Previewing Seattle Sounders FC vs Toronto FC + The CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders head to where they played their first road game in MLS play, BMO Field. The Sounders and Toronto FC square off tomorrow at 4pm as Seattle looks to get back on the winning track after drawing their last two matches. Toronto FC had a midweek match on Wednesday at New England against the Revolution which ended 0-0. These two teams square off for the 6th time with the Sounders winning 3, TFC winning 1 and 1 draw.


Injury report:

Seattle Sounders FC - I don't need to tell you who's out, you should know by now. Taylor Graham has a calf strain and is listed as doubtful. I don't know why they would give a shit about that, he wouldn't have made the 18 man squad anyway. Servando Carrasco has a little knee problem. Some contusions in there and he's listed as probable and Alvaro Fernandez strained his hamstring remember against Salt Lake. He is listed as probable now. And finally, wait........ nope that was it.

Toronto FC - GOD DAMN!! Where do I begin here? Elbekay Bouchiba, Adrian Cann, Nana Attakora, Jacob Peterson, Alan Gordon, Julian de Guzman, and Tony Tchani are all out. And Alen Stevanovic is listed as probable.


Key matchups:

Joao Plata vs James Riley - Well you got the little midget here for Toronto. Joao Plata who was drafted in the 3rd round from LDU Quito of Ecuador. He has 2 goals in 15 matches so far. Expect him to get the start on the left side and take on James Riley the left back.

Javier Martina vs Tyson Wahl - Here's another matchup featuring another TFC wingman, Javier Martina. The Sounders shut him down when these two faced off against eachother in Seattle. Can Tyson Wahl shut him down tomorrow in Toronto.

Fredy Montero vs Ty Harden - With Adrian Cann out injured, it's gonna be up to Ty Harden to do the dirty work at the back. I sense something coming from Fredy Montero soon. What does he got for us tomorrow?


CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals:

Well the Group stages are over, now tomorrow and Sunday, 4 teams will proceed into the semifinals which will take place on Wednesday at Reliant Stadium, and 4 teams will be eliminated. The United States got through the Group Stage after winning 1-0 over Guadeloupe and will play Jamaica on Sunday. Let's take a look at the schedule....

Saturday @ Meadowlands Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey)

QF #1, KO time 2:00pm (live on concacaf.com) Costa Rica vs Honduras

QF #2, KO time 5:00pm (live on concacaf.com) Mexico vs Guatemala

Sunday @ RFK Stadium (Washington D.C.)

QF #3, KO time 12:00pm (live on concacaf.com and FOX Soccer Channel) USA vs Jamaica

QF #4, KP time 3:00pm (live on concacaf.com) Panama vs El Salvador

Final day of Group play in the 2011 Gold Cup. USA, Canada and Guadeloupe. Somebody will pack their bags, somebody moves on to the quarterfinals.

By Money Mike


With a spot in the quarterfinals on the line, the United States need to do what they did in the 2010 World Cup, and that is advance out of their group on the final day. Tomorrow, the United States will be taking on Guadeloupe in Kansas City and they will be under so much pressure after suffering an embarrasing 2-1 loss to Panama on Saturday. Panama won their 2 matches and are clear to advance to the quarterfinal round. Now the U.S., Canada and Guadeloupe will be fighting for a spot. Mexico took the top spot in group A with ease. After winning their first match 5-0 over El Salvador, five Mexican players were diactivated from the squad for testing positive for a banned substance. Goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa, Defenders Francisco Javier Rodriguez and Edgar Duenas and Midfielders Christian Bermudez and Sinha were banned from the squad. It didn't seem to effect Mexico as they won 5-0 over Cuba and 4-1 over Costa Rica. Jamaica and Honduras will advance out of Group B. Now tomorrow, the 2nd spot will be decided in Group C, the United States can still win the Group if they beat Guadeloupe and Canada defeats Panama. So that is 6 spots locked in, so we need 2 more. The two best 3rd placed teams in this tournament will fill in the two spots, Guatemala finished with 4 points tied with El Salvador but are in the clear due to a higher goal difference. But it's time to focus on tomorrow...


United States will advance if:

• They do not lose to Guadeloupe or


• They lose by only 1 goal and Panama defeats Canada

Canada will advance if:

• They defeat Panama or


• They draw and Guadeloupe defeats United States

Guadeloupe will advance if:

• They defeat United States by 2 or more goals and Panama defeats Canada

United States will be eliminated if:

• They lose to Guadeloupe by 4 or more goals or


• They lose and Panama does not defeat Canada

Canada will be eliminated if:

• They lose to Panama and Guadeloupe defeats United States by 4 or more goals

Guadeloupe will be eliminated if:

• They do not defeat the United States

USA opens up 2011 Gold Cup with a 2-0 win over Canada

By Money Mike


Day 3 of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup is now officially in the books. Both the United States and Canada kicked off their Gold Cup campaign and it was the United States coming out on top 2-0 with Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey finding the back of the net for the Red, White and Blue. Panama and Guadeloupe also kicked off their campaign with Panama winning 3-2. The United States will face Panama next on Saturday at 5pm on FOX Soccer Channel.

The U.S. got on the board first in the 15th minute. Landon Donovan with a good through ball found Jozy Altidore, who made a nice turn and slotted the ball under goalkeeper Lars Hirschfeld for the opening goal. It was Altidore's 11th international goal, and this dude has received a lot of criticism for his lack of confidence while in Europe. You know, the lack of playing time, lack of goals (6 total. 2 for Hull City, 3 for Villereal and 1 for Bursaspor), etc. So I don't care how lucky that was, it was nice to see him get a goal for the U.S.

The 2nd goal came in the 62nd minute. Juan Agudelo slid the ball into the danger area and as the ball rolled past Altidore, Clint Dempsey made a run at the far post and tapped it into an open net to put the United States up 2-0 and that was the final score.

Missed the match, wasn't able to catch it on TV:

OK, sorry that was all I could share to you guys. I wasn't able to see the match at all, so I had my friend send me text messages regarding the match. This is the 3rd straight time that I missed the first match. In 07', I was able to catch like, the first 10 minutes of the USA-Guatemala match in which the U.S. won 1-0 on a goal by Dempsey. In 09', I couldn't see their match against Grenada, which took place here in Seattle, because I was at my grandmothers house for the 4th of July, she didn't have FSC, and this was just after USA's 2nd Place Finish at the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa. The United States won that match 4-0. As for the next match against Panama, I'm not sure if I'll be able to catch this one because of the Tacoma Relay for Life, but we'll see.

Alejandro Bedoya replaces Benny Feilhaber in USA's Gold Cup squad:

So, just before USA's final tune up match before the Gold Cup, the United States made a change on their Gold Cup squad. Benny Feilhaber picked up an ankle injury during New England Revolution's 1-0 to the Los Angeles Galaxy, so Alejandro Bedoya replaced him on the squad. Remember I made a complaint when I showed you guys the squad about Bedoya not being named when I think he should've. So it's nice to see him on the squad because, he left Boston College, went to Europe, and he has worked his ass off every season with Orebro SK in Sweden.

Here's the scoring summary from the match:

United States - Jozy Altidore (Landon Donovan) 15'

United States - Clint Dempsey (Juan Agudelo) 62'

Booking summary:

United States - Michael Bradley (caution) 51'

Canada - Will Johnson (caution) 52'

Lineups:

Canada: 1 - Lars Hirschfeld, 2 - Nik Ledgerwood, 4 - Kevin McKenna, 5 - Andre Hainault, 7 - Terry Dunfield (21 - Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault, 82'), 8 - Will Johnson (10 - Ali Gerba, 65'), 11 - Josh Simpson, 13 - Atiba Hutchinson, 14 - Dwayne De Rosario (9 - Rob Friend, 81'), 17 - Simeon Jackson, 19 - Marcel de Jong

United States: Tim Howard; Steve Cherundelo, Clarence Goodson, Tim Ream, Carlos Bocanegra; Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley, Jermaine Jones (Maurice Edu, 79'), Landon Donovan; Jozy Altidore (Sacha Kljestan, 74'), Juan Agudelo (Chris Wondolowski, 65')

Note: I put Canada's starting lineup in numerical order because I didn't know their exact lineup.

USA announces their 2011 Gold Cup squad.

By Money Mike


With the CONCACAF Gold Cup now a couple weeks away, some teams have still yet to unveil their squad, while the others are all set and ready to go including the United States national team. USA head coach Bob Bradley earlier today, announced his squad for their friendly match on June 4th against Spain and also for the Gold Cup, and after looking at the squad, I must admit, I'm a little disappointed in his work. Looking at the squad, of course there are players that definitely deserve a spot on the roster like Clint Dempsey, Landon Donovan, Juan Agudelo, Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, etc. And there are players that I just do not understand why they are on the roster or how they made the roster. I mean, looking at the squad here, you'll understand what I'm talking about here...


United States 2011 Gold Cup squad:

1. Tim Howard (Everton; England)

2. Jonathan Spector (West Ham United; England)

3. Carlos Bocanegra (Saint-Etienne; France)

4. Michael Bradley (Borussia Monchengladbach; Germany)

5. Oguchi Onyewu (A.C. Milan; Italy)

6. Steve Cherundolo (Hannover 96; Germany)

7. Maurice Edu (Rangers; Scotland)

8. Clint Dempsey (Fulham; England)

9. Juan Agudelo (New York Red Bulls; MLS)

10. Landon Donovan (Los Angeles Galaxy; MLS)

11. Chris Wondolowski (San Jose Earthquakes; MLS)

12. Jonathan Bornstein (UANL Tigres; Mexico)

13. Jermaine Jones (Schalke 04; Germany)

14. Eric Lichaj (Aston Villa; England)

15. Tim Ream (New York Red Bulls; MLS)

16. Sacha Kljestan (Anderlecht; Belgium)

17. Jozy Altidore (Villarreal; Spain)

18. Nick Rimando (Real Salt Lake; MLS)

19. Robbie Rodgers (Columbus Crew; MLS)

20. Freddy Adu (Caykur Rizespor; Turkey)

21. Clarence Goodson (Brondby IF; Norway)

22. Benny Feilhaber (New England Revolution; MLS)

23. Marcus Hahnemann (Wolverhampton Wanderers; England)


Players that should've made the squad:

Timmy Chandler:

- I don't get this at all, he's only 21, he now has a starting job at right back with FC Nurnburg. Bob Bradley what the hell did you not like that made you decide to leave him off the squad. He made his debut against Argentina and did very well all around the pitch. He made his second appearance for the U.S. national team against Paraguay, and again, didn't disappoint. Every was expecting him to make the Gold Cup squad and now I look at the list and he is not there.

Alejandro Bedoya:

- This guy graduated from Boston College in 2008, went straight to Europe and quickly earned a starting job at Orebro SK in Sweden. Since he began in 2009, he's made 58 appearances and scored 8 goals for that club. Now, he didn't make the World Cup squad in 2010, and nobody expected him to make it either, but no Gold Cup either?

Teal Bunbury:

- Why is he left out? Another young player that was expected to make the roster and I don't see his name. Teal Bunbury had a good rookie season with Kansas City last year and I know he came back from injury at the start of the 2011 MLS season but he's still having a good year. This guy is very good on the ball, he finds ways to burst through a trap and he has that goalscoring potential. Leaving him off the roster - STUPID MOVE!!

Edson Buddle:

- Why is Buddle left out? Didnt you see him domintate in 2010 while he was with the LA Galaxy? He is a goalscoring threat, and the US team only has three strikers because Bob Bradley just ditched him because he's not thinking straight.


Players who made the squad that absolutely did not deserve a spot:

Jonathan Spector:

- This guy had a crappy 2010-2011 season at West Ham. He was only useful for cup matches because he scored in those matches, but in the League, he sucked. Pretty much the reason why he lost his job at right back and also why he shouldn't be on the U.S. team.

Freddy Adu:

- God damn, this guy is a worthless soccer player. How the fuck did he make the squad. Ever since he left for Europe, it was like, nobody wanted him anymore. Look, in 2004, he gets drated by D.C. United at 14-years of age, he makes 30 appearances and scores 5 goals that year, and everybody started to love him when he was at D.C. from 04'-06'. Get's traded to Real Salt Lake in 2007, but then he opts out of his contract and moves to Europe (TOO DAMN EARLY!!). He signs with Benfica and he just struggles. He gets loaned out to AS Monaco to try to pick up his game, that didn't work. Next season, he's loaned out to Belenenses and he sucked over there, then loaned out to Aris FC, same story, he sucked. Seriously, I can't believe he's on the roster, especially after he's proven to be worthless.

Jonathan Bornstein:

- Here's another guy that doesn't deserve to be on the roster. The last two times he's capped for the United States, he was terrible defensively, and he also keeps giving the ball away. So let me get this straight, you add him on the roster so he can continue to play like shit? If the U.S. wins the Gold Cup, then maybe I'll take back everything I said, but if not, I think it's time Bob Bradley stepped down.

Previewing Seattle Sounders FC vs Columbus Crew + A look ahead to the CONCACAF Gold Cup in June

By Money Mike


The Seattle Sounders take on the Columbus Crew this Saturday in their last road match before they return home for a stretch of three straight home games against the Portland Timbers, Sporting Kansas City and FC Dallas. The Sounders are come head to Columbus after losing to D.C. United on Wednesday 2-1 which also ended Seattle's 6-game unbeaten streak as Charlie Davies and Josh Wolff combined on both the goals and each coming away with a Goal and an Assist. Seattle got the goal from the Penalty Spot which was converted by Brad Evans but it wasn't enough. On the other side, Columbus is sitting on a 6-game unbeaten streak right now after defeating our rivals from the north, the Vancouver Whitecaps 2-1. They're a tough team to score against and at the same time, they don't score that many goals, so this looks like a pretty evenly side affair.

Injury report:

Seattle Sounders FC - Well of course, O'Brian White and Steve Zakuani are out and Pat Noonan is probable. One player to add to that list, Mauro Rosales. Now, I don't know what happened here, they said he suffered a hamstring injury, but I don't know when that happened. However with the lineup changes Sigi Schmid will make, one of which will be keeping Mauro Rosales out for this match.

Columbus Crew - For the Screwed up Crew (lol!!), we have Danny O'Rourke out with left knee surgery and Josh Williams out with right hip labral tear. Shawn Francis has a strained left hamstring and is listed as questionable. Last but not least, Tommy Heinemann is listed as probable after having to deal with a Right pes anserine bursitis.

Key matchups:

Emilio Renteria vs Jeff Parke - We need Jeff Parke out there, I don't understand why the hell he was kept on the bench these last couple of games, when there was really no need to bench him. The way Renteria's been playing, benching Parke for the third game in a row would definetely not be a smart move.

Fatigue vs Depth - This team has just been banged up. Ever since the Zakuani injury you've had to switch a bunch of things around, especially with O'Brian White out as well. Where's Lamar Neagle, where's David Estrada, where's Mike Fucito, where's Montano? You have a bunch of young players who are ready to show that they deserve to be on this team.

Key to victory:

Three words: QUIT! STANDING! AROUND!

There's no way in hell that you'll win a game when you have 9-10-11 players in your own area backing away from the ball and not going after it. That's just extremely stupid. They did that against New York and lost because of it. Quit standing around and go after the ball.

Look ahead to the Gold Cup:

Now I know it's a little early but the Gold Cup is just around the corner and the international teams are preparing their roster's for the tournament which kicks off on the 5th and ends on the 25th. Mexico already has their roster set up for the Gold Cup and the player to look out for on that team is...... and believe me I don't need any help with the answer. The player to watch for Mexico...... Manchester United forward, Javier Hernandez aka "Chicharito. Here's a player who I thought wasn't really gonna do much for United because he joins the team from Chivas de Guadalajara on July 1st and the fact that the Premier League is a lot tougher than the Mexican League. But I was wrong, so far Chicharito excelled in his first year with Manchester United scoring 12 goals in 25 appearances in the Premier League and 19 goals in 42 appearances in all compititions in 2010-2011, so yeah he's definitely a player to watch for Mexico. The New York Red Bulls are gonna spend the majority of June, practicing, traveling, all that stuff, without Rafa Marquez after he was added to the Mexican side.

The United States hadn't announced anything with their squad yet, I'm guessing Brad Evans will be left out this year. O'Brian White, unless he can recover quickly, looks like he will be left out of the Jamaican squad and Leo Gonzalez, I don't think will be added to Costa Rica's squad. Again, we'll find out sooner or later.