So far, after winning the CONCACAF Nations League—on 6-18-23—over Canada, the USMNT is sailing through the Gold Cup.
United States vs. Jamaica
6-24-23
CONCACAF Gold Cup
1-1
This Jamaican team was better than others of recent years. A tough opponent for the US and a 1-1 draw about summed it up.
United States vs. Saint Kitts and Nevis
6-28-23
CONCACAF Gold Cup
6-0
This is why I love CONCACAF. Who in their right mind has heard of Saint Kitts and Nevis? Then you remember: “Wait a second, I think we played them years ago” or “Was that Martinique?” but the memory is hazy because it is, after all, Saint Kitts and Nevis and you have a hard time pronouncing the “Nevis” part. There was a classic win for the USMNT in the 1998 Gold Cup over Brazil—that had Taffarel and Romario—off the foot of Preki that resulted in a 1-0 historic victory. Kasey Keller—in goal—was huge that game and received a great compliment from Romario, as a result. You see, that’s a game to remember…because it’s Brazil. No one is talking about a game versus Saint Kitts and Nevis from 1978, etc. That’s the beauty of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It’s a very small dual-island—FYI—in the Caribbean. In fact, because it’s such an underdog soccer-nation, with a population of around 47,000, that makes it all the more interesting to watch. The population of the US? Approximately 333 million. And watch I did. The score was a predictable 6-0 goal-fest from the US. To give some perspective, This Is Our CITY covers soccer in and around St. Louis: the capitol of American soccer. There are many towns—suburbs, that is—that have a population of 40,000. For instance, a town near St. Louis, Belleville, IL, where Jimmy Connors is from, has a population of around 41,000. Essentially, the USMNT—333 million strong—just played Belleville. The amazing world of CONCACAF.
United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago
7-2-23
CONCACAF Gold Cup
6-0
Trinidad—whose population is around 1.5 million—usually gives a better game. The key word here is “usually” because the score was astronomical and the result was pretty much the same: overwhelming US domination.
Players to watch, with crafty skill, for the US: Sonora, Zendejas and Ferreira.
The big game against Canada is upcoming, tomorrow.
United States vs. Canada
7-9-23
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Quarter-final
More to come, stay tuned...