Here’s Les Carpenter’s match report:
Final thoughts:
So credit to the US for finally dominating a Gold Cup opponent in the manner their relative status suggests they should. From Dempsey’s early opener through to him completing his hat trick, the USA were never in trouble as a game but demoralized Cuba were simply outclassed.
It’s not a game that particularly lent itself to analysis, but Dempsey and Johannsson will be happy with their contributions, with the latter making a more emphatic case for himself as a creative strike partner than he sometimes has in other appearances. Yedlin looked lively when he came on, Bedoya caused problems...and it was all fairly straightforward.
So the USA ease into the semi-finals and are now two games away from an automatic spot in the 2017 Confederations Cup. They’ll face the winners of Haiti vs Jamaica next and won’t expect anything this straightforward again.
I’ll leave reader Matt Richamn to prompt the final word:
“After that grueling group stage, can we safely say USA has hit its stride and can push to the final with this level of play? I made a calculated risk and bought tickets for Philly before the tournament started, so I’m eager for someone to tell me that was not overly optimistic.”
Hard to extract meaningful data from this one, Matt — other than Dempsey’s rising goal tally — but certainly anything less than a US appearance in that final in Philadelphia would be a huge disappointment now. They are, as Klinsmann has noted, the team to beat in this tournament.
Final score: USA 6-0 Cuba
Final thoughts in a moment...
90 mins +2: We’ll have two minutes of added time, and Cuba trying to make the most of their dying moments in the tournament, with Reyes again trying to make something out of very limited space in the US final third. Again he’s crowded out, but he can at least reflect on an honest personal performance in this game.
90 mins: Cuba trying to play their way up the field and an error from Alvarado sees a low ball break to Corrales on the corner of the six yard box. His snap shot is charged down for the first Cuba corner, but they’re unable to make anything of it.
88 mins: The minutes are mercifully running out for Cuba now, but the USA are pressing to finish the game with more goals.
86 mins: Bradley goes across to take the corner on the right, but has to wait while Horta pulls up for some treatment. Cuba have used all their substitutions. He looks in some discomfort. The corner is awkward for Guerra who gets clattered by Alvorado as he punches clear.
84 mins: ...Guerra heads the ball clear and as the USA try to press again, Bradley’s attempted ball over the top is too close to the goalkeeper.
Napoles tries to float a ball to the bUS back post, but only succeeds in launching a US counter attack. Yedlin is in acres of space as he crosses the ball towards a sprawling Dempsey, who wants another penalty, but doesn’t really deserve one.
USA have a corner, and Bradley duly attempts to round the game off with an Olimpico. It’s tipped over, so of course Bradley tries the same thing again. Close again, and another corner...
82 mins: The USA looking energized again after that goal and Yedlin sends in an awkward outswinger towards the penalty box that sees Johannsson penalized as he tries to pressure Horta in the air.
This has been Dempsey’s first hat trick for the USA by the way. He may have more — the USA have a free kick wide right that Bradley will send in...
USA 6-0 CUBA (DEMPSEY!)
Bradley leaps to head down a poor clearance then races into the box. He looks to be shaping for the shot only to cut a disguised pass across the box to where Dempsey looks to be having to stretch too far for it. Nope....He’s finishing his hat trick with the outside of his boot.
78 mins: Diz Pe steps up into an advanced position to send a low shot skimming harmlessly past Guzan’s post. But now the US break...
76 mins: Sweet touch from Yedlin outside as he continues to torment Cuba down the right. He earns a corner which will be taken when the other Guerra, Alex, has subbed in for Gomez. It’s taken short but the USA can’t make anything of it.
74 mins: Johannsson and Bradley combine again, this time outside the box. Bradley steps forward and shoots from just beyond the D but his shot is charged down. USA attacking more dutifully than urgently at the moment, but at least trying to execute Klinsmann’s yelled wishes that they keep pressing.
72 mins: Yedlin getting involved early on here. He tries to create some space on the right corner of the box, but seems to overrun the ball as he tries to chase it down.
In the same area of the box Johannsson dances through now, but his cut back is greeted with a hesitant touch by Bradley and the chance is gone.
70 mins: Reyes can’t find a red shirt as he gets down the right and tries to square the ball and the US come forward again. first touch for Yedlin and now he overlaps to send a dangerous low ball across the box. It’s hoofed clear slightly awkwardly for a throw.
Lopez comes on for Luis in the wake of that. From the throw Yedlin finds himself in a lot of space again, but this time his cross is rather telegraphed. Still USA 5-0 Cuba.
68 mins: Alvarado hesitates on a ball over the top and briefly looks to be putting Guzan in trouble but the keeper gathers...
66 mins: All across the nation small boys are ripping up referees notebooks right now... Since losing the captaincy in the wake of that incident in Seattle, Dempsey’s been in great form in this tournament.
At the other end, the willing Reyes makes some space for himself on the edge of the box, but can only skew his shot well wide.
Yedlin comes on for Johnson in USA’s final substitution.
USA 5-0 Cuba (DEMPSEY!)
Very cool penalty from Clint Dempsey to make it 5-0 and take his personal goal tally to five goals in this tournament.
Penalty to the USA!
Some chaotic pinball in the Cuba box as various USA shots are charged down and ricochet all over. It’s not quite cleared and Johannsson is dragged down in the follow up attack for a penalty...
62 mins: Klinsmann has been on his feet in the last few minutes demanding that his team keep attacking. Bradley duly tries to find Johannsson with a long ball forward, but the ball is hit too short before it can reach the striker running off the last defender’s shoulder.
Cuba are looking more positive at the moment, though in all honesty not particularly well-they-deserve-a-goal positive. It’s more of a relative-to-the-first-half positive.
60 mins: So we’re at the hour mark and it’s still USA 4-0 Cuba, and for now there’s no threat of the margin increasing as Cuba push up into the USA half. But now a frustrated kick from Napoles on Corona earns him a yellow card and gives the USA the ball back.
58 mins: Zardes finds space on the right of the box and he cuts the ball back to the onrushing Bradley, whose first touch is too hard, but he still forces a save and earns a corner (which he then personally wastes...).
56 mins: Bedoya’s run and attempted cross is cut out as he briefly threatens to break clear on the left. Cuba come forward again. They’re trying to be positive, but the dangers of that are readily apparent.
Armando comes on for Perez in Cuba’s first substitution.
54 mins: Another deep Bradley corner and another unconvincing claim by the keeper as Dempsey’s header bounces off his thigh and is grabbed at the second attempt.
And now a very decent Cuba chance as Reyes does some good work in traffic to slip the ball behind the defense for Corrales, but Gonzalez gets a foot out as the ball is cut back across goal.
52 mins: Kyle Brown is revising his opinion of the referee:
“Ref got suckered there, Dempsey went down on his own.”
Tough crowd, Guardian readers.
Perez tries to get something going down the left for Cuba but suffers indignity of Brad Evans clearing the ball with a backheel. USA back to patient build up play in the late afternoon heat, which ends with Johannsson earning a corner off Diz Pe, who is slow to get to his feet.
50 mins: A few US players hovering over the ball looking to add to this scoreline. Dempsey and Bradley hover over it, and the latter scoops a free kick up and over the bar.
48 mins: USA attacking again from the start, though more with patient build-up than real intent. Finally Bedoya picks up the ball on the left of the box, but the diligent Diz Pe is there to cut out the ball and get it clear.
Evans sends a low cross across the edge of the box that sees Dempsey spin and get knocked off the ball for a dangerous free kick on the edge of the D.
Second half starts
Cuba kick off, with the USA leading 4-0.
Twitter stirs
@KidWeil @guardian @GdnUSsports Zardes is chewing up the right flank
— Kyle Brent (@leopoldbloom16) July 18, 2015
Hey @KidWeil can't you do something about the @FOXSports1 commentators saying the score is 4 "love"? This ain't tennis
— petulantMarmot (@tendancer) July 18, 2015
One thing at a time petulantMarmot. I’m dealing with some badly chewed flank here...
OK we’re about to start again. Corona on for Beckerman and Evans on for Chandler at half-time.
Full MLS All-star team announced
And Giovinco and Kamara have been added up front, which may appease some of the fans indignant at the commissioner’s choices of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard prior to them kicking a ball in MLS. The All-Star game is coming up in a couple of weeks in Colorado.
Another email:
Kyle Brown writes:
“I’m very impressed with the ref. Overall, he’s not biting on the dives, getting it right pretty much every time.”
It may help that short of him illegally jailing the USA team in a hastily-fashioned technical box jail, the referee knows that there’s little chance of any decision he makes here affecting the result, but Henry Bejarano has indeed been solid.
Half-time thoughts
Well this is as lop-sided as predicted. If there was any semblance of tension before this game started it perhaps came from the fact that the US were such overwhelming favorites that it just seemed to be tempting fate from the whimsical soccer gods.
Said gods clearly didn’t fancy the humidity of Baltimore though, and once the USA took the early lead, any real semblance of a contest was gone.
The USA weren’t overwhelming but they didn’t have to be, and even when Cuba belatedly began to make adjustments and move forward, it was never with any real air of menace and just seemed to invite US attacks from a different angle.
Another goal for Dempsey and confidence boosting goals for Zardes and Johannsson too. The latter’s was the pick of the bunch — he’s been having fun out there, which is more than can be said for Cuba.
Half-time: USA 4-0 Cuba
Half-time thoughts in a moment...
45 mins +2: We’ll have two minutes added time. Chance for Cuba right at the end as Chandler steps into the back of Perez wide left near the corner of the box. Vaquero sends a low ball towards the near post, Guzan collects and that will be that for the half.
USA 4-0 CUBA (GONZALEZ!)
Bradley hooks the ball to the back post where Johannsson heads it back across goal and Omar Gonzalez stabs home for his first US goal.
44 mins: Reyes earns a free kick off a foul by Alvarado some 35 yards out and to the right. Red shirts step up looking for the header, but Corrales can’t find any of them as the ball goes out for a goal kick.
USA break at the other end and Horta has to make a timely challenge to thwart Dempsey, but now USA have a corner...
42 mins: Better from Cuba now as Reyes sends a header well over the bar, but at least from a threatening position. Klinsmann looks very unimpressed on the sidelines by Fabian Johnson’s marking in the build up to that chance.
Cuba briefly pushing up the field now and it allows for breaks at the other end. Zardes races onto a ball wide right from Bradley and tries to replicate the Johannsson goal, but his shot floats well over.
40 mins: A save from Guzan as Reyes finds some space on the left of the box and cuts the ball back. It’s just a little behind Corrales as he nips in to take the shot, but he still gets the ball on target and makes Guzan drop to catch it.
Comfortable for the keeper but perhaps a little encouragement for Cuba.
38 mins: Cuban players trudging around dejectedly at their posts and more and more the USA are beginning to see paths through their defense. Another good tackle by Diz Pe though, as he robs Bradley outside the box.
Now Omar Gonzalez steps up to try and get involved in the attack, but his through ball intended for Johannsson is a poor one and is cut out. Not that Cuba seem inclined to take advantage of him being temporarily out of position.
36 mins: Johannsson goes sprawling in the box under pressure from Adrian Diz Pe. The crowd wants a penalty but replays show that was a perfectly timed tackle from the young defender.
Water break...
The goal is the signal for the promised water break to take place, but it’s over pretty quickly, sadly for Cuba...
GOAL! USA 3-0 CUBA (JOHANNSSON!)
I’d say “game over” but this was over long ago... Johannsson picks up a ball over the top from Bradley wide right, and with Guerra off his line, the striker coolly lofts a chip over the stranded keeper and into the net.
30 mins: Ball over the top is hooked down by Dempsey and breaks to Bedoya, who is shaping to shoot at point blank range when the flag goes up on the far side.
Now there’s another scramble as Dempsey torments his marker down the right, then sees his ball across the box pulled down by Johannsson, who didn’t spot the better placed man overlapping behind him. US maintain possession but the moment has gone.
28 mins: Corrales briefly rouses from the general Cuba inertia to try a scuffed shot from the edge of the box, that goes close to Guzan’s near post without ever looking like troubling the goalkeeper.
26 mins: Daniel Luis goes down under a challenge from Beckerman. He’s slow to get up, though in fairness there’s not a lot for him to get up for at the moment.
Another free kick just inside the Cuban half as Zardes is fouled. US move the ball to the other flank, where Bedoya tries to be a little too clever on the edge of the box and ends up losing it.
24 mins: Dempsey looks to have sprung the Cuban defense with a deft little through ball, but it turns out to be a little more “through” and a little less “deft” as it runs beyond Johnson for a throw in.
22 mins: The USA taking a bit of a breather at the moment as they slow the game to walking pace momentarily. In that spirit. I. Am. Typing. Slowly. Too.
20 mins: We’re going to have a 1-3 minute water break at the 30 minute mark, apparently. It’s 95º at field level.
Free kick wide right, 40 yards out. Bradley over it. But he kicks it far too hard and it floats all the way out for a goal kick at the back post. Still USA 2-0 Cuba.
18 mins: The USA currently looking very comfortable as they look to be cruising towards the semi-finals. Now Zardes picks up a ball over the top wide right and sends a low cross to the near post that just sees Guerra getting to the ball before Johannsson. Dempsey was possibly the slightly better option at that moment, but that’s not going to be the last chance Zardes has to make something this afternoon.
GOAL! USA 2-0 CUBA (ZARDES!)
Too easy for the USA, as from the free kick the ball is pushed wide for Johnson and his cross to the edge of the six yard box is met by an unchallenged run and simple finish from Zardes.
14 mins: Cuba again trying to calm things down in their own half and just avoid an interception by Bedoya. Then on a quick counter a ball over the top intended for Reyes runs through to Guzan on the edge of the US box.
Now there’s a cheeky touch from Johannsson outside the Cuba box as he improvizes a chip over the Cuba defense that Bradley sees and runs for but can’t get his first touch right. Johannsson has looked lively so far and now he’s kicked by Horta for his troubles...
12 mins: So it’s USA 1-0 Cuba as we reach ten minutes, but the US are looking for another one. Johannsson drives forward and touches the ball to his right for the overlapping Zardes, but his cross is poor and floats out for a goal kick.
10 mins: Cuba try to pass the ball among themselves along the back, but when they finally get the confidence to move forward Beckerman cuts it out.
USA attack and Bedoya picks up the ball on the corner of the box and cuts a low cross back across goal, but Johannsson is just crowded out as he tries to run and shoot.
8 mins: Cuba still sticking to the game plan and allowing the USA to pass the ball among themselves unopposed. At the moment they’re just trying to carry out damage limitation by blocking passing lanes whenever the US try to move forward.
6 mins: Well so much for any frustration setting in for the USA. That’s a perfect start for the hosts. At the other end, Perez lofts a high cross/hopeful shot towards the US goal from distance and wide right, but Guzan is able to pick it out of the sunshine.
It’s very hot by the way. 87º officially, but direct sunshine and very humid.
GOAL! USA 1-0 CUBA (DEMPSEY!)
...Zardes touches the ball back for Chandler who loops in a cross from wide right that sees Dempsey rise to loop a header over Guerra and open the scoring.
4 mins: Bedoya picks up the free kick and tries to chip the ball inside to Dempsey near the penalty spot, but he’s crowded out by the expected deep-lying defense. USA pick up the ball back in their own half and start to build again.
Johnson sends a dangerous low ball across the box and Zardes is in pursuit...
2 mins: Early error By Alavarado sees his pass intercepted but with Gomez looking for the ball the half-chance rather goes begging. but Cuba retain possession and try to find an opening in the US half. Nothing doing though and the US break upfield until Bradley is foule just beyond the center circle.
Kick Off
Peep! We’re underway. But not before the teams swap ends after the coin toss. It’s a lot like life.
USA kick off...
Teams walking out now
Cuban national anthem belted out lustily, despite the slight dent to the patriotic image of players going AWOL. And now the US anthem gets an enthusiastic airing (for which everyone seems to be present). We’ll be off imminently...
An email
Bart Edes has taken me at face value on the whole neoliberalism/Altidore thing:
Enjoying the pre-match commentary and looking forward to kick-off. While warm and humid in ‘Balmer’, it’s dreary, wet and chilly here in San Diego where we are taking in the match. I guess Cuba is - at this stage - the only CONCACAF opponent against which we’d see Alvarado and Chandler starting for the USMNT. I’m calling an Alan Gordon brace now. As for the broader topic at hand, Jozy Altidore and neoliberalism, it apears that the combination of state privatization, fiscal austerity, deregulation, free trade and reduction in public spending have played a non-negligible role in the unceremonious dispatching of the Toronto FC striker from the Gold Cup tournament.
It should be noted we tried to get David Harvey to do this liveblog, but he just kept going on about “if he was injured, why’d Toronto let him get called up in the first place? Eh? EH?” and jutting his jaw out aggressively, until an intern took the keyboard off him and suggested he’d be happier at the Greek economic liveblog.
Last time out
Team News:
USA: Guzan; Johnson, Alvarado, Gonzalez, Chandler; Beckerman, Zardes, Bedoya, Bradley; Johannsson, Dempsey
Cuba: Guerra; Napoles, Horta, Diz Pe, Vaquero; Clavelo, Luis; Corrales, Gomez, Perez; Reyes
So Maikel Reyes leads the Cuban line alone in the absence of Martinez, with the Cubans set to play a 4-2-3-1. Reyes of course did get the goal against Guatemala that got Cuba this far.
USA bringing Beckerman back to anchor a midfield diamond with Bradley pushed to the tip of the diamond and Gyassi Zardes given another chance in the wide midfield role where he hasn’t quite convinced as yet. No Altidore obviously so Johannsson and Dempsey up front. And yes, Timothy Chandler, who has become a lightning rod for fan dissatisfaction starts at right back.
Cuba
The latest defection may be the toughest blow yet for this Cuba team. Striker Ariel Martinez has been one of their better players in the tournament so far and had played every minute of their three games.
But he was last seen by the group running off “into the darkness” as a spokesman put it, after the team bus got back to the hotel after their group stage win over Guatemala. It’s all rather poignant especially given the general thaw in the relationship between USA and Cuba — indeed diplomatic relationships between the two countries are due to be restored this Monday. Regardless of how that works out Martinez has left his home and country behind.
He now joins Keiler Garcia (who subsequently showed up as a Univision pundit for the team’s third group game), Arael Arguellez and Dario Suarez in starting new lives while the 19 remaining Cuban players line up to face the U.S. today (actually with injuries affecting the team as well there are currently only four outfield players warming up...).
Cuba have been outscored 29-5 in their last eight meetings with the USA. So there’s that. But they did win the first ever meeting between the two teams 5-2 in Havana in 1947. So there’s that too, if you sort of squint at it.
USA
So no Jozy Altidore for the knockout stages — sent back to Toronto after looking off the pace in the group games and apparently suffering for fitness. In his place, the set piece prowess of Alan Gordon, who may come in useful at some point if Cuba pack their penalty box this evening. Altidore wasn’t the only player to have left the squad — Alfredo Morales and Greg Garza were also sent home in favor of Joe Corona and DaMarcus Beasley.
Morales had looked anonymous in his one half against Panama on Monday, while Garza had a rough time of it defending against a lively Haiti attack in the previous game. Still, he did achieve being tied to the USA for his international future having finally appeared in a competitive game for them.
It was a disjointed group stage, with a lot of chopping and changing of line ups and little popular consensus other than the rather damning verdicts on Timmy Chandler, and a lot of gratitude for Clint Dempsey popping up to score goals and ease the sense of slog.
That’s the Gold Cup though, in all its magnificent oddness. As Michael Bradley put it yesterday:
I say this with total endearment: It’s a ridiculous tournament…Between the travel, the short turnaround between games, grass being laid over field turf, the weather—it’s a huge challenge.
Today Bradley will get to enjoy the humidity and heat that’s currently smothering the East Coast (Baltimore included), and the collective embedded efforts of Cuba. So that’s nice.
Building the suspense...
Yes, this is a mismatch. the #USMNT should roll over Cuba today. If they don’t it would be a failure of epic proportions. #USAvCUB
— Alexi Lalas (@AlexiLalas) July 18, 2015
Still. Should be fun though...
Preamble:
Welcome to the Gold Cup quarter final between the USA and Cuba — brought to you in association with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Politics.
And the sport/politics crossover starts straight away as we spend the minutes counting down towards kickoff calculating the over under on how many Cubans make it to the field and bench, after yet another defection on Friday night brought the running total of defections so far in this competition to four.
Cuba themselves may be slightly surprised to be in Baltimore facing the US, after a combination of other teams’ results and their own surprise victory over Guatemala in their final group game saw them overcome a less than encouraging start to the competition (Mexico and Trinidad put a combined eight goals past them, before combining for eight more goals when they played each other).
But Cuba are here, and joining the ranks of Caribbean success stories in this competition. It’s been a competition where central American sides have underperformed and the likes of Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad and yes Cuba have made unlikely progressions, while World Cup participants such as Honduras have crashed out and Costa Rica and Mexico have had to settle for second place in their groups and an elimination clash with each other as a result.
Cuba’s tournament should end here though. As unconvincing as the USA have looked at times so far in this Gold Cup, they should have more than enough for Cuba, who will try to emulate the bunkering tactics used by Haiti, Honduras and Panama in the group stages, but will struggle to keep the USA off the score sheet.
It won’t be pretty, necessarily, so we may have to make our own entertainment while Clint Dempsey and Michael Bradley pick up Alan Gordon and charge at the Cubans battering ram style. On that note, send in your tweets or emails to @KidWeil or graham.parker@theguardian.com with the subject line “On Jozy Altidore and neoliberalism” and I’ll try to use the ones that best address the shifting global paradigms and whatnot. And I’ll be back in a bit with more build up and team news.
Graham will be here shortly. In the meantime, here’s what we learned from the group stages of the Gold Cup:
The USA have never once seemed to be several pegs above their opponents in the three games thus far. Honduras pressed hard against the USA, making things very uncomfortable for the midfield. Against Haiti the physicality of the Caribbean nation was a sight to behold. The first half against Panama, in which the Central American side consistently threatened, prompted a swift adjustment and reshuffling by Klinsmann which saw a much improved second half.
Frankly, these teams don’t look intimidated anymore. And as disappointing and inconsistent as some of the USA performances have been so far, much credit has to go to an improving field of opponents. This only bodes well for the federation.
