Gold Cup Thread: USA vs Honduras....

[War Machine Dawg]

US Starting 11: Guzan, Chandler, Brooks, Alvarado, Johnson, Beckerman, Yedlin, Zardes, Bradley, Dempsey, Altidore.

Guzman with a nice save early to keep the game level. Tied at nil, 5:30 into the game.

[TheRef]

Honduras is pushing and playing the counter. Gotta keep control and not make silly turnovers if we want to have hope tonight. It's group stage, but we are the heavy favorite.

[TheRef]

Also, a reminder. Mexico and Honduras played a friendly in Houston that almost turned into a brawl towards the end of the game. They also broke the collarbone of Mexico's best player Chicharito. They play quick and dirty.

[TheRef]

Very light officiating....SUPER light officiating. You touch a guy and he blows the whistle. Not the way to officiate a match.

[TheRef]

Wow....totally not yellow card worthy and horrible officiating. If you're going to call a foul on one end, you need to call it on the other.

[War Machine Dawg]

This guy is a completely clown. Why the **** is someone so inexperienced assigned to this game? Honduras is kicking our ass so far. Much more aggressive. We look slow and lazy.

[TheRef]

GOALLLLLL!!!! DEMSPEYYYYYYYYYY!!!!! 1-0 USA 25'

[War Machine Dawg]

GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!! CLINT DEMPSEY!!!!

[War Machine Dawg]

Hell yeah, nice effort there. Good cross in from Bradley, solid attempt by Altidore saved, then Dempsey heads in the rebound. Time to pick up the pace now. We've got to start playing faster on the whole.

[War Machine Dawg]

Amazing what scoring a goal can do. We look a whole lot better now. Faster, more aggressive, more confident and decisive. Wish we could learn how to play like this before we score.

[TheRef]

They practically pulled down Jozy as he was going in there.

[RDawg90]

Meaningless Competition

[TheRef]

Meaningless Competition

Actually it's for a guaranteed spot in the Olympics and possibly a guaranteed bid for the World Cup if we win it two years in a row.

[War Machine Dawg]

They practically pulled down Jozy as he was going in there.

And no foul/penalty. This official suuuuuuucks.

Damn, I thought Yedlin had a goal there. Nice save from the Honduras keeper, though.

[TheRef]

And no foul/penalty. This official suuuuuuucks.

Damn, I thought Yedlin had a goal there. Nice save from the Honduras keeper, though.

Honduras is good, no doubt. They just play Central American football and we play USA soccer. Two different styles of play.

[RDawg90]

Actually it's for a guaranteed spot in the Olympics and possibly a guaranteed bid for the World Cup if we win it two years in a row.

A guaranteed spot in the World Cup? Come again buddy, thats what World Cup Qualifiers are for. Also, Olympic soccer is also meaningless.

[War Machine Dawg]

A guaranteed spot in the World Cup? Come again buddy, thats what World Cup Qualifiers are for. Also, Olympic soccer is also meaningless.

Uhhhh.....only if you fail to win the Gold Cup two years in a row. Qualifiers are the hard way to get in.

ETA: Any time you put the "USA" on your chest, it means something. Especially when Olympic medals are on the line. I'd be ecstatic if we could medal in soccer at the Olympics, because we'd have to finish ahead of one of the "big 3" in Germany, Spain, and Brazil.

[TheRef]

A guaranteed spot in the World Cup? Come again buddy, thats what World Cup Qualifiers are for. Also, Olympic soccer is also meaningless.

Sorry...the FIFA Confederations Cup is the bid I was speaking of. Which is basically a World Cup primer tournament on location of the World Cup. So if we win the Gold Cup this year, then we will have an automatic bid to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

[RDawg90]

Sorry...the FIFA Confederations Cup is the bid I was speaking of. Which is basically a World Cup primer tournament on location of the World Cup. So if we win the Gold Cup this year, then we will have an automatic bid to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup.

Glorified scrimmages….

[TheRef]

SERIOUSLY? No yellow card on the Honduras player? Really? Wow....pathetic officiating. Absolutely pathetic.

[TheRef]

Glorified scrimmages….

It's an 8 team tournament of the best of the best. The best teams of each federation (6 federations total), the defending World Cup team, and the host team. So no...it's not a glorified scrimmage.

[War Machine Dawg]

SERIOUSLY? No yellow card on the Honduras player? Really? Wow....pathetic officiating. Absolutely pathetic.

There is no way an official with only 2 international games under his belt should have been assigned this game. Everyone knew how physical it was going to be. A seasoned official should have been assigned.

[TheRef]

There is no way an official with only 2 international games under his belt should have been assigned this game. Everyone knew how physical it was going to be. A seasoned official should have been assigned.

I agree....pathetic call by CONCACAF

[smootness]

A guaranteed spot in the World Cup? Come again buddy, thats what World Cup Qualifiers are for. Also, Olympic soccer is also meaningless.

Eh, I like Olympic soccer.

In your view, what tournament other than the World Cup is not meaningless?

[TheRef]

HE PUSHED OFF OF HIM! HOW IS THAT NOT A 17'N FOUL? HOW? HOW?

[RDawg90]

It's an 8 team tournament of the best of the best. The best teams of each federation (6 federations total), the defending World Cup team, and the host team. So no...it's not a glorified scrimmage.


United States/Mexico (Average), Australia (Average at best), Russia (Slightly above average), Germany (World Class), Chile (Above Average), Ivory Coast (Average, In transition by 2017), European Champion (Probably very good), Oceania qualifier (Below Average/Well Below Average).

Different strokes for different folks, but its a series of scrimmages with at most two legitimate World Cup threats and 6 average/below average teams.

[War Machine Dawg]

Holy ****!!!!!!!!! How is that push off on Yedlin not a yelow card?!

[War Machine Dawg]

HE PUSHED OFF OF HIM! HOW IS THAT NOT A 17'N FOUL? HOW? HOW?

There is no way you can miss that. It happened in the open field in the box with almost no one around them. **** this piece of shit!!!

[RDawg90]

Eh, I like Olympic soccer.

In your view, what tournament other than the World Cup is not meaningless?

Copa America and the Euros are high level, and the African Cup of Nations isn't bad… Other than that, every other continental championship is basically two/three average teams filled with average players beating up on a field of really poor teams until they play each other in the final.

[TheRef]

There is no way you can miss that. It happened in the open field in the box with almost no one around them. **** this piece of shit!!!

He was staring right at it. He's scared....he's scared shitless.

[BulldogDX55]

Copa America and the Euros are high level, and the African Cup of Nations isn't bad… Other than that, every other continental championship is basically two/three average teams filled with average players beating up on a field of really poor teams until they play each other in the final.

Why are you even in this thread if you are going to complain about the level of competition?


He was staring right at it. He's scared....he's scared shitless.

We've met. You know I am a novice soccer fan. Even I could see that was a shit non call.

[TheRef]

We've met. You know I am a novice soccer fan. Even I could see that was a shit non call.

When a novice observer can tell that something is an obvious call, that's pretty bad bruh.

[War Machine Dawg]

He was staring right at it. He's scared....he's scared shitless.

Worst part is that it wasn't even a subtle bump off with the forearm. He used both hands and shoved Yedlin so hard he was lifted off his feet. Un-****ing-believable. This official's sphincter is so tight, it might pop at any second.

[War Machine Dawg]

Why are you even in this thread if you are going to complain about the level of competition?



We've met. You know I am a novice soccer fan. Even I could see that was a shit non call.

+1 for me too. That said, with all the EPL, Champions League, and USMNT soccer I watched this season, combined with the amount of FIFA I've played the last 6 months, I've gotten a whole lot better at recognizing fouls. Still wouldn't consider myself as anything more than a novice, though.

[BulldogDX55]

+1 for me too. That said, with all the EPL, Champions League, and USMNT soccer I watched this season, combined with the amount of FIFA I've played the last 6 months, I've gotten a whole lot better at recognizing fouls. Still wouldn't consider myself as anything more than a novice, though.

Kinda funny how the two guys assigned to a relegated team are sticking around.

[TheRef]

Kinda funny how the two guys assigned to a relegated team are sticking around.

Brothers in arms, right?

[TheRef]

According to the broadcast, the whole US squad was speaking their minds to the ref as he came back onto the pitch.

[War Machine Dawg]

According to the broadcast, the whole US squad was speaking their minds to the ref as he came back onto the pitch.

Nice. Hopefully he'll get his shit together this half.

[BulldogDX55]

Nice. Hopefully he'll get his shit together this half.

Or deliberately do worse, because he is a wuss.

[TheRef]

Or deliberately do worse, because he is a wuss.

He's a Mexican referee.

[War Machine Dawg]

Kinda funny how the two guys assigned to a relegated team are sticking around.

No doubt. Hopefully Hull can bounce right back up to the EPL and only spend one season in the Championship. I did notice there have been several attempts from Norwich, I think, to buy Robbie Brady. Going to be interesting to see who Hull gets rid of between now and the transfer deadline to shed payroll. Personally, I'd move Huddlestone. He did nothing to impress me last season.

[TheRef]

No doubt. Hopefully Hull can bounce right back up to the EPL and only spend one season in the Championship. I did notice there have been several attempts from Norwich, I think, to buy Robbie Brady. Going to be interesting to see who Hull gets rid of between now and the transfer deadline to shed payroll. Personally, I'd move Huddlestone. He did nothing to impress me last season.

We got rid of Nigel Pearson.....so he's available. Fans are LIVID

[smootness]

Copa America and the Euros are high level, and the African Cup of Nations isn't bad? Other than that, every other continental championship is basically two/three average teams filled with average players beating up on a field of really poor teams until they play each other in the final.

Uh...ok...

[War Machine Dawg]

We got rid of Nigel Pearson.....so he's available. Fans are LIVID

Ouch. I just hope we hold onto Andy Robertson. There has been a ton of interest around him. Still don't know why Bruce didn't play him more last season. That's one of the only real gripes I have with how Bruce managed last season.

[War Machine Dawg]

Wondolowski on for Altidore.

[TheRef]

Chris Wondolowski in for Jozy Altidore

Good sub, IMO.

[BulldogDX55]

No doubt. Hopefully Hull can bounce right back up to the EPL and only spend one season in the Championship. I did notice there have been several attempts from Norwich, I think, to buy Robbie Brady. Going to be interesting to see who Hull gets rid of between now and the transfer deadline to shed payroll. Personally, I'd move Huddlestone. He did nothing to impress me last season.

Yeah, before the season, my research showed that Huddlestone was supposed to be a star, but I think I saw while watching the final match of the season that he didn't score a single goal all year.

Really, the main reason we go relegated is because around the fifth game or so, after a pretty strong start, I think we had like three starters go down with injuries in the same game. I was receiving the updates on my phone. It was brutal.

[TheRef]

Evans for Chandler.

[TheRef]

DEMPSEYYYYYY AGAIN!!!!! 2-0 USA 64'

[War Machine Dawg]

Dempsey strikes aGAIN!!!!!

[BulldogDX55]

Man, the FSGo feed is like 5 minutes behind you guys. I refreshed this page and thought to myself, "Oh cool! Dempsey is going to score in...3 minutes! Fun!"

[War Machine Dawg]

Yeah, before the season, my research showed that Huddlestone was supposed to be a star, but I think I saw while watching the final match of the season that he didn't score a single goal all year.

Really, the main reason we go relegated is because around the fifth game or so, after a pretty strong start, I think we had like three starters go down with injuries in the same game. I was receiving the updates on my phone. It was brutal.

No question about it, DX. Injuries absolutely gutted us. Lost Snodgrass, who we paid big money for in the summer transfer window, for the season in just the first game. Lost Jelavic for 6+ weeks twice. Lost Dawson for about 6 weeks. Same for Abel Hernandez. Ben Arfa never contributed and got cut midseason. Lost Mo Diame for the season about halfway through and he had been our best player to that point. It was brutal.

[TheRef]

Man, the FSGo feed is like 5 minutes behind you guys. I refreshed this page and thought to myself, "Oh cool! Dempsey is going to score in...3 minutes! Fun!"

Hey...if you're in Starkville, Dave's is showing the match.

[TheRef]

Well crap....

[BulldogDX55]

Hey...if you're in Starkville, Dave's is showing the match.

I am, but there is like 20 minutes remaining. Not quite worth it.

[TheRef]

I am, but there is like 20 minutes remaining. Not quite worth it.

Dave's will be showing every match since they are the American Outlaws location for Starkville. So if there's a USA National Team match, you can watch it there.

[BulldogDX55]

Dave's will be showing every match since they are the American Outlaws location for Starkville. So if there's a USA National Team match, you can watch it there.

Oh, I know. Jack has been badgering me to join.

[TheRef]

Oh, I know. Jack has been badgering me to join.

Cool discounts if you do, and you know that. :P

[TheRef]

U.S. Soccer
@ussoccer
A sold-out crowd of 22,357 in Frisco is seeing an entertaining Gold Cup opener! #ThankYouFans

[TheRef]

If I'm Jurgen Kilnsmann after this match, I'm bringing out some whoopass to get this team back mentally. They are not mentally there and it's showing.

[TheRef]

FT: United States 2 - 1 Honduras

Will face off against Haiti in Foxborough, MA on Friday.

USA is currently riding a 23-game home unbeaten streak. Longest streak in team history.

[War Machine Dawg]

Yeah, we got a whole lot of work to do still. I still say I'd put Altidore on the bench and move Zardes up to striker. Back line needs some work too. They got caught out of position way too often. But my biggest gripe is still how slow we tend to play. We've got to get faster somehow.

[ghostofjackie]

Yeah, we got a whole lot of work to do still. I still say I'd put Altidore on the bench and move Zardes up to striker. Back line needs some work too. They got caught out of position way too often. But my biggest gripe is still how slow we tend to play. We've got to get faster somehow.

It's unbelievable how slow we play and still win games. I saw some signs of good soccer in the second half but most of the game our attack looked out of sync and the defense looked lazy.