USA, Mexico fulfill expectations by meeting in final

July 25, 2009


CHICAGO – The Gold Cup final most were expecting is the one they will get.

The United States will face Mexico in a rematch of the 2007 title game.

The teams will meet in the championship match for the fourth time, this year on Sunday in New York at Giants Stadium.

“It’s the final that everyone wanted to see,” U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. “We expect a difficult game and I think our guys are going to be excited about it.”

The United States will look to defend its title. It beat Mexico 2-1 in 2007 at Soldier Field where Thursday’s doubleheader decided the finalists in different styles.

The United States needed two late goals in each half to muster a 2-0 win over Honduras, their third victory against the Catrachos in the past six weeks.

Both teams have met 15 times with the United States winning 10 and Honduras twice.

Clarence Goodson scored just before halftime via header off a corner kick by Suart Holden, and Kenny Cooper capped the scoring for the Americans in the 90th.

Goodson and Cooper are two players on a roster filled with young talent, mostly from Major League soccer.

It will take on a similarly youthful Mexico team.

Mexico beat Costa Rica but not without late-match drama that included a goal in injury time by Costa Rica’s Froylan Ledezma to send the game into extra time and eventually penalty kicks.

Ledezma had his penalty shootout attempt blocked by Mexican goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa while Mexico converted all of its attempts for a 5-3 result in the shootout.

Costa Rica played Mexico evenly for most of the match.

“I saw a tight game,” Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said. “We neutralized the match but we went into penalty kicks which are a coin toss.”

“What do I think about the United States? I think they live off opponents’ errors, and stack eight in the back and use the clock in their favor. It’s going to be a good test for us. It’s a final we wanted and I’m assuming the fans wanted the same thing.”

By: Ivan Orozco

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Mexico outlasts Costa Rica on penalties, to play USA for Gold Cup

July 24, 2009


CHICAGO – Mexico made it back to in the Gold Cup final, outlasting Costa Rica 5-3 on penalties Thursday after playing to a 1-1 draw.

El Tri advances to its second consecutive final and sixth overall on Sunday, when it will face the United States at Giants Stadium in suburban New York City.

The United States beat Honduras 2-0 in the first of the semifinal doubleheader at Soldier Field.

Forward Carlos Vela converted the fifth and decisive penalty kick to send the crowd of 55,173 into a frenzy and Mexican players into celebration. Vela sent his shot low and to the right-lower corner, but it was Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa’s save that made the difference.

Ochoa blocked Froylan Ledezma’s attempt while diving to his right.

Guillermo Franco, Giovani dos Santos, Gerardo Torrado and Efrain Juarez also converted for El Tri.

Alvaro Sabario, Celso Borges and Christian Oviedo converted penanlty kicks for the Ticos.

Ledezma’S failure came after he sent the match into overtime.

Mexico seemingly had won when Franco came off the bench to score in the 88th minute for Mexico.

But Ledezma, who entered in the 68th minute, sent a blast past Ochoa to equalize three minutes into injury time, briefly silencing the near capacity crowd of 55,173.

Ledezma ran onto a long ball out of the back from Harold Wallace that headed forward by Saborio, who was between two Mexico defenders. He was able to get inside Mexico defender Juan Valenzuela and beat Ochoa to tie the game 1-1.

It appeared Mexico already was in the final when Franco sent in a left-footed shot, that Costa Rica keeper Keilor Navas was able to partially block.

But the ball had enough momentum to bounce and cross the goal line as Navas tried to recover and swat it away.

Franco joined Mexico in Houston after El Tri’s match against Nicaragua in Oakland, when Omar Arellano returned to his club with an ankle injury. Franco was not fit to play.

He was made available Thursday. And he didn’t disappoint.

That was not the case for forward Miguel Sabah.

He missed what could have given El Tri a 56th-minute lead.

Roberto Moreno whistled a penalty kick against Costa Rica for a handball by Freddy Fernandez.

A Jose Castro cross from just outside the penalty box was blocked by Fernandez’ raised right arm.

But Sabah — the tournament’s leading scorer with four goals — sent a weak effort to the right of Navas, who was able to get low and smother the ball.

Franco replaced Sabah in the 71st minute.

Vela, who made his Gold Cup debut in the 81st minute as a substitute for Alberto Medina, had been hampered by an ankle injury. He had a clear shot at goal early in the first half of extra time but couldn’t finish.

He took mis-hit a corss by dos Santos, sending it and sent it wide right.

The Ticos threatened in the second overtime.

Warrren Granados sent a blast from 35 meters with his right foot, but Ochoa was able to block it wide right.

Mexico played without suspended coach Javier Aguirre for a third straight match, who watched from a stadium luxury box but will return for the final.

Assistant Mario Carrillo sat on the bench as Mexico’s coach for the match.

Costa Rica, who played evenly against Mexico for most of the game, attacked early, creating the first opportunity in the opening minute.

Christian Oviedo broke free on the right, but a desperate slide by Mexico defender Efrain Juarez was able to clear the ball nearly off the line

Oviedo also sent a blast from 30 meters, but Ochoa was well positioned to make the save.

Armando Alonso sent a right-footed shot off the upper-left corner of the post and crossbar.

Mexico’s clearest chance in the first half came in the 29th minute when Medina cent a rolling cross from right to left into the penalty area looking for Sabah. Navas intercepted the ball with a dive ending the threat.

By: Ivan Orozco

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Mexico beat Costa Rica on penalties

July 24, 2009


Mexico are through to the final of the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup, having beaten Costa Rica 5-4 on penalties after a 1-1 final result.

Costa Rica were in fact the better side in the opening phase and got close to scoring when Alonso’s shot bounced off the right post on 12 minutes.

From there on, the Mexicans began to gain terrain as a more balanced battle formed at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

In the second half, Mexico even began to dominate and earned a penalty as Costa Rica captain Freddy Fernandez handled the ball in the area. However, Miguael Sabah’s following spot kick was easily saved by keeper Keilor Navas.

But the four-times Gold Cup champions did score what appeared to be the winner with two minutes left in regular time, as some defensive chaos ended with Guillermo Franco striking it home.

It wouldn’t be the end of the game though as Costa Rica levelled three minutes into added time, with a great finish from Froylan Ledezma.

No more goals were scored in extra time and penalties were needed to decide which team was to face the USA in Sunday’s final.

Ledezma, who had saved his team by scoring the equaliser, missed the only penalty in the shoot-out. Carlos Vela scored the decider, leading Mexico to the final.

By: Jonathan Roorda

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Mexico downs Haiti 4-0 with two goals by Sabah

July 20, 2009


ARLINGTON, Texas -Mexico earned the last berth in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals with 4-0 win against Haiti on Sunday, dominating the Caribbean side before a capacity crowd at the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium.

Miguel Sabah scored twice, Giovani dos Santos sent in another and Pablo Barrera added one for El Tri in what was the first sporting event ever held at the new state-of-the-art home of the National Football League club.

The crowd of 82,252 – the third largest for a Gold Cup game in the United States — saw Mexico control possession and earn a match against Costa Rica in Thursday’s semifinals at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Costa Rica beat Guadeloupe 5-1 in the early match.

The doubleheader was not only the first sporting event at the $1.15 billion stadium. It was also the largest soccer crowd in Texas history.

Thousands watched on the giant 180-foot (55-meter) by 50-foot (15-meter) high-definition television screen from standing room only areas scattered throughout the stadium.

The previous state record was a friendly match between Mexican side America and FC Barcelona at Houston’s Reliant stadium in August 2006 with a crowd of 70,550.

The only larger U.S. Gold Cup crowds were the 1998 final at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum between Mexico and the United States (91,255) and the 1996 final (88,155) in Los Angeles between Mexico and Brazil.

And the Mexico partisan crowd Sunday probably left pleased with what it saw on the new artificial turf field.

Mexico, was without coach Javier Aguirre for the second straight game, opened the scoring with a goal by Sabah, his third of the tournament.

Assistant coach Mario Carrillo filled in for Aguirre while he serves a three-match suspension.

Sabah opened the scoring when he sent in the rebound off a missed Israel Castro penalty kick in the 23nd minute. Castro’s shot was blocked by Haiti goalkeeper Jean Zephirin, sending it back into the middle of the penalty box where Sabah was charging in.

He finished the play by poking in the ball with his right foot.

Jamaican referee Courtney Campbell whistled a penalty kick against Haiti when defender Frantz Bertin stopped a Sabah shot with his right hand at the mouth of the goal when Zephirin was already beat.

Bertin’s handball earned him a yellow card.

Sabah’s second goal came in the 63rd minute via a header off a Giovani dos Santos corner kick.

Sabah’s two scores give him the tournament lead with four, one more than Panama’s Blaz Perez. Panama was eliminated by the United States on Saturday.

Sabah could have added another to his total in the 25th minute.

He sent a left-footed shot at an empty net, but Haiti’s Pierre Bruny kept the ball out. Sabah was trying to finish a play that included a Zepherin save on a point-blank Dos Santos shot.

It wouldn’t take too long for dos Santos to send in his first goal of the tournament and his third with Mexico’s senior team.

Dos Santos, a member of Mexico’s 2005 Under-17 World Cup championship team, sent a left-footed blast from the edge of the arc in the 42nd minute past Zepherin for a 2-0 halftime lead.

Barrera, a substitute in the 59th minute, sent a one-time shot off a dos Santos corner kick in the 82nd minute to cap El Tri’s scoring.

Mexico kept attacking a Haiti team, who pressured and tried to close off spaces when El Tri possessed the ball and looked for a chance at a counter attack.

Haiti did manage to move the ball up field on occasion.

Coach Jairo Rios team had its first shot on goal in the 33rd minute when Mones Chery sent a left-footed shot from about 25 meters and had it slapped over the crossbar by Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa.

Haiti moved its lines up in the second half but couldn’t generate clear looks at goal.

By Ivan Orozco

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USA beat Panama in extra time

July 19, 2009


An extra time penalty converted by Kenny Cooper earned the United States a 2-1 win over Panama and a spot in the semi finals of this year’s Gold Cup.

Panama took the lead just before half time when Blas Perez smashed the ball past keeper Perkins, but a powerful shot from Beckerman levelled the score four minutes after the interval.

Extra time was needed in Philadelphia, where the USA slowly began to control the pitch.

After 15 minutes in extra time, a Torres foul on Holden had referee Archundia call for a penalty. Substitute Kenny Cooper struck it home with goalkeeper Penedo unable to get his hands to the ball.

The United States play their semi final match against Honduras on Thursday, at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

By: Jonathan Roorda

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Quaranta, Ching give USA 2-0 victory over Honduras

July 9, 2009


WASHINGTON -Santino Quaranta struck in the 75th minute to beat Honduran goalkeeper Donis Escobar inside the near post, lifting the United States to a 2-0 win against Honduras in a clash of Group B titans Wednesday night at RFK Stadium.

Brian Ching headed home an insurance goal four minutes later for the United States, which moved to the verge of the quarterfinals with six points atop Group B.

It was the fourth victory for the United States in as many meetings against Honduras in Gold Cup history. The Americans also defeated Honduras in a World Cup qualifier 2-1 a month ago at Chicago’s Soldier Field, the site of the Gold Cup semifinals.

The atmosphere at RFK Stadium was electric, as long before the opening kick the partisan Honduran crowd chanted and waved flags. The majority fans sung as one when the national anthem of Honduras was played.

But nobody knows RFK better than Quaranta, the D.C. United midfielder who broke a tense scoreless tie with his first international goal. Benny Feilhaber fed Charlie Davies inside the box and the forward laid the ball square to Quaranta, who ran onto the ball and struck from the top of the area to beat Escobar with a low, hard shot.

Four minutes later, Ching took a cross from Steve Cherundolo and powerfully headed it into the net from eight yards to seal the win for the United States and send the American fans into a frenzy.

While there was no scoring in the first half, there was plenty of drama.

Quaranta missed a diving header from 12 yards, sending it wide of the far post in the 15th minute.

Four minutes later, Walter Martinez was played in on Troy Perkins with a long ball over the top, but the American goalkeeper did well to come off his line and snag the attempt.

In the 22nd minute, Kyle Beckerman played Ching through and the forward had Escobar beat, but his chip was cleared off the line by a Honduran defender.

Martinez had the best chance of the first half on the half-hour mark, getting behind the U.S. backline and running in alone on Perkins. But the Honduran captain took a touch and went near post, putting his shot off the outside netting from 14 yards.

Four minutes later, Heath Pearce lofted a cross from the left and found an unmarked Freddy Adu, but his downward header from eight yards was saved.

The United States nearly capitalized on a Honduran defensive gaffe when Pearce pounced on a ball after Honduran defender Nery Medina tripped. The American left back crossed into the box, where Adu took a touch before Ching missed with a side volley in the 51st minute.

In the 64th minute, U.S. coach Bob Bradley made a pair of changes, bringing on Feilhaber for Logan Pause and Davies for Adu. Some 11 minutes later, those moves would prove quite fruitful.

Davies nearly had an unusual winner in the 71st minute as he leapt to block Escobar’s attempted clearance and the ball spun toward the open net before the Honduran goalkeeper recovered and pounced on it.

Both teams travel to Boston and will play the final game of the group stage on Saturday with Honduras facing Grenada and the U.S. taking on Haiti at Gillette Stadium.

By Dylan Butler

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USA rallies to beat Honduras 2-1, extends home streak against CONCACAF opponents

June 7, 2009


CHICAGO – Carlos Bocanegra scored his 11th international goal in the 68th minute to give the United States a 2-1 victory over El Salvador on Saturday, recovering from its loss three days earlier in CONCACAF World Cup qualifying.

After being beaten 3-1 by Costa Rica in San Jose on Wednesday, the Americans played more aggressively before a near capacity home crowd of 55,647 in Chicago’s Soldier Field and kept pace with the Ticos in the final round standings after five games. The United States improved to 10 points and remained in second place, two behind Costa Rica.

Honduras remained with four points after four games.

Bocanegra scored from Landon Donovan’s corner kick, lunging headfirst inside the six-yard box to nod a headed ball from Clint Dempsey at the backpost.

Three countries will qualify automatically for the 32-team World Cup next year in South Africa, while the  fourth-place team will enter a playoff with the fifth-place team from South America for the final berth.

Bocanegra’s goal completed the United States’ rally from an early deficit once again. After falling behind 2-0 in the first 13 minutes against Costa Rica, the USA fell behind in the fifth minute on a goal by Carlos Costly.

Carlos Pavon dispossessed Dempsey in midfield and quickly closed on goal. Approaching the penalty area, Pavon lost his balance, but not before slipping the ball left to Costly, who drove a shot from 25 yards just inside the left post.

Neither side created many quality chances in the first half, but the United States had slightly better possession and it paid dividends in the 43rd when Mario Beata was called for a handball on a long pass out of the back that bounced.

Donovan converted for his 11th goal in World Cup qualifying, passing Brian McBride for the all-time lead.

With the insertion of 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup hero Benny Feilhaber to start the second half, the Americans dominated possession and looked dangerous repeatedly, culminating with Bocanegra’s goal.

The Americans next head to South Africa to play in the Confederations Cup, while Honduras will return home to face El Salvador on Wednesday in another World Cup qualifier.

The victory extended the United States’ home unbeaten streak against CONCACAF opponents to 53 games, including 43 wins. The last time it lost at home within the region was against Honduras, 3-2 in Washington in September 2001.

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Gold Cup to be played in record 13 different U.S. cities July 3-26

March 9, 2009

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NEW YORK – The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup will be played in a record 13 different U.S. cities, opening at The Home Depot Center in Los Angeles on Friday, July 3 and concluding with the championship match Sunday, July 26 at Giants Stadium outside New York.

The 13 cities are more than twice than the number previously used for the continental championship and shy of only the 1982 FIFA World Cup in Spain and the 2002 FIFA World Cup, which used 10 venues each in Japan and South Korea. The 1994 FIFA World Cup in the United States was played in nine different venues.

“By expanding the Gold Cup to 13 venues, it will give fans more opportunity to experience the championship in person,” CONCACAF President Jack Warner said.

The Gold Cup will make its first appearance in four cities: Columbus, Ohio; Phoenix; Philadelphia and Washington. A Gold Cup quarterfinal will be the first sporting event to be played at the Dallas Cowboys New Stadium.

Each venue will host one doubleheader except for the final at Giants Stadium, with the quarterfinals set for Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (Saturday, July 18) and Dallas (Sunday, July 19), and the semifinals at Soldier Field in Chicago (Thursday, July 23).

Besides Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus (July 7), RFK Stadium in Washington (July 8) and the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona (July 12), other first-round venues include: Qwest Field in Seattle (July 4), Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California (July 5), Reliant Stadium in Houston (July 9), FIU Stadium in Miami (July 10), and Gillette Stadium in the Boston suburb of Foxborough, Massachusetts (July 11).

“While 13 cities create logistical challenges, we think the benefits of reaching out to more venues are clearly worthwhile,” CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer said. “The ability of so many people to see national teams play we feel is well worth the effort.”

The tournament will use the same format as in 2005 and 2007, with the 12-team field divided into three, four-team groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals along with the two best third-place teams.

The three first-round groups for the qualifiers: Canada, Mexico and the United States from the North Zone; Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua from Central America; and Jamaica, Grenada, Guadeloupe and Haiti from the Caribbean, and schedule will be announced at a later time.

Haiti was approved on Sunday by the Caribbean Football Union congress to replace Cuba, which had qualified but withdrew citing developmental concerns. Haiti won a draw with Trinidad & Tobago to claim the fourth and final berth from the Caribbean.

The Gold Cup was played in six different cities in its two most recent editions, including two stadia in Los Angeles in 2005 (the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and The Home Depot Center ).

This will be the second time Giants Stadium has staged the final and first since 2005. Miami will see the Gold Cup for the seventh straight time, although it will be the first time at FIU Stadium, while the Los Angeles area will stage matches for the eighth time in 10 tournaments.

Games will be played on modern synthetic surfaces in four stadiums: Qwest Field, FIU Stadium, Gillette Stadium and the New Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Grass will be laid over the existing surface for the final in Giants Stadium.

Groups and a full schedule as well as ticket information will be available in the coming weeks.

SCHEDULE

First Round

July 3 – The Home Depot Center (Los Angeles)

July 4 – Qwest Field (Seattle)

July 5 – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (San Francisco)

July 7 – Crew Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)

July 8 – Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (Washington)

July 9 – Reliant Stadium (Houston)

July 10 – Florida International University Stadium (Miami)

July 11 – Gillette Stadium (Boston)

July 12 – University of Phoenix Stadium (Phoenix)

Quarterfinals

July 18 – Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)

July 19 –Dallas Cowboys New Stadium (Dallas)

Semifinals

July 23 – Soldier Field (Chicago)

Final

July 26 – Giants Stadium (New York)

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