Skip to main content

2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup - July 7th Quick Glance


The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup begins tonight with Group A match play opening the 13th edition of the Gold Cup since its formation in 1991.  This group features a field of team’s headlines by the United States.  Rounding out the group is Panama, Honduras and Haiti.  Here is a look at tonight's matches...

Panama vs. Haiti 
Panama enters the tournament 54th in the FIFA rankings. Los Angeles Galaxy goalkeeper Jaime Penedo will feature in goal for a squad that features two other key players who play in Major League Soccer.  Blas Perez, FC Dallas, and Gabriel Torres, Colorado Rapids, will be tasked with supplying the majority of scoring opportunities.  Panama has an all-time tournament record of 10-9-9 and finished as the 2013 runners up.  This was the second time the nation had fallen to the USA in a Gold Cup Final.

Haiti ranking 75th in the FIFA rankings will look to midfielder Jeff Louis to engineer an early tournament upset.  The exciting 22-year-old plays for Standard Liege of the Belgium first division.  Joining him is forward Kervens Belfort, who has scored an impressive 10 goals in only 18 international appearances.  Haiti will look to improve on their all-time Gold Cup record of 3-4-3, having finished in 4th of Group B in 2013.   

USA vs. Honduras  
The second match features a 2013 Gold Cup Semi-Final rematch.  On July 24th 2013, the United States defeated Honduras 3-1 at AT&T Stadium.  However, this matchup has even deeper historical roots.  The tournament’s inaugural edition, held in 1991, saw them meet in the Gold Cup final with the US emerging victorious.  This game has the potential to be one of the best of the entire group stage.  
 
Midfielder Michael Bradley will lead the United States, currently 27th in the FIFA rankings.  This match will be Bradley’s 100th appearance for the United States.  The roster contains 17 players who featured on the 2014 World Cup roster and 6 who were a part of the 2013 Gold Cup roster.  In their 12 Gold Cup tournament appearances, the US has an all-time record of 48-6-7, having won the most titles in its history.

Honduras who ranks 75th in the FIFA rankings, has made it the Semifinal in four of the five past Gold Cups.  The Honduran roster features three players with over 100 national team appearances.  Leading this trio is goalie Noel Valladares who has been capped 129 times, followed by Maynor Figueroa (117) and Óscar Boniek García (105).   Historically, Honduras has played in 11 Gold Cups with a record of 18-6-17.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Summer Transfer Window 2015 - Premier League Signings To Watch

Here is the link to a downloadable list of all the EPL Transfer so far The 2015 Barclays Premier League summer transfer window is in full swing. With the September 1st deadline slowly moving closer, here are some of the best signings so far... Gerard Deulofeu - Winger - 21 years old     Transfer:   FC Barcelona   ->  Everton  Transfer Fee : 4.2 Million Euros  Deulofeu has blinding pace.  His return to Merseyside will be much welcomed after being loaned to the club in 2013-14.  During his first stay he appeared 25 times, tallying 3 goals.  Sidelined due to injury the flashes of brilliance he displayed when healthy was enough for boss Roberto Martinez to complete this permit transfer without hesitation. In my opinion this may end up being the steal of the transfer window.  If he can stay healthy, the combination of his and Kevin Mirallas speed could easily translate into explosive seasons for the pair.  The luxury...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chelsea Squares vs. Barcelona: 2015 International Champions Cup

The 2015 International Champions Cup has been one of the highlights of the football world this summer.   This Tuesday play will resume in Landover, MD when Chelsea FC takes on FC Barcelona at FedEx Field.   Kicking off at 9:05 p.m. this match features a battle between reigning champions. Chelsea FC is headlined by one of the best current European football stars.   The reining Professional Footballers’ Association Player of the Season Eden Hazard is coming off a stellar season.   Hazard was one of the main cogs in helping Chelsea secure its 4 th Premier League title last season.   The seven time Football Association Cup winners will also showcase Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, who contributed a whopping 18 assists during EPL play last year. Having played twice so far, Chelsea enters the third of four ICC matches with a record of 1-1.   They opened with a shocker, falling 2-4 to Major League Soccer outfit New York Red Bulls.   Chels...
Post a Comment
Read more

Onward To Villa Park - Manchester United vs. Aston Villa Preview

Tottenham…In Short Manchester United topped Tottenham Hotspur at Old Trafford, kicking off the season with a 1-0 victory.   The lone goal came courtesy of Tottenham as Kyle Walker was "credited" with the bizarre own goal.   United got the result, regardless of how, which is the most important take away. New arrivals Matteo Darmain, Memphis Depay, Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastion Schweinsteiger and Sergio Romero all saw action as the high profile signs looked like solid additions. Romero stole the show, making crucial stops in the later stages of the match.   Schneiderlin played well aside Michael Carrick, with the pair combining for a pass completion average of 91.55%.   Memphis and Darmain also had strong performances for United, completing 86.2% and 86.1% respectively in their first starts for United.   In a match that did not see Marouane Fellaini (suspended), Marcos Rojo (rest?) David de Gea and Victor Valdes not suite up…signs moving forward s...
Post a Comment
Read more