Soccer Buzz

Thoughts from the US 2-1 win over Mexico in the Gold Cup final.

• Although we all enjoy beating Mexico 2-0, it was nice to see the Americans show that they can come from behind against a good opponent. The timing of Mexico’s goal (just before halftime) had the potential to be a psychological killer, but the US came out of halftime ready to play, producing a flurry of chances in the first five minutes of the second half.

• The United State also showed that they can beat higher quality opponents by playing an attacking. Mexican players and coaches loved to complain that the US only played a counterattacking style and was too afraid to open up their game. This was not the case Sunday as the United States created chances throughout the match. Mexico had the advantage in corner kicks, but Oswaldo Sanchez had a much busier day in goal than Tim Howard as the Mexican keeper made numerous good saves to keep the Americans scoreless for 61 minutes.

• The United States also showed that they could respond to pressure. It was obvious that the USSF’s main goal this summer was to win the Gold Cup to win a spot in the 2009 Confederations Cup. A loss would have resulted in some seriously bruised egos not only from losing to Mexico but also from sending a bunch of youngsters to Copa America with a tremendous amount of pressure to perform. With a Gold Cup victory, these younger players (and Bob Bradley) can relax and focus on playing their best in Venezuela.

• Speaking of pressure, before the game, Landon Donovan (who is fluent in Spanish) ripped the Mexican team in an interview with ESPN Deportes. He said that the US is El Tri’s daddy (what he actually said), and he also called out Oswaldo Sanchez, essentially calling him a jerk. It was fitting that Donovan was the one taking the penalty to tie the game against Sanchez. Sanchez tried every psychological tactic he could muster (trash talking, blowing kisses, dancing around before the penalty), but Donovan walked the walk and buried the PK.

• Bob Bradley showed that he is the man for the job. He was criticized for his late game management earlier in the tournament, but he got everything right yesterday. Putting on Ricardo Clark at the half was a great move as it added offensive talent without unbalancing the midfield. I’m a big fan of Clark, and I hope we see more of him in the future.

• Tim Howard showed that he could make the huge saves when he stopped Bofo Bautista from point blank range in the dying minutes of the game. He wasn’t under constant fire, but he delivered when he had to.

• Can we please finish off teams? Brian Ching, who otherwise had a great game, made a great play to find an open net with the US up 2-1, but his off-balance shot hit the post. Not to be outdone, DaMarcus Beasley somehow missed an open net from six yards out with only a few minutes left when Donovan put the ball on a silver platter for him. Mexico was very lucky to have any chance at all to tie this game.

• Still, the same old tired excuses were being trotted out from the Mexican locker room. Coach Hugo Sanchez, like several previous Mexican managers, claimed that his team “deserved a better result”. This is the excuse after every American victory over Mexico, and if a US victory was a somewhat rare occurrence, I could possibly understand. However, in the last ten meetings between these teams, Mexico has lost seven of them, but Mexican coaches (and often players) would have us believe that this is just luck. Perhaps Mexico should seriously consider the possibility that we might be better than them and figure out what they need to change in order to reverse the trend of American dominance. Maybe if they treat games against the United States the way they treat games against Brazil and Argentina, there’s a chance they would fare better against the us. However, I don’t think Mexican players, fans, coaches, and soccer honchos can break out of what Eric Wynalda called the “permanent state of denial”. Sorry, Mexico, but as Ric Flair says, “to be the man, you gotta beat the man. WOOOOOO!!!!”

• Speaking of Hugo Sanchez, he’s lucky that Copa America is starting so soon after the Gold Cup or else he might be out of a job. This blowhard did nothing but rip former coach Ricardo Lavolpe for not getting results. Now, he’s the one losing the United States, and he doesn’t seem to have a grasp on managing the national team. Of his many tactical mistakes throughout the tournament, though, I’d have to say his worst was wearing a hot pink polo shirt under a black jacket. Seriously, that was ridiculous.

• One more thing… Benny Feilhaber’s game winner…WOW

Que golazo!!!