If the United States loses against Guadeloupe tonight, they will miss the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup. If they draw, it's quite possible that they could end up in a quarterfinal match against Mexico in New Jersey, where they would likely face a crowd that was around one-quarter to one-third USA fans. For the USMNT and fans of the team, the only option tonight should be a win.
USA Vs. Guadeloupe, Gold Cup 2011, Group C: Preview, Plus Canada Vs. Panama
A win would set up a quarterfinal match against either Jamaica or El Salvador, depending on the result of the match between Canada and Panama. A quarterfinal against 3-0-0 Jamaica is probably a tougher test than United States fans anticipated before the tournament started, but the team lost control of their own destiny when they lost against Panama this weekend.
Of course, a win shouldn’t be too difficult of a task. Guadeloupe have proven in the first two games of this tournament that they’re probably not going to embarrass themselves, but the United States are clear favorites after Guadeloupe’s one goal losses to both Canada and Panama.
Guadeloupe are a team whose potential can reasonably be spun any way that someone wants to spin it. On one hand, a very large portion of their team has experience playing high level professional soccer in France. On the other hand, their captain is out of favor and on the bench for Sporting Kansas City, arguably the worst team in Major League Soccer. No disrespect to Stephane Auvray, but Jermaine Jones and Michael Bradley should be able to out-play him.
That is, provided that Jones and Bradley start. After the debacle against Panama, only four or five players can be considered locks for the starting lineup. Tim Howard, Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and Carlos Bocanegra are almost certainly not coming out, with a couple of other players being probable starts, but it would be surprising to see Bradley make absolutely no changes. Both Sacha Kljestan and Alejandro Bedoya made positive impacts off the bench, while the central defense partnership of Tim Ream and Clarence Goodson looked shaky. It seems reasonable to expect that changes will be made.
Tonight, the United States should defeat Guadeloupe and seal a quarterfinal date with a tough, but beatable opponent in Jamaica or a very beatable opponent in El Salvador. For their sake, the USMNT should probably try to convince themselves that they’re underdogs.
Canada vs. Panama
Despite Panama's win over the United States, this game is probably a bit of a push when it comes to predicting an outcome. Both teams have some fantastic veteran players, while both teams also have some obvious flaws. Josh Simpson is going to have to perform better for Canada than he did in their first two games, while Simeon Jackson will have his hands full with central defender Felipe Baloy, who managed to erase Jozy Altidore from large sections of the last game.
Panama’s strikers Luis Tejada and Blas Perez have looked like a great combination in this tournament, and they, along with Baloy’s play at the back, will probably be the deciding factor. The defense of Canada is shaky at times, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Tejada and Perez catch them out on the counter.
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