The 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup is coming! Not quickly, but more so in the way that time inevitably passes and eventually reaches a certain date, this date being over 600 days away. Barring an invitation to the 2019 Copa America, the Gold Cup will serve as the USMNT’s first competitive match after the Trinidad and Tobago disaster. What will the USMNT roster look like come then?
Tuesday sure was wild, huh? CONCACAF CONCACAF’d the sh*t out of CONCACAF World Cup qualifiers for two insane hours. There was a lot to take in. A lot. Wacky own goals, rampaging ball boys and hugging commentators. And USMNT World Cup dreams dashed. So like Hillary Clinton after her election loss, let’s revisit what the hell just happened.
Why is Guillermo Ochoa disliked so much? Is it his hairstyle? His success? Does he actually suck? While Guillermo Ochoa is considered a good keeper by most, it’s moments like Tuesday's own goal that get people infuriated and lead to questioning over whether he is the best option for Mexico.
Lost in all the furor following the USMNT’s disastrous 2-1 defeat to Trinidad and Tobago (and because the match was played on ESPN 8: The Ocho, so no one saw it) is the fact that the Soca Warriors’ Alvin Jones probably scored the best goal of the entire CONCACAF qualifying cycle, a sludge dating back to March 22, 2015.
In the wake of the USMNT’s utterly pathetic defeat to Trinidad and Tobago and subsequent bouncing from the World Cup, perhaps no man on the planet has greater license to say “I told you so” than former head coach Jurgen Klinsmann. That’s not to say that Klinsmann shouldn’t have been fired or that he would’ve steered the U.S. to the World Cup, it’s just to say that he’s ultimately been vindicated in his criticisms of Major League Soccer and American player mentality.
Last night Panama officially reached the first World Cup finals in their history. Accordingly, Panama President Juan Carlos Varela has declared today a national holiday.
In a series of tweets, Varela gave public and private sector workers the day off, and canceled classes for students.
Here's Varela's full quote:
The USMNT has a mean streak now. They're still the team that lost to Costa Rica and drew Honduras last month, and that still needs at least a draw against Trinidad & Tobago to be completely sure of not being knocked out of World Cup qualifying, but when they want to be dickish, this team can be gloriously dickish.