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End To End: The Gold Cup Edition
Goal.com's Noah Davis checks in on the Gold Cup to rate whose stock is rising and whose is falling for the USA.
Jul 14, 2009 5:37:22 PM
By Noah Davis
With the United States Men's National Team through to the quarterfinals of the 2009 Gold Cup, it's time to take a look at three players who raised their stock during the first three matches of the tournament and a trio of footballers who hurt themselves with poor performances.
Rising
Charlie Davies
The Confederations Cup revelation has continued his impressive play as a member of the Stars and Stripes, scoring the team's fourth goal in the rout against Grenada. The former Boston College Eagles now has three strikes in just 10 caps. Davies came on as a substitute in the 64th minute against Honduras and, along with Benny Feilhaber, immediately altered the outcome of the match. He nearly deflected an attempted clearance by Catrachos goalkeeper Donis Escober into the net and earned an assist on Santino Quaranta's game-winner. As a late sub in the team's third match, the striker's impressive work rate spurred the Nats on and helped them salvage a tie. Given time to develop further at his new club side, Ligue 1's Sochaux, Davies will challenge for Brian Ching's starting spot.
Stuart Holden
The Houston Dynamo's midfielder has been, um, dynamic in his two appearances during the Gold Cup. He and Robbie Rogers directed the offense during the Grenada beatdown and Holden tallied a goal and an assist against Haiti. Were it not for Logan Pause's stunning throughball to Rogers in the tournament's first match, Holden's perfect pass that set up Davy' Arnaud's strike would be an early favorite for helper of the competition. Better yet, he's showed an impressive ability to blast shots -- connecting on a 24-yard rip and nearly banging home a 30-yard dart -- and a willingness to retreat into the defensive third to help win balls. Competition for the remaining one or two midfield spots on the 2010 World Cup roster will be tight, but "The Chameleon" made a strong case that he can fit into any spot.
Kyle Beckerman
The 27-year-old dreadlocked midfielder might never press for a spot on the full National Team, but he's shown a calmness on the ball throughout the Gold Cup that's impressed at least one observer. He controlled the center of the pitch in the first two matches, making very few mistakes with his distribution. Perhaps at no time was his worth more obvious than when he came on (along with Charlie Davies) against Haiti. The pair's inclusion immediately put Les Grenadiers on their heels and while the Real Salt Lake midfielder didn't figure in what little build up there was to Holden's tally, he was an instrumental cog in the U.S.'s domination of the final half an hour.
Falling
Freddy Adu
After the Honduras match, the one-time protégé of U.S. football returned to Europe. While he wasn't terrible during his two and a half hours on the Gold Cup pitches, he certainly didn't turn any heads either. At 20 years old, the playmaker still has plenty of time to make his mark on American football, but you seriously have to wonder if he'll make the World Cup roster next year. Adu remains one of the most dangerous U.S. players in one-on-one situations, but he failed to show this skill set against two CONCACAF opponents who, let's face it, aren't the most quality sides. He shouldn't be written off now (or ever, really), but his time to contribute in this World Cup cycle is rapidly coming to a close.
Kenny Cooper
With the emergence of Davies as a more than viable option at the top of the U.S. formation (and the continued, albeit slow, improvement of Jozy Altidore), Cooper needed a strong Gold Cup performance to keep his name in the top tier of American strikers. So far, he hasn't done anything to alter the pecking order. In eight minutes of play against Honduras, the FC Dallas forward squandered a number of opportunities and he looked out of sorts after getting a start against Haiti. You'd expect more from Major League Soccer's fourth-leading scorer.
Heath Pearce
Another guy who's not having a bad tournament, but suddenly good isn't enough. (Say what you will about the state of American soccer, but at least it has guys competing for spots.) The fullback was on the field for the two U.S. shutouts and sitting on the bench while Haiti became the first team to score on the Red, White, and Blue in 700-plus minutes of Gold Cup group play. That said, with Carlos Bocanegra playing well at left back in the Confederations Cup, it seems as though Pearce -- who has struggled to find a new club after having a falling out at Hansa Rostock -- can't be Bob Bradley's first choice anymore.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
Visit Goal.com for more coverage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
With the United States Men's National Team through to the quarterfinals of the 2009 Gold Cup, it's time to take a look at three players who raised their stock during the first three matches of the tournament and a trio of footballers who hurt themselves with poor performances.
Rising
Charlie Davies
The Confederations Cup revelation has continued his impressive play as a member of the Stars and Stripes, scoring the team's fourth goal in the rout against Grenada. The former Boston College Eagles now has three strikes in just 10 caps. Davies came on as a substitute in the 64th minute against Honduras and, along with Benny Feilhaber, immediately altered the outcome of the match. He nearly deflected an attempted clearance by Catrachos goalkeeper Donis Escober into the net and earned an assist on Santino Quaranta's game-winner. As a late sub in the team's third match, the striker's impressive work rate spurred the Nats on and helped them salvage a tie. Given time to develop further at his new club side, Ligue 1's Sochaux, Davies will challenge for Brian Ching's starting spot.
Stuart Holden
The Houston Dynamo's midfielder has been, um, dynamic in his two appearances during the Gold Cup. He and Robbie Rogers directed the offense during the Grenada beatdown and Holden tallied a goal and an assist against Haiti. Were it not for Logan Pause's stunning throughball to Rogers in the tournament's first match, Holden's perfect pass that set up Davy' Arnaud's strike would be an early favorite for helper of the competition. Better yet, he's showed an impressive ability to blast shots -- connecting on a 24-yard rip and nearly banging home a 30-yard dart -- and a willingness to retreat into the defensive third to help win balls. Competition for the remaining one or two midfield spots on the 2010 World Cup roster will be tight, but "The Chameleon" made a strong case that he can fit into any spot.
Kyle Beckerman
The 27-year-old dreadlocked midfielder might never press for a spot on the full National Team, but he's shown a calmness on the ball throughout the Gold Cup that's impressed at least one observer. He controlled the center of the pitch in the first two matches, making very few mistakes with his distribution. Perhaps at no time was his worth more obvious than when he came on (along with Charlie Davies) against Haiti. The pair's inclusion immediately put Les Grenadiers on their heels and while the Real Salt Lake midfielder didn't figure in what little build up there was to Holden's tally, he was an instrumental cog in the U.S.'s domination of the final half an hour.
Falling
Freddy Adu
After the Honduras match, the one-time protégé of U.S. football returned to Europe. While he wasn't terrible during his two and a half hours on the Gold Cup pitches, he certainly didn't turn any heads either. At 20 years old, the playmaker still has plenty of time to make his mark on American football, but you seriously have to wonder if he'll make the World Cup roster next year. Adu remains one of the most dangerous U.S. players in one-on-one situations, but he failed to show this skill set against two CONCACAF opponents who, let's face it, aren't the most quality sides. He shouldn't be written off now (or ever, really), but his time to contribute in this World Cup cycle is rapidly coming to a close.
Kenny Cooper
With the emergence of Davies as a more than viable option at the top of the U.S. formation (and the continued, albeit slow, improvement of Jozy Altidore), Cooper needed a strong Gold Cup performance to keep his name in the top tier of American strikers. So far, he hasn't done anything to alter the pecking order. In eight minutes of play against Honduras, the FC Dallas forward squandered a number of opportunities and he looked out of sorts after getting a start against Haiti. You'd expect more from Major League Soccer's fourth-leading scorer.
Heath Pearce
Another guy who's not having a bad tournament, but suddenly good isn't enough. (Say what you will about the state of American soccer, but at least it has guys competing for spots.) The fullback was on the field for the two U.S. shutouts and sitting on the bench while Haiti became the first team to score on the Red, White, and Blue in 700-plus minutes of Gold Cup group play. That said, with Carlos Bocanegra playing well at left back in the Confederations Cup, it seems as though Pearce -- who has struggled to find a new club after having a falling out at Hansa Rostock -- can't be Bob Bradley's first choice anymore.
Noah Davis covers the United States Men's National Team for Goal.com.
Visit Goal.com for more coverage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
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