We are big fans of U.S. soccer, the captain in particular. We won't be able to resist commenting from time to time, maybe even having some watch parties. There is a lot going on this summer for the national team.
We have friendlies versus Ecuador and Guatemala later this month. More opportunities for interim? coach Bob Bradley to make an impression after the fantastic win over Mexico in February.
In June, the US Men's National Team (MNT) will enter the CONCACAF Gold Cup, which is the regional tournament held every other year for the North American/ Central American/ Caribbean region in which the U.S. qualifies for the World Cup. It is often said that there are 3 giants in the region: the U.S., Mexico, and Costa Rica. We have won the tourney several times, including the last time. Our initial group includes El Salvador, Guatemala, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Then, in July (actually starting June 28th), the MNT will enter Copa America, a much more competitive tournament but for the South American region. We routinely get invited as a guest but haven't participated since 1995 when we finished a surprise fourth. We are entering in response to criticism that we don't play enough quality competition. Think Czech Republic game in the World Cup. Well we drew Argentina, Colombia, and Paraguay so that won't be an issue!
It's two tournaments in a row. It will be interesting to see which players Coach Bradley calls upon for the different games. Of course we can't forget the U20 world cup beginning in Canada. Our highly regarded and promising young players have drawn Brazil. And the U.S. women are playing their World Cup soon as well. They are a team in transition.
No comments:
Post a Comment