USA flop in the 2017 HEX

         

  

The USA national team will NOT be going to the 2018 World Cup. The USA fans are upset since they play in the lowly CONCACAF region. The CONCACAF is a joke of a federation with the corruption, bad calls and the other nations that play there. I hate CONCACAF right now and i want change.

The last Gold Cup was uninteresting, boring and predictable. The USA had huge advantages with crazy rules off adding players and playing at home.

The easiest way for businesses are to be successful is copy another successful business and just do it better. Well we do not have to look any further than UEFA and mimic what they do to promote soccer in this area.

CONCACAF must combine with CONMEBOL and play more meaningful games. We have to create our own Nations League for national teams and play every year with promotion and relegation.
We have to have a 16 team copa america with qualification. This qualification will breath life into stagnant nations and bring meaning full games.

Then have World Cup qualification with CONMEBOL.

Sunil Gulati has to lead the USA ---out of what will be a 5 year lul until the World Cup 2022.

USA in 4th in the HEX

   The USA gained 4 points of a possible 6 during their last 2 games. The good news is; they beat and tied the two teams they will be fighting, for the 4 automatic qualifying spots. (Honduras and Panama)

        The top 3 team in the HEX qualify for the World Cup directly. The 4th place team goes into a playoff against the Asian Federation's 5th place.  

The USA remaining schedule:

June 8th                  Trinidad & Tobago @ USA        W
June 11th                 USA    @    Mexico                    L  maybe a tie

Sept 1st                Costa Rica @ USA                      W maybe a tie
Sept   5th              USA           @  Honduras               T

The USA has some nice competitive games coming up. They should beat Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago, especially with out the influence of the corrupt Jack Warner behind the scenes and his corrupt influence. T&T are big and fast but lack overall talent to run with the Yanks. in the states.

The USA then travels to Mexico where it is near impossible to win or get a favorable call there. However Mexico did beat my Yanks in the USA and the USA could play with payback in mind. They should be playing with confidence and much more desperate than the Aztec's. The Aztec's hopefully will have an unblemished record at this point and will be playing for pride. 
-----
   
-- The next 2 games are against Central American foes....more on those this summer.

But all us yank fans can breath a sigh of relief after gaining 4 points and watching the usa team play. They have always been a solid defensive team to break down and have tall trees (Brooks, Gonzo,

HEX updates

   Mexico, USA and Trinidad and Tobago all won their games yesterday. Lets start with the leaders Mexico,

Mexico is comfortably in the lead with 7 points. They have beaten their top competition USA (away) and now Costa Rica. Mexico can go into cruse control now.

The USA got a huge win over Honduras 6-0. Thats right 6-0 and they looked that good. The US just has to place in the top 3 so victories over Panama, Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago are a must. The USA now will play the hugly important game in Panama -Tuesday night. A win here willl have the jump over 3rd place Panama. A tie will keep the HEX tight but still manageable. The USA would have to win all games at home and match any away win against Panama. A loss will see Panama pull 4 points ahead of the states and create doubt in every USA fans mind. The USA will NOT get any calls in Panama and just might get a few calls against playing in Central America. Every team has to deal with that.

Panama lost a tight game away to Trinidad and Tobago. Panama will still be confident since they already beat Honduras 1-0 in Honduras and they tied Perennial power Mexico 0-0 in Panama. Panama wants to get over the hump....which is USA. They have already tied the USA in the USA 0-0 in the important Gold Cup 2015. Then they beat the USA in the 3rd place game in a penalty shootout. They know they can beat the states, they just have to execute Tuesday night in Panama city. This is the big game of the HEX on Tuesday.

Next games   March 28th Tuesday Night

USA @ Panama:    The big game to determine the 3rd team in the HEX. Panama will give the yanks everything they have. The USA has to play compact and look to counter strike where they are most dangerous. These 2 team are presently fighting for the all important 3rd place.


Costa Rica @ Honduras:      The big Central American clash. Honduras is the Central American Champs and do not want to lose face after getting thrashed in the USA. Costa Rica will find Honduras a tad technically lower than Mexico and they will not want to lose 2 games in a row.

Mexico @ Trinidad and Tobago. Mexico is the best nation in the HEX. T&T almost lost points to Panama, Mexico will not miss on any opertunities T&T give them. Mexico should solidify 1st place here  and T&T will be virtually knocked out.

U-20 ,World Cup draw. USA, Ecuador, Senegal and Saudi Arabia

The United States will play Ecuador, Senegal and Saudi Arabia in the first round of the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea.

    The USA looked good here in this group, for the fact there are not perennial powers like Germany, Spain, Italy, Argentina or Brazil to contend with. 

The USA has fast athletic players and the midfield are starting to dribble through the middle like other top talented teams do. 


below are the groups.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_FIFA_U-20_World_Cup

USA win their first ever U-20 World Championship.

United States beat Honduras to win the CONCACAF U20 Championship in San Jose, Costa Rica. The USA looked much faster and had more scoring chances. The USA deserved to win.

The good news is the USA already qualified for the U-20 FIFA world Cup in South Korea later year. The FIFA World Cup will start 20 May – 11 June 2017.


The USA has had a phenomenal year so far. USA U-20 "World Juniors" won the 2017 
tournament by stunning heavy favorites Canada.

The USA Eagles (Rugby union) finally won their first Championship. They
won the Americas Rugby Championship. They tied the 
favorite Argentina XV and like hockey, the game was in 
Argentina. This was great for USA union Rugby (15 per side)

Now the U-20 makes it 3  out of 3 Big Championships in 2017.

The 3 remaining "Big tournaments"..will first be the FIFA U-20 World Cup,
the the CONCACAF Gold Cup and finally the World Cup of Rugby 
Rugby League World Cup (13 per side) later in the year.

USA reaches CONCACAF U-20 Final and qualifies for FIFA World Cup

Team USA U-20 team in the U-20 OCNCACAF in Costa Rica. 

    Well here are your future stars. The U-20 team put in a pretty good performance with a 2-1 won over El Salvador. The game got very chippy which some bad fouls mostly given by the frustrated El Salvador's near the end.

   In was the USA who had to much talent and were to difficult to be broken down defensively. El Salvador had to win by a big margin to make the final and even qualify for the World Cup...so naturally the USA played keep away and El Salvador frustration grew. 

   The USA won the game 2-1 on 2 very nice goals. The USA will play Honduras for the Championship tomorrow. The USA has never won the u-20 Championship since the format change created the Title game. They did however reach the final twice in 2009, 2013.

CONCACAF U-20 Championship 2017

CONCACAF_U-20_Championship#Classification_stage

   The USA has made the Classification Stage. The top 2 teams in each of these groups will qualify for the 2017 FIFA U-20 World Cup in South Korea. That is always the top goal for the USA. I and the fans however want a championship and want the U-20 to get better each cycle.

    What I want is the USA playing regularly for the Championship. The USA should be the Germany of CONCACAF. The US is placed in a group with perennial power Mexico and Group C winner El Salvador.

   There is no taking it easy now. Their first game is against Mexico who have dominated this age group. Mexico has 13 titles and the USA have none. This match starts tomorrow...


The USA does have talent on the team.

USA update CONCACAF U-20 Championship

     We have to wait til next month for the WCQ matches against Honduras and Panama, but they are only 2 games. This summer we have the very entertaining, exciting and growing Gold Cup. So for now we rely on out junior teams to get us through the international drought.
    The U-20 Tournament is in full swing in the tropical Costa Rica. The USA is only 1-1 after dropping their first match against pesky Panama. The USA should easily get past Saint Kitts and Nevis but as on now they would need underdog Haiti beat PAnama and create a 3 way tie for first. IF that happens - USA better not just dominate Saint K but put many goals past the overmatch island.


IF the USA places second which is the most realistic outcome, they have powerful Mexico who won their Group A and El Salvador who won group B waiting in the next round. We can wait to see what happens today before we get into that.

Go USA

Concacaf U-20 Championship (Feb 17th - March)

CONCACAF U-20 Championship 2017 

(Costa Rica)

The venues will be the historic Saprissa stadium and the National Stadium in San Jose.

            Ok the next tournament for the USA is the U-20 Championship that will take place in February and March of 2017. The USA needs to place in one of the top 3 in this tournament to qualify for the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The World Cup is May 20^th to June and is hosted by South Korea. For tournament details check here

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2017_CONCACAF_U-20_Championship#Classification_stage

Costa Rica National Stadium (35,175)

This tournament has been dominated by Mexico. They have won 13 of the 20 tournaments. Canada, Costa Rica and Honduras each won 2. El Salvador is your other winner. Thats right, the USA has not won this championship at this age and they don’t seem to take it serious. The USA has qualified for the last 9 World Cups and that seems to be their goal…just to qualify. I am hoping this group of coaches (Tab Ramos) and the young group of kids play "for" the Championship.

 Group Stage 

Saprissa Stadium (23,000 capacity)

This year our young stars are grouped with Panama, Saint Kitts and Nevis and Haiti. All the states have to do is beat out 2 of these 3 teams which they are favorite to do. The important (qualifying games) is the next round.

Round 2 will be 2 groups of 3 and each team will play 2 games. The top 2 teams qualify directly to the FIFA U-20 World Cup. The other 2 teams will be seeded. While the 2^nd place team will play the 3^rd of the other group and vice versa. Then the 2 winners will play for 3^rd place and the vital last CONCACAF spot in the World Cup.

It will be Tab Ramos who will guide this young hungry group. Each tournament we are seeing more players from MLS academy teams. 

USA Roster.

Roster by Position:
GOALKEEPERS (2): Jonathan Klinsmann (University of California; Newport Beach, CA), JT Marcinkowski (Georgetown; Alamo, CA)

DEFENDERS (7): Marcello Borges (Michigan; Kearny, NJ), Justen Glad (Real Salt Lake; Tucson, AZ), Aaron Hererra (New Mexico; Casa Grande, AZ), Jake Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; Fort Lauderdale, FL), Tommy Redding (Orlando City SC; Oviedo, FL), Miles Robinson (Syracuse; Arlington, MA), Auston Trusty (Philadelphia Union; Chester, PA)

MIDFIELDERS (6): Danny Acosta (Real Salt Lake; Salt Lake City, UT), Tyler Adams (New York Red Bulls II; Wappingers Falls, NY), Derrick Jones (Philadelphia Union; Chester, PA), Sebastian Saucedo (Real Salt Lake; Park City, UT), Nick Taitague (FC Richmond; Midlothian, VA), Eryk Williamson (Maryland; Alexandria, VA)

FORWARDS (5): Jeremy Ebobisse (Charleston Battery; Bethesda, MD), Jonathan Lewis (Akron; Plantation, FL), Victor Mansaray (Seattle Sounders FC; Des Moines, WA), Emmanuel Sabbi (UD Las Palmas; Libertyville, IL), Brandon Vazquez (Atlanta United FC; Chula Vista, CA)

Yes, that’s right Klinsmann’s son is the goalie.

  

Central American Cup 2017 Panama Final

    Well Surprise surprise, the tournament was not won by the dominant.nation of Costa Rica, nor was it won by the up and coming, Panama. This tournament was won by Honduras -- 

this makes Honduras the 2nd most successful nation in this regional tournament. This championship give Honduras 4 titles. The last time they won thye also played in Panama. 

Let it be notes that Nicaragua has made great strides to remain competitive in this tournament. They use to get blown out. 

Panama hosted the event and nothing short of a championship would be a disappointment. They did finish above rival Costa Rica.

Belize has also made great strides in staying competitive. They are the worst team in the Centates.ral America but have come a long way.

Honduras, Panama, El Salvador and Costa Rica will represent the region in the Gold Cup 2017 in the st

Central American Cup update

Central American Cup

Match game 5
Honduras	V	Belize
Panama	Vs.	Costa Rica
El Salvador	Vs	Nicaragua

Honduras v Belize:                   This is a game with the best against the worst.    The Central American Cup only has one more game each for the participants. The title is almost a lock for Honduras. A win or a tie over lowly Belize will give Honduras the Championship.  Honduras has scored the most goals and should be a shoe in for the Championship. Belize are not getting blown out like they use to and they have a tie this tournament. This is be one of Belizes best performance in the Central American Cup

Panama v Costa Rica:       Well officials thought at the beginning of the tournament that this game would decide the Championship. Well Costa Rica, the darlings of The World Cup 2014 stumbled through this tournament tying 3 times. They do NOT have a chance to retain their title.  Panama also has a tie and a loss giving them 7 points and a long shot at the championship. Panama not only has to beat might Costa Rica, they also need Honduras to lose to Belize (unlikely)and beat Honduras on GF GA differential. Panama is a LONG shot to win the Cup in home turf.

El Salvador v Nicaragua:  The winner of this game will qualify directly to the Gold Cup. Nicaragua has been building through their youth teams for quite a few years now. They have shown well in this tournament. With Guatemala out of the picture – this is Nicaragua best opportunity to qualify for the second time to the Gold Cup. El Salvador does not want to relinquish their hold on 4^th best in the region. El Salvador wants to challenge the top teams not the bottom nations. This game should be full of excitement and drama.

Central American Cup 2017 preview

Central American Cup 2017 - Panama

Central American Cup 2017

13–22 January 2017

            This is the 14^th edition of this Cup which is bi-annual like the CONCACAF Gold Cup. The top 4 nations qualify for the Gold Cup. The 5^th place team enters a playoff-series against the 5^th place Caribbean nation for the last Gold Cup spot. This tournament runs Jan 13^th through the 22^nd. Panama will be your host.

Costa Rica dominance

            Costa Rica has dominated this event. The Tico’s have been in every Championship game, except one. They have won 8 of the 12 Titles they played in. Costa Rica has won the last 2 tournaments and again they are the the favorite to win again. They are the reigning Champions and they have a lot of passionate fans.  

Hosting controversy

            This will be Panama’s 3^rd time hosting the event. The problem is that neither Nicaragua nor Belize has host yet. Panama is a great pick to host however they just hosted in 2011 and 2003. I believe Panamas new influence, both economically and the prowess of the soccer success allowed them to leapfrog both Belize and Nicaragua. They all want the tournament to be well attended and Panama is the best option at this time.

More Competitive

            In previous tournaments Belize and Nicaragua were just not competitive. They would lose by multiple goals. Now they can play all nations tight. Both Belize and Nicaragua have been to the semi-finals game and each was invited to the Gold Cup. Honduras can give Costa Rica a good game. Panama has improved so much they can be Costa Ricas’ equal if they are at home. This tournament they will be the host and have all home games. This is Panama’s best chance to win the Central American Cup.

New Format with Guatemala not allowed to play

            There use to be 2 groups. One group of 3 nations and one group of 4. This was always unfair since some nations would play more group games. This years tournament Guatemala is not allowed to play. This is punishment by FIFA. The nations will all play each other once.

            To me the big game is Panama v Costa Rica. I believe the winner of this game will win the tournament. 

Bold Predictions

Rommell Stadium in Panama will host the Central American Cup 2017

1. Panama
2. Costa Rica
3. Honduras
4. El Salvador
5. Nicaragua
6. Belize