USMNT: Reviewing the Win over Honduras in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup

Yesterday's performance against Honduras was about as complete and fun to watch as we've seen from this U.S. Men's National team during the Gold Cup.  There was not much to dislike from their overall game, aside from the poor marking on Honduras' lone goal by Nery Medina. However, the U.S. team countered the opposing team's goal with one of their own only a minute later. The quick answer effectively ended the game as Honduras never really created many dangerous chances from then on even, though they did seem to have more of the possession as the game wore down. That quick answer was also a sign that the U.S. did not become too complacent, allowing Honduras a chance to get back in the game. The poor marking on defense was a small hiccup that was immediately rectified with great work from Clarence Goodson, Alejandro Bedoya and Landon Donovan. Speaking of Landon Donovan, his tournament has become more and more spectacular with each passing game as he remains the creative spark and central force that the offense flows through. Another two goals yesterday, along with the beautiful assist to Eddie Johnson, gives Donovan five goals and seven assists for an incredible tally. His composure ...

Analyzing the USMNT’s Roster Moves Before the 2013 Gold Cup Quarterfinals

As the U.S. men's national team moves on to the quarterfinals to play El Salvador, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann has decided to make several roster changes that seem to create a few new position battles and important decisions for him to make before Sunday's game. The four players that were dropped from the roster are as follows: Herculez Gomez, Oguchi Onyewu, Jack McInerney and Corey Ashe. The four players added are: Omar Gonzalez, Matt Besler, Alan Gordon and Eddie Johnson.  The additions are the main source of intrigue in this transaction due to the fact that three of the four players (Gonzalez, Besler and Johnson) are regarded as "A" team players. Gonzalez and Besler are considered to be the future of the center back position for the U.S. national team, which causes some pondering to be done about the center backs already on the roster for this tournament.  Michael Orozco Fiscal and Clarence Goodson were very efficient and consistent in group play, especially in a difficult match against Costa Rica on Tuesday. The question becomes whether Klinsmann will simply drop them in favor of his preferred pair of center backs, Besler and Gonzalez. These two additions have the potential to rock a boat ...

Who Should Start for the USMNT Against Costa Rica in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup?

With a difficult grudge match looming against Costa Rica today, Jurgen Klinsmann has some decisions to make in order to maintain the confidence and chemistry shown during this seven-game winning streak.  Some of the positions on the field are not in flux, as we can expect Landon Donovan, Nick Rimando and DaMarcus Beasley to all get the starting nod come game time. The former two have been consistently good in the group matches and Beasley seems to be the only real lock on a back line that has delivered mixed results against lackluster teams in Guatemala, Belize and Cuba. Beasley's impressive performances in World Cup Qualifying games are further evidence to justify his starting spot as well. With three spots down, there are eight spots remaining to help bolster the United States' chances of finishing group play undefeated, entering the quarterfinals with an easier opponent, and most surprisingly, improving to a historic team high eight-game winning streak. The surprising element comes with the idea that this group of players for the United States is generally regarded as their "B" team, with some players like Donovan and Chris Wondolowski gaining consideration for the "A" team. If today's match results in a victory, the U.S. Men's National ...