2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Final: El Dorado

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COMMENTARY: Amid the Gold Cup final festival: Mexico's fans celebrate, cope and hope

COMMENTARY

Amid the Gold Cup final festival: Mexico's fans celebrate, cope and hope

by Andrea Canales  Twitter: @soccercanales

While visiting Spain for a summer years ago, I attended a bullfight. Beyond having read Ernest Hemingway, I didn’t know much about bullfighting. I watched and listened as the crowd cheered the matadors and the event finally closed with the defeated bulls being dragged out of the arena. Between the swords, horses and the elaborate costumes, the bullfight felt like an ancient art. That spell was broken somewhat when the woman sitting next to me pulled out her cell phone to update her husband. “Torearon bien, pero mataron muy mal,” she reported.

They fought well, but they killed very poorly. That’s the basic translation. All the excellent capework and the elegant stances even as the bull’s horns passed by with mere inches to spare didn’t matter in the end if the climax of the event was sloppy and prolonged because of hesitation or lack of strength or discipline to hold the sword steady and accurate for a clean, killing blow.

Watching Mexico vs. the USA in the Gold Cup final in Las Vegas' sold-out (61,514) Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night, I was reminded of that description. Time and again, El Tri, which controled the majority of the run of play, would build up nicely for a shot, but either the U.S. defense and goalkeeper Matt Turner would come up big or the final Mexico shot would be off target.

“Faltaron contundencia.” Another phrase that came to mind was one that has cropped up in the past with Mexico before. This one translates generally to lack of forcefulness, or concluding energy and finishing strength. Indeed, even when the USA had passes going awry in the final and was off target in their few counterattacking chances, they seemed energetic against Mexico all game long, though that often involved rather frantically defending much of the time.

It’s not necessarily a fair assessment of Mexico to consider it an aged team when their best young players are contending for an Olympic medal in Tokyo and therefore not at the Gold Cup. It’s also interesting to note that the star player many El Tri fans longed for Mexico coach Tata Martino to bring into this roster, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, wouldn’t have, at age 33, turned the dial more to youth and the team’s future.

COMMENTARY

Amid the Gold Cup final festival: Mexico's fans celebrate, cope and hopeby Andrea Canales  @soccercanales, Yesterday

While visiting Spain for a summer years ago, I attended a bullfight. Beyond having read Ernest Hemingway, I didn’t know much about bullfighting. I watched and listened as the crowd cheered the matadors and the event finally closed with the defeated bulls being dragged out of the arena. Between the swords, horses and the elaborate costumes, the bullfight felt like an ancient art. That spell was broken somewhat when the woman sitting next to me pulled out her cell phone to update her husband. “Torearon bien, pero mataron muy mal,” she reported.

They fought well, but they killed very poorly. That’s the basic translation. All the excellent capework and the elegant stances even as the bull’s horns passed by with mere inches to spare didn’t matter in the end if the climax of the event was sloppy and prolonged because of hesitation or lack of strength or discipline to hold the sword steady and accurate for a clean, killing blow.

Watching Mexico vs. the USA in the Gold Cup final in Las Vegas' sold-out (61,514) Allegiant Stadium on Sunday night, I was reminded of that description. Time and again, El Tri, which controled the majority of the run of play, would build up nicely for a shot, but either the U.S. defense and goalkeeper Matt Turner would come up big or the final Mexico shot would be off target.

“Faltaron contundencia.” Another phrase that came to mind was one that has cropped up in the past with Mexico before. This one translates generally to lack of forcefulness, or concluding energy and finishing strength. Indeed, even when the USA had passes going awry in the final and was off target in their few counterattacking chances, they seemed energetic against Mexico all game long, though that often involved rather frantically defending much of the time.

It’s not necessarily a fair assessment of Mexico to consider it an aged team when their best young players are contending for an Olympic medal in Tokyo and therefore not at the Gold Cup. It’s also interesting to note that the star player many El Tri fans longed for Mexico coach Tata Martino to bring into this roster, Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, wouldn’t have, at age 33, turned the dial more to youth and the team’s future.

The passion of Mexico fans is evident hours before a match actually begins. For many El Tri supporters, game day is an all-day event of costuming, food and mutual celebration of family, friends and fans. The fact that a global pandemic is still ongoing puts a dent in even the most fervent festival of futbol. There were other negative elements factoring in as well for Mexico.

Though he hasn’t been called into the team in over a year, Hernandez, Mexico’s top all-time goalscorer, was by far the most popular jersey name on the many Mexico shirts being worn in Vegas. Hernandez’s absence, beloved player that he is, cast a bit of a pall on the Gold Cup squad partly because his lack of selection hasn’t really been explained by Martino, other than to say, “Javier Hernandez wasn’t in this roster because I picked other players.” Hernandez, in the midst of a stellar season with his club team, the Los Angeles Galaxy, suffered a calf injury early in July, which alleviated some of the pressure on Martino’s decision to not call him.

El Tri players also had to deal with the pressure of their own fans becoming a liability during the Gold Cup, when the recurrence of the homophobic chant by some in the crowds during the group stage and other matches, including very briefly in the final, threatened the squad with FIFA sanctions that could affect whether fan crowds are present at upcoming World Cup qualifying games.

There was also a sorrowful burden placed on the Mexican team both early and late in the Gold Cup tournament. In the debut match for Mexico, plucky Hirving “Chucky” Lozano suffered head and neck injuries in a collision with Trinidad & Tobago goalkeeper Marvin Phillip, required facial surgery, and was obviously ruled out of the tournament. Another blow hit the team last week when Zizinho, the father of midfielder Jonathan Dos Santos, died at age 59, reportedly of Covid-19 complications.

Mexico soldiered on after a dour draw in the opening game of the tournament, but never seemed to be firing on all cylinders as a team, even as it advanced. It took a moment of individual magic against Canada by Hector Herrera late in injury time for El Tri to escape that game with a victory.

Until last night, U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter had never won against El Tri in a Gold Cup final, either as an unused player in 1998 or as coach in 2019. Both those games, the USA lost 1-0. With the youngest roster in the tournament and some questioning his tactical nous all during the tournament, Berhalter and his players finally silenced many doubters. The fact that the victory came on his 48th birthday made the triumph extra sweet.

The USA displayed an odd consistency in all their games, winning each one, 1-0, except for their game against Martinique, where they surrendered their only goal of the tournament in a 6-1 victory. Most U.S. players improved not only as the tournament went on, but in the final against Mexico, it was interesting to see some of them adjusting in real time to the skill and ability of their opponents. Though at times the U.S. players looked overwhelmed, they did just enough to prevent goals, and eventually worked well enough together to create chances. It’s likely that the American team, with less expectation to win than Mexico, played with more freedom as a result.

Walking out of the stadium almost an hour after the match concluded, I wasn’t surprised to see that the throngs of people still mingling in the parking lots were exclusively Mexico fans. Some were coordinating rides or plans, but most were sharing their own somber debriefs of the game with each other, many hands still clutching Tricolor flags.

“I’ve never seen the team play so tired.”

“We played well, though. We were really aggressive early on, weren’t we? I kept thinking the next chance was going to score.”

“Matt Turner was the difference. How does the U.S. always produce such good keepers? Maybe it’s because they play basketball.”

“We need our killer instinct back. We need Chicharito to return.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll get the USA in qualifying. Tata’s going to regroup, the best players will be back together, and El Tri will come back stronger than ever.”

I couldn’t help but smile, picking up these bits of conversation. Even in the disappointment over a close loss, the passion of the Mexico supporters was always at the forefront. Long live the rivalry.

United States: 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup Champions

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – The United States are champions of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup after downing Mexico 1-0 in extra time in the Final on Sunday night at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Miles Robinson scored the decisive goal deep into extra time to earn the U.S. a seventh Gold Cup title.

There was an electricity in the building from the very start and it took a diving save from U.S. GK Matt Turner to keep Mexico FW Rogelio Funes Mori from finding an early goal in the 11’ via a header off a corner kick.

The best chance for the U.S. in the first 45 minutes came in the 26’ when Sebastian Lletget recovered a Mexico giveaway and fed Paul Arriola, whose shot glanced off the post.

Funes Mori continued to be a pest for the U.S. defense and Turner was called on another two times to deny the Monterrey man in the 31’ and 38’.

Mexico came out flying to start the second half and had a trio of chances in the first seven minutes after the re-start through Hector Herrera and twice from Orbelin Pineda, but were unable to find the target.

The U.S. started to carve out some chances of their own, including a loose ball in front of the Mexico goal for Arriola that was blocked by Mexico GK Alfredo Talavera in the 74’.

The intensity grew as every minute passed, but no winner could be found, so on to extra time it went.

Just when it looked like the teams would have to decide matters in penalties, Robinson would strike for the title-winning goal by smacking in a header off a free kick in the 118’ to give the U.S. the 1-0 victory.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Almoez Ali of Qatar earned the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Top Scorer Award presented by Qatar Airways after finishing as the top scorer in the 2021 Gold Cup with four goals in five games.

Qatar was the guest nation of this year’s Gold Cup and didn’t disappoint, scoring 12 goals in five matches. Ali was a big part of that with his quartet of goals.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Jamaica FW Bobby Reid has been named the winner of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Goal of the Tournament presented by Toyota.

Reid’s fantastic strike came in the 26’ of Jamaica’s 2-0 win over Suriname in the opening match of Group C at Exploria Stadium in Orlando, Florida.

With Jamaica holding a 1-0 lead and on the attack, a long ball was played forward, only for a Suriname defender to head the ball away in hopes of clearing danger.

Instead, it fell perfectly for Reid, who latched onto the ball and hammered a right-footed volley that went screaming past Suriname GK Warner Hahn and into net for the goal.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – El Salvador DF Bryan Tamacas has won the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Fighting Spirit Award presented by Modelo for the fighting spirit shown in El Salvador’s quarterfinal match with Qatar.

Down 3-0 in the second half, El Salvador mounted a memorable comeback attempt beginning with a Joaquin Rivas goal in the 63’ to make it 3-1.

That was then followed by a play in the 66’ from Tamacas that brought the fans inside State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona to their feet.

A Qatar defender with the ball looked set to avoid any type of danger from the Salvadoran attack, but Tamacas never gave up on the play and won possession with a perfectly timed tackle, enabling him to feed Rivas for the second El Salvador goal of the night.

While El Salvador’s attempted comeback fell just short in a 3-2 final, the competitive spirit shown by Tamacas will be one of the lasting images of the 2021 Gold Cup.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Hector Herrera was Mexico’s midfield engine, powering the team to the 2021 Gold Cup Final. As a result of his excellent performances, he has earned the Scotiabank Best Player Award.

The midfielder appeared in all six matches for his side, scoring one goal and providing two assists. It was his winner against Canada that saw El Tricolor make it to the 2021 Final.

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Matt Turner of the United States was named the winner of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Best Goalkeeper Award presented by Allstate.

The 27-year-old appeared in all six matches for his side and was dominant for the Stars and Stripes, notching an unbelievable 26 saves, allowing just one goal, and racking up five clean sheets. 

The U.S. wouldn’t have lifted the Gold Cup without his performances. Turner is a star goalkeeper for the New England Revolution in Major League Soccer. 

LAS VEGAS, Nevada – United States has earned the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup Fair Play Award presented by Scotiabank.

Stars and Stripes captain Paul Arriola accepted the award on the team’s behalf, a reward given to the most disciplined team in the tournament. 

All good streaks must come to an end some day...

How about Emirates Team New Zealand. Dean Barker got the best of Brad Butterworth's Alinghi boys at the America's Cup earlier today. It's all square at 1-1. We have ourselves a contest.

The USA's streak is still going...after giving up the first goal by Mexico on American soil in a long while, those scrappy Nats rallied for a 2-1 win over El Tri to hoise the Gold Cup for the 4th time, tying their neighbors south of the border. And for the first time in my two years plus on BigSoccer, I got a warning from one of the mods for rubbing it in. I couldn't resist. Sour grapes is sour grapes. Hugo Sanchez, you should admit that the better team won. Hubris is poison.

Maybe Pat Casey should have been the USA Baseball coach this year. His Oregon State Beavers has just about set the stage for a dynasty, and are a few outs away from wrapping up another College World Series title (though I hope North Carolina makes things interesting and proves me wrong). I have to shake my head at that.

I wonder if we will even score a goal at the Copa America later this week. I start to wonder now, as I download a torrent of the match earlier today after having already recorded it on tape.

They're going to rue that call for a while, those Canucks will...

I feel for the Canadian football fans. Not those who support the CFL, but those who are soccer fans up north. Armando Archundia took a goal away from them in stoppage time, denying extra time, and the game, and a berth in the final, and the USA defeated Canada 2-1 at Soldier Field in Chicago.

Those fans up north are going to rue that call, and label Archundia as a villain. The BigSoccer forums are going to be busy with the wrath of the Canadians, and some sympathy but tons of relief from the USA supporters. And don't forget, mixed reactions from the Mexican supporter, too.

Two people I have to feel for in his match:

First, Michael Bradley of the USA. There is not a worse feeling in the world for Bob Bradley than to see his son sent off. He had to make that tackle, though, so it was a proper sacrifice.

Second, (and this is to be fair to both sides), Atiba Hutchinson of Canada. Things could have been interesting had the game gone to extra time. I, personally, thought it went in. But it is said that the team that has the most breaks will win it. The offside was the biggest break for the Nats.

I give my kudos to:

Frankie Hejduk. What a was to break your Gold Cup du(c)k, Frankie. His first-ever goal in this competition, and his first goal in over seven years. Incredible. Welcome back, Frankie. Relax like that guy going to Hollywood after seeing some movie-worthy drama in th dying moments of the game, and get ready for a curtain call on Sunday.

Landon Donovan. A goal, an assist, and a card. Had it been a red instead of yellow, that would be a Gordie Howe-like hat trick. (I know Gordie plays a different sport, but the form is similar) A brace on Sunday, and he will kill to records with two volleys past the keeper, over the line, inside the posts, and into the nylon.

I personally hope it's the USA vs. Guadeloupe, but I have a gut feeling, the inevitable classic is coming up Sunday.

After the closure, I meant to find out.

The Anime Expo meeting at Haskett Library (which was now open 12-5 on weekends) took 2 hours, divided by less than 2, which was one hour, and some extra minutes. No more confusions, I believe. For example, I know who Thai Nam Pham (a.k.a. Nammy) is. I just had to go on all fours in embarrassment. I felt the surges of cold rising all over my body, the tears flowing like waterfalls…

Now that’s just being too overdramatic.

I’m surprised I found some new CGs from Galaxy Angel II. More new submissions for the imageboards. And I got the second volume of GA 3^rd English. They are now dubbing the GA Rune series. Oh man, I gotta save some money for that one.

It was clear my Galaxy and Toronto FC did some trading, and it worked out well for both teams today. Toronto FC crushed FC Dallas 4-0, while the G’s got back on the winning track, with former TFC transfer Edson Buddle cashing in with a 3-2 victory over Real Salt Lake. The Green and Gold had better make a tear of this, and fast.

Not a lot of people saw this coming: Guadeloupe stunned Honduras 2-1 today at Reliant Stadium. They will be facing, as expected, Mexico in the semis at Soldier Field on the 21^st. But not many people expected Costa Rica to give Mexico a hard fight, with three red card, and the winning goal from El Tri in extra time, 1-0. Mind you, the Ticos were three men down by the time the match was over. The official at that game must have had a heck of a challenge at that one. I was correct on Jared Borgetti getting one. I was hoping Nery Castillo was going to get a couple, but I can’t predict them all right. Oh well.

If Guadeloupe defeat Mexico at Soldier Field on Thursday, then the winner of the USA-Canada game will represent the region at the Confederations Cup in South Africa in 2009. I think that will drive the winning side of that match to win it all.

One thing’s for sure: my laptop’s gonna be busy downloading some torrents tonight!

Rapid-fire, rapid-fire, rapid-fire!!!

So my mind thought, as it deliberated taking the US Postal 473 Battery later this summer. I just finished taking the CBEST today, and while my mind isn't completely fried, I knew that I my brain, the only calculator allowed for the exam (and a natural one, at that), went through a workout.

I was given 4 hours to complete the exam. I approached the exam attacking the math secton first, then the reading, and then the writing. This was ample time, because I knew that the first section was rapid-fire, the second one required some logic and some other deliberations of the senate in my head, and the third one required me to practice my proposal to Congress skills, as well as an anecdote on what make me happy.

After the second writing essay, I found out that this house won't go through a lot of damage, and if it is, it's not from me, but from someone outside of my family.

I am glad the USA and Canada advanced today in the CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinals. The first game saw Canada defeat Guatemala 3-0. All the Canadian scorers in group play each pitched in. Dwayne De Rosario got the first goal, Ali Gerba got the second, and Julian De Guzman got the third. Actually, there are conflicting reports that show Gerba getting a brace. It doesn't matter who scored for Canada; Guatemala, Carlos Ruiz and all, was shut out. And all the goals were in the first half.

Compare that with the game between USA and Panama. It was scrappy, and the Nats were flat, but Landon Donovan (the penalty master) and Carlos Bocanegra each got a goal for the home side, while Panama showed its grit with a consolation. They were eliminated a man down, losing 2-1. And all three goals were in the second half. Coincidence? You be the judge. But one thing is for sure: there will be a lot on the line between this two sides come June 21 at Soldier Field in Chicago, and it's not just a spot in the final.

Now, if only Honduras and Mexico can take care of things at Reliant Stadium like they did a few days ago... Encore, amigos!

EDIT: I checked the article from MLSNet.com, and it was confirmed, a brace for Ali G. Well done, comrade.

Man. Were those Cavaliers even trying?

Cleveland failed basketball tonight. The San Antonio Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers tonight, winning 83-82, and winning another NBA Championship. LeBron James is probably where Shaquille O'Neal was when he and the Orlando Magic faced the Houston Rockets. He has a long way to go.

Well, it's going to be super Saturday for the USA and Canada teams at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. The Canucks take on Guatemala, while the USA has the rematch of the 2005 final, against Panama. I can't see the USA getting upset on Saturday, but the game before is no sure bet. I am picking Canada and the USA advancing in a key battle for bragging rights at Soldier Field on June 21.

Meanwhile, I am taking Honduras over Guadeloupe, and Mexico over Costa Rica in a nailbiter.

I am confident that I will take care of business at the CBEST this Saturday. But I am not going to be overconfident. I am hopeful that the reading and math portions are going to be rapid fire, but a lapse in concentration could make all the difference.

A few more weeks, and Anime Expo is going to be taking place. I can't look ahead to that just yet...

I am so glad that I got the free tuition from the Beach Pride Center. All that hard work supporting the home teams paid off, literally. I hope Sophie Lee is teaching 380 this fall. I want another stab at this. And my fate as Super Fan is sealed. Stay tuned June 21 for the official news.