Posted on 07/08/2017 11:59:46 AM PDT by Berlin_Freeper
Hello darkness, our old friend. The beginning of the Gold Cup for the US sees them facing Panama again.
And in looking ahead to the match-up, which kicks off the Yanks’ campaign on Saturday at Nissan Stadium (4:30 pm ET | FOX and Univision), nobody’s coming in hot or headstrong.
“Panama’s extremely a tough opponent, especially right out of the gate,” said defender Matt Besler, of Sporting Kansas City, on Thursday afternoon, after the US’ last training session at Nashville’s Lipscomb University. “We seem to have played them a lot in recent years, and every single game’s been different, and they’ve all been very tough, physical battles.”
For some at US camp, a tough opponent to start is a little like ripping off a bandage, with a positive result steamrolling into some momentum in a tournament that could be winnable. But, yes, even a draw will definitely require laser focus.
“They’re a very familiar opponent… It feels like we see them every couple months,” said defender Graham Zusi, also of Sporting Kansas City. “They’re a dangerous team. They play the counter pretty well, and their set pieces are very dangerous as well. This is a game we’re gonna have to be locked in for a full 90 minutes.”
(Excerpt) Read more at mlssoccer.com ...
| Group B | G | W | D | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | Gf | Ga | +/- | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  United States |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 |  Panama |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Martinique |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 4 |  Nicaragua |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | -3 | 0 |
USA! USA! USA! USA!
| Group A | G | W | D | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | Gf | Ga | +/- | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Canada |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 |  Costa Rica |
2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 |  Honduras |
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| 4 |  F. Guiana |
2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 1 |
| Group C | G | W | D | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | Gf | Ga | +/- | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Mexico |
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 2 |  Jamaica |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 |  El Salvador |
1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -2 | 0 |
| 4 |  Curaçao |
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
Mexico 0-0 Jamaica: El Tri, Reggae Boyz split points and look toward quarterfinals
| Group C | G | W | D | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | Gf | Ga | +/- | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 2 | Jamaica |
2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | El Salvador |
2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Curaçao |
2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -4 | 0 |
Honduras enter Gold Cup showdown vs. Canada with pressure but also history
Gold Cup Canada 0, Honduras 0
Canada booked their spot into the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals for the first time since 2009 and Honduras inched closer to joining them after the teams played to a 0-0 draw in the final match of Group A at Toyota Stadium Friday night.
Canada go through as the second-place finisher in Group A, while Honduras are currently the top third-place team with four points with two more groups to finish play. The top two third-place finishers advance to the quarterfinals.
| Group A | G | W | D | L | W | D | L | W | D | L | Gf | Ga | +/- | Pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Costa Rica |
3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 7 |
| 2 | Canada |
3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | Honduras |
3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | F. Guiana |
3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | -8 | 0 |
United States needs better 'collective effort' against Nicaragua - Arena
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