The U.S. and Mexico shared a charter flight to New York for the Gold Cup final, and tomorrow the region’s most bitter soccer rivals will share the Giants Stadium field in a clash for the CONCACAF crown. It also will be a look at the future of a feud that’s gotten more intense — and one-sided — by the game.
Mexico won a record fourth Gold Cup in 2003, but hasn’t won since. The U.S. has taken the last two, and — at 9-0-2 in their last 11 home games vs. Mexico — has taken the mantle as the region’s top team. The consistency in the U.S. camp has dominated the chaos in Mexico’s, and this young team hopes to keep that going.
“It’s important that our program
. . . continues to grow,” coach Bob Bradley said. “We knew from the start of this tournament that it was a great opportunity for a lot of players, but we also made it very clear that we’re defending champs [and we want to win].”
Granted, the Gold Cup is no World Cup. It’s not even the Aug. 12 qualifier in Azteca Stadium. But this de facto “C”-level team is filled with youngsters such as Stuart Holden, Kyle Beckerman and goalkeeper Troy Perkins trying to catch Bradley’s eye, and when one side gets an edge in this rivalry, they go for the jugular.
“It’s a great opportunity for all of us. We’re all trying to take advantage,” said defender Clarence Goodson, who scored in Thursday’s 2-0 win vs. Honduras and relishes the raised bar last month’s Confederations Cup run has set.
“Obviously [it’s] added pressure; that set the bar high. Anyone who wants . . . to be on the team, you have to keep the standard very high, show Bob you can perform at the highest level. For us this is the highest level we’ve played at, so hopefully we can take that forward and up.”
After finding a supersub in Kenny Cooper and getting back concussed veteran Jimmy Conrad, the U.S. is headed in the right direction. Mexico? Not so much.
El Tri will field a more seasoned team led by Giovani dos Santos and Carlos Vela, and their green-clad fans will turn the Meadowlands into Mexico City. But from Bradley beating Mexico in his first big game in 2007 and again with a young squad in that summer’s Gold Cup final, the U.S. has shown a clear mental edge that infuriates El Tri.
Mexico coach Javier Aguirre, under fire before the Gold Cup, is back after a suspension for kicking an opponent. As El Tri’s fourth coach since Bradley took over, and 10th in a decade, Mexico could be looking for another if the U.S. wins with its “C” team — exactly the kind of drama that adds to the United States’ domination.