Gold Cup 2011 - USA 2 - 0 Canada

The United States opened up Gold Cup group play against their neighbors to the north Canada on Tuesday with a two goal victory. The starting strike force of Agudelo and Altidore proved dangerous, with the two making good runs at the top and getting open for their midfield supporters. Timmy Howard came up huge again to preserve a shutout, something that must have felt good coming off the poor showing against World Cup holders Spain.

Jozy struck first in the fourteenth minute, to the delight of Detroit soccer fans, taking one touch to settle a Donovan pass, and only a second touch to power his shot under keeper Lars Hirschfeld at the near post. Failing to score first has been a major source of frustration for Bob Bradley and his squad over the past year, so it was good to see how the US could hold the advantage.

Thankfully, the second half saw another goal for the red, white, and blue; this one from one of its biggest superstars: Clint Dempsey. Deuce slid home a cross from the Man of the Match, Altidore, to put the Canadians away. Looks like the Texan's stock continues to climb as he is anticipated to draw interest from Champions League level clubs in Europe this offseason.

The only dangerous threats the Canadians mounted were snuffed out by the US' #1 between the posts. An acrobatic save and constant stability in the eighty-fifth minute aided Howard in preserving his clean sheet for the Americans. The United States played a much better game to open the competition and campaign to re-establish their dominance as the power of North American soccer.

Granted, the passing could have been tighter and the bulk of the offense was being facilitated by a few too many long balls instead of short-sided, one-touch passing. The center of the midfield still looks to be evolving with Bradley and Jones dropping deep to ensure the safe passage of possession from the defense to the strike force. The backline will continue to be a carousel of players that will look to solidify their international experience, but they'll have a few more quizzes before a big time exam against Mexico in the later rounds of play.



Photo Credit: Paul Sancya/AP
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USMNT v. Spain/Gold Cup Roster 2011

GK: Tim Howard, Nick Rimando, Marcus Hahnemann

D: Carlos Bocanegra, Jonathan Spector, Oguchi Onyewu, Steve Churundolo, Jonathan Bornstein, Tim Ream, Eric Lichaj, Clarence Goodson

M: Landon Donovan, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, Maurice Edu, Jermaine Jones, Benny Feilhaber, Sacha Kljestan, Freddy Adu, Robbie Rogers

F: Jozy Altidore, Juan Agudelo, Chris Wondolowski


Our goalkeeping corps is as strong as ever with Timmy leading the way between the posts. Look for this to be Hahnemann's last Gold Cup effort and Rimando to be the number two option when resting Howard. The evolution of the US defense system continues with captain Carlos Bocanegra and veteran Oguchi Onyewu mentoring MLS stand-out Tim Ream. Solidarity at the back continues to be a focus for Bob Bradley, as well as good distribution to the very capable offensive unit.

The midfield proves once again to be the national team bank of stars. Landon Donovan is red hot after scoring 8 in a row with the league leading Los Angeles Galaxy and Clint Dempsey has set a new record for American goal scoring in the English Premier League this season at Craven Cottage. The young Bradley is hungry for playing time after his recent move to the bench of Aston Villa. The surprise pick here is Freddy Adu, who is currently in good form playing in the Turkish 2 Lig, helping to elevate his team into the promotion playoff.

The potential of strike force that the USA has shown in recent friendlies is boiling to a head, all fueled by an 18 year old passionate US Soccer player. Agudelo will be paired once again with Jozy at the top giving a quick one, two combination. But it will be MLS's Mr. Consistant, Chris "Wondo" Wondolowski, who may make some noise for himself at the Gold Cup.

Carlos Bocanegra, Timmy Howard, Landon Donovan, and Clint Dempsey lead the way again for a determined United States on the road to getting the Gold Cup back from rivals "El Tri," Mexico. Javier Hernandez is astounding in England, but will the long championship campaign catch up to Chicharito? And does Rafa Marquez have another Gold Cup left in his aging legs?

The US Men's National Team kick things off with a warm-up against World Cup holders Spain on June 4th in Foxboro, Massachusetts. Gold Cup group play begins against our neighbors to the north, Canada on June 7th in Detroit, Michigan.



"Let's go get our cup back." -US Captain Carlos Bocanegra via Twitter.


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U.S. Players Abroad To Watch This Weekend:

Altidore, Dempsey, & Howard

Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore both have giant windows of opportunity in their young careers that will open come this weekend's EPL action. Dempsey's Fulham team is scheduled to play a fired-up Arsenal team (no thanks to Emanuel Adebayjor) and Hull City will need a strong effort from Jozy and his teammates to knock off Liverpool. The two strikers each scored for the U.S. in the important victory against El Salvador on September 5th. These two boys are the cream of the crop when it comes to the American offense, and they need to stay that way come next Summer.

If Jozy Altidore gets the start against Liverpool this weekend, he must capitalize. Altidore needs to play 90 minutes of focused, fast-paced, aggressive soccer. Torres, Gerrard, Dirk Kuyt and Co. have been on point since their opening weeks' grievances so this is a great opportunity for Jozy to establish his reputation on the world stage. A goal or a few goals against one of the Big Four teams would definitely impact his mental play in preparation for the World Cup in a big way!

Dempsey has already turned heads under the gaze of the international soccer community with his performance in the Confederations Cup this past Spring. Not only must he keep finding the back of the net, but his speed and passing need to be sharp tools in his own arsenal against the Gunners. Perhaps their consistent attention in the media as of late (with Robin Van Persie now chipping his two cents into the diving discussion) will yield inconsistencies in their match play. There's no hiding their concerns about their play against both Manchester powerhouses earlier this season.

Back to back clean sheets by Tim Howard for an Everton team that seems to still be finding their stride is a possibility this weekend as well. Howard did not look as sharp as usual in the most recent World Cup Qualifier against Trinidad & Tobago, having been bailed out by the woodwork on one occasion and suffering some miscues in the back at times. Tim is a confident, experienced keeper who takes pride in America's reputation for good play at this position that has developed over the last few years. I think he'll respond with a strong showing.