KingsX

Reinforcements have arrived for those teams still alive in the Gold Cup and it’s off to the quarterfinals we go. Some are not fond of the narrative shift that occurs when a nation drastically alters its roster once it gets through to the knockout stage of this tournament but there’s no question that it’s a massive boost for the programs that are able to do so. Every team takes advantage of the rule when it can but it’s possible that the Americans are the guiltiest culprits. They called up first-team regulars Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard once they were clear of the group stage. The USA ended group play tied atop the lot with Panama and will face El Salvador in the round of eight. The Yanks will be a massive fave in the quarterfinal match and will be disappointed with anything other than outright victory in the tournament’s finale. Just ahead of the hosting Americans it’s Mexico. Although they’ve played a boring brand of football thus far, El Tri – a country ranked 16th in the FIFA world rankings – is the favorite for a reason. They’re running with an experimental squad after using their best players at the Confederations Cup but Mexico has the deepest well of any team in CONCACAF and there’s little fear that they won’t be a part of the final. Finishing second in Group A, Team Canada went unbeaten in round-robin play. The Canucks actually won the competition back at the turn of the millennium so a champagne run is not totally out of the question. Calling up the talented Orlando City forward Cyle Larin to help out Alphonso Davies up front, Canada could be the dark horse going forward. Concacaf Gold Cup: Outright Winner Odds as of July 17 at Bovada Mexico +160 USA +175 Costa Rica +500 Panama +1000 Jamaica +1400 Canada +1400 Honduras +2500 El Salvador +5000

Give the guy a break. Scientific testing has shown, the IQ of the average FT participant has dropped by 10.35 points since the beginnings of this and the Iheanacho thread.

Maybe we should start an Actual Gold Cup thread now that we are out of the group stage? My bad for being first to add it into this one (which might as well be closed). The Iheanacho thread has liquefied my brain. Of course there may be only a few of us who give a fart about this tournament! Interesting (and justifiable) decision to keep Hamid over Guzan IMO.

LCFC having perfected this concept of “box to box defensive striker”, the position will henceforth be known as a “Leicester 10”. No disrespect to Andy King of course.

If we force a rival to overspend and limit their flexibility elsewhere, that’s good. If we do value Sigurdsson this highly and get him, that’s good. We’ve got the scratch. Everton have no choice but to take us seriously. To play at the next level you have to have weight and be willing to apply it.

Sure looks ITK to me

After 166 pages of this, I sure can't disagree with your avatar.

The first half was dismal, a throwback to the years when the USMNT didn’t even have guys who could control the ball with a professional first touch. Every time they showed Arena on the scoreboard he looked like a pissed-off grouper. (The only replays shown all night were the goals and PK misses. Is this a CONCACAF thing to avoid riling up the crowd?) The second half showed a lot more application, and somewhat more quality. They just eked out the +3 they needed (on a two-man advantage), and we went home happy. I’d have thought with the growth of the sport, our up-and-comers would be pressing our first teamers. Unfortunately not so. But Arena now gets one more game to evaluate them before he MUST fortify the squad. This defense doesn’t bend, it breaks. Hamid had to make three quality saves to preserve the clean sheet. He was my MOTM. In the end, it was fun to have that circus come to town on a perfect summer evening.

For better or worse, the USA junior varsity take the pitch against the world # 105. They had better learn tonight how to bring it.

Or "Filbert's Couch" ...

Manchester United are confident about their prospects of fending off Real Madrid's renewed interest in goalkeeper David De Gea, with sources telling ESPN FC that the Old Trafford hierarchy are sceptical over the European champions' ability to pay for the Spain No. 1. Real, who are currently training at the same base as United in Los Angeles ahead of their International Champions Cup fixtures, are expected to make a second attempt to sign De Gea this summer -- two years after dramatically failing to complete a move for the former Atletico Madrid keeper because of a paperwork hitch on deadline day. While United believe that De Gea is now much more settled in Manchester than two years ago, when his relationship with former manager Louis van Gaal had become strained, there is an acceptance within the club that a move to Real will always be a temptation for the 26-year-old, whose pop star girlfriend Edurne Almagro Garcia continues to live in Madrid. But with De Gea doing nothing to suggest to United that he wishes to return to Spain this summer, there is no sense of alarm at Old Trafford about his future as a result of Real's inability to raise funds for a deal by offloading players in the transfer market. Real have been unable to find a buyer for James Rodriguez, instead agreeing to loan the Colombian midfielder to Bayern Munich earlier this month. And the Spanish champions' hopes of boosting their transfer fund by selling Alvaro Morata to United were ended with Romelu Lukaku moving to Old Trafford from Everton for almost £90m last week. With Real carrying a huge wage bill, sources said that United are aware that Madrid must first sell players before being able to bid for De Gea. And with the transfer market becoming inflated this summer -- Kyle Walker's £50m move from Tottenham to Manchester City the latest example of the escalation in fees -- United would expect to receive a huge offer for De Gea before even considering a sale. Currently, there is a view within United that Real lack the finances to test their resolve over their highly-rated goalkeeper. http://www.espnfc.com/story/3158007/man-united-doubt-real-madrid-have-funds-to-buy-david-de-gea-sources

Given how much WHU's transfer strategy is looking like ours last summer, I'd say yes, they are in for him. Hopefully for a plump fee. But re-signing Leo weakens the negotiating position unless there are other suitors.

Folks, get over these Championship transfer fees and clear the scales from your eyes. This: makes this kind of thing a risk worth taking, especially for ego- and risk-driven individuals (i.e. many club owners). Your own club is Exhibit A. Bought for 39M plus 100M in debt write-offs IIRC? And worth nearly 400M less than seven years later. Not to mention the brand exposure for KP. While that leap was likely a one-off, once a club makes it to solid Championship status, the incentive to spend 10M or more for perceived difference-makers is clear, if not irresistible. If you feel your club is top ten there, you reckon your chances at that nine-figure bonanza as 30%. You almost have to give it a go. And spending money to stack the deck is second nature to these uber-successful businessmen and crony capitalists. Absolutely true: do it wrong and they can impair a club’s future. But prudence (investment after promotion) is no longer incentivized -- quite the opposite. There is much more to gain than lose. This is not a world we made, nor the one we would make. But we are living in it because our own choices have underwritten it.

I'm about to pull the trigger and get sweet seats to the US/Nicaragua - Panama/Martinique doubleheader Saturday. The One Who Loves Me said OK even though this will be the first time she has ever gone to a futbol match. I sure hope Bruce puts a better 11 out there than vs Martinique, because those literally were not ready for prime time players. I can justify paying to see Brad Guzan because the USMNT may not play another non-friendly match in my city for decades. There are acres of tickets available. Must be too big a venue, and/or strictly an NFL town.