we already knew, that guys like Sanneh, Armas are done, that guys like Ralston, Conrad, Noonan, Olsen simply can't get it done at this level, and that Casey has never belonged period. The only young guy being tested who makes some measure of sense is Quaranta and even Tino doesn't make a lot of sense in anyway other than the idea that with good coaching, and quality teammates, the once youth stud could prove that he is national team material, even if he's been injured mediocrity for club for three years running. This has been a huge disappointment, and the disjointed, and inconsistent play is a tribute to the lack of quality brought in to surround studs like Donovan, Beasley and O'Brien, and the lack of fire shown by guys who've been here and done that and no longer belong. This would have been a great chance to blend young hungry players with quality young vets, instead its a tourney squad full of retreads. From this we'll learn nothing we didn't already know when it comes to World Cup qualifying and World Cup games.
Both...Just wish we had more young players to throw into the fire to "warm up"... Sanneh, Armas, Olsen, Vanney just will not do it.....
I'm not too big a fan of this thought of rushing our young guys. I didn't watch all the games for the U20 championships, but there was still a noticeable difference in the poise and fine edges of many of those youngsters. I'm not sure running them through this tournament instead of older more established players would necessarily get them ready for '06... that would be a serious gamble and is shortsighted thinking imo. Oh yeah.. I'm definitely in the "win attitude" column for the Gold Cup btw... no point doing anything half-assed.
If a Cup is on the line of any tournament. World Cup, Gold Cup, Confederations Cup, & Copa America. The USA should always go out and play to win. You want to test some players, that's fine. But they have to have the same attitude as a DMB, LD, & KK.
i agree in theory, but the timing of this tournament is ridiculous. there is no need to stage a regional championship in the middle of world cup qualifying. of course countries will not take it seriously. why risk injuries when a much much larger prize is on the line later in the year?
yeah not only that, but it completely ruins the MLS. This whole month has been a big stinking pile of garbage for the MLS. very boring reserve matches.
The Copa America was played inbetween World Cup Qualifying for South America last year so in a sense this is a perfect time to have the Gold Cup. I agree it shouldn't be every two years, but if the MLS played in the winter months than everyone wouldn't have a bug stuck up their arse. But everyone has to realize in this country MLS must be a warm weather league because the exposure will be very less when you have to compete against NFL, NCAA Football & Basketball, NBA, & if the NHL does come back. Better along Baseball than those other sports. Still it shouldn't matter. Go and win a cup, Gold, Confederations, World, OR the Copa America. If the USA is in it, go and win it.
Exactly...this program is still being built, we have not arrived yet. Maybe I just have a different view of success than some of the other fans of this game, but I want us to be big timers. Winners ALWAYS want to win. I hate the attitude of **********footing around because you are scared of an injury or want to focus on something else... our young'uns have their own developmental opportunities and will/should be brought up to the next level when our coaching staff (that I have faith in) feels they are ready to contribute substantially to the product we want to put forward.
The crowd was huge for the Mexico v. Colombia game. The teams obviously wanted bragging rights. I don't think that that level of interest in the Gold Cup--in general--is that many years away. We--the US--just need to approach the GC as a serious competition regardless of whether the opposion takes it serious. But, I think we are p^ssyfooting around this time.
The biggest problem I have with the Gold Cup is that it's ignored by MLS (except for losing players) and the media. Almost no coverage except for Spanish TV channels. MLS needs to not schedule Wednesday night games during the Gold Cup. ESPN and Fox need to cover the event. It will never mean anything if the media ignore it!!!
Gold Cup games count in the FIFA standings and they also impact our possible seeding for the WC. That alone should make us bust tail to win the thing. The even bigger deal is pride. I'd like to say that we absolutely dominate our region and that includes the regional tournament. Go Yanks