TAMPA — A second-half penalty kick from Dwayne De Rosario gave Canada a 1-0 victory over an undermanned Guadeloupe on Saturday, and revived its hopes of reaching the quarterfinals at the Gold Cup.
The win improved Canada to three points in Group C, while Guadeloupe lost its second in as many games and will need a win against the United States on Tuesday in its first-round finale to have any chance of advancing."We got the three points, that's all it came down to," Canada striker Simeon Jackson said. "We're glad we got three points, and now we just look forward to the next game."
The Canadians next face Panama in Kansas City, Kansas, on Tuesday, before Guadeloupe takes on the United States.
The Gwada Boys were reduced to 10 men in the fourth minute when Jean-Luc Lambourde was ejected for a lunging studs-up challenge on Will Johnson just outside the Guadeloupe penalty area. It was the second consecutive match in which the Caribbean islanders had to play with a man disadvantage.
"We want to show that in Guadeloupe we have good football and good players," captain Stephane Auvray said. "Having one down man for the whole game was hard for us, but we showed that we have good players and a good team. Unfortunately we lost, but we showed something good tonight."
The goal for Canada didn't come until the 51st minute. Canada was awarded a penalty after Stephane Zubar pulled the shirt of Canadian striker Ali Gerba and shoved him down. De Rosario then bounced the penalty to the right as goalkeeper Franck Grandel dived the other way.
"I think you've got to give some credit to [Guadeloupe]," Canada midfielder Terry Dunfield said. "Once we got that goal it was a sense of relief, and it definitely gives us something to build on for Tuesday night."
Canada had the advantage early with Lambourde's ejecting, enabling it hold possession and make Guadeloupe chase the ball. Its patience led to some attractive build up play and pinned Guadeloupe in its own half for much of the opening half.
Ali Gerba appeared to have given Canada the lead in the 15th minute, but his swift turn-and-chip past Grandel was ruled offside. Gerba had another chance in the 33rd minute, but he scuffed it wide after receiving a pass from Josh Simpson inside the six-yard box.
After a long stretch in which both teams slowed the pace, Canadian defender Mike Klukowski nearly put his side ahead a couple of minutes before halftime. The left back burst into the area and an exchange of passes, but his shot went just wide of the right post.
"It was a tough situation to play in," De Rosario said. "Obviously their going down a man helped us out a lot in terms of finding space and keeping the ball. That was our main focus -- controlling the tempo of the game."
Despite being a man down, the Gwada Boys seemed fresher to start the second half. David Fleurival forced Canadian keeper Milan Borjan into a reaction save less than a minute after the restart.
The pressure wouldn't help Guadeloupe, however, and they went down to De Rosario's penalty in the 51st minute.
The goal brought about more tentative play from both sides, as neither team could muster anything threatening for the remainder of the match.
"We didn't want to change what we set out to do [after scoring], just be patient, it was very, very hot," coach Stephen Hart said. "We wanted to keep the ball moving, and sort of make them do the bulk of the running."
Panama ends U.S. streak at Gold Cup
TAMPA -- Panama ended the United States' 26-game unbeaten streak in group play at the Gold Cup, withstanding a second-half charge to upset the Americans 2-1 Saturday and assure itself of a place in the quarterfinals.
Luis Tejada and Gabriel Gomez scored first-half goals to put Panama ahead 2-0 before the United States tried to rally with a 68th-minute tally by Clarence Goodson.
The win, the first by Panama over the United States in nine tries, put "los Canaleros" atop Group C with six points, three more than the Americans and Canada.
The United States faces winless Guadeloupe in its group finale Tuesday in Kansas City, Kansas, while Canada will play Panama. Two teams from each group are assured of qualifying along with two of three third-place teams.
The United States walked dejectedly off the field, while the Panamanians celebrated with their small contingent of fans behind one of the goals at Raymond James Stadium.
"Panama usually doesn't need a reason to celebrate, but this will definitely make them celebrate," Panama coach Julio Cesar Dely Valdes said.
"It's an historic moment. We, as a coaching staff, have to keep our feet on the ground to make sure that we are successful in the other games."
Panama had been outscored 18-4 in their eight previous encounters with the United States.
Dely Valdes said he told the team after defeating Guadeloupe on Tuesday that it was going to beat the United States.
"I guess it was the faith the players had in themselves and in the coaching staff," he said. "When they make up their minds to do something, they go ahead and do it."
Valdes said there was nothing in particular about the Americans that he concentrated on in his game plan."As anyone does, they do have faults and we took advantage," he said.
The Panamanians did so in the 19th minute, taking advantage of some shoddy American defending in front of 27,731.
Armando Cooper sent a diving header off a Gabriel Gomez left-wing feed that goalkeeper Tim Howard knocked away. But the ball rebounded into the middle of the area, where Goodson appeared to get a foot on the ball, but Tejada was able to knock over the line for his seventh goal in Gold Cup competition.
"On the night, we were not good enough," U.S. coach Bob Bradley said. "But Panama certainly was, and then some.
"Give Panama a lot of credit," U.S. midfielder Landon Donovan said. "They started the game well, took the initiative to be aggressive. When you dig yourselves a hole that huge sometimes you can't get out of."
The Central Americans doubled their lead in the 36th minute on a penalty by Gomez.
U.S. defender Tim Ream tripped Blas Perez at the right edge of the penalty area and referee Marco Rodriguez of Mexico immediately pointed toward the penalty spot. Gomez shot into the upper left corner for a 2-0 advantage.
"You can't start that way," Donovan said. "For some reason we were a little lackadaisical, a little complacent early. We had some of the ball and we felt OK about ourselves. They put us on our heels a few times and they made a play that changed the game. And then the penalty's a little fluky and now we're chasing the game."
The Americans pressured Panama in the second half and cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 68th minute. Donovan sent in a free kick from the left side that Michael Bradley headed backward to a diving Goodson, who headed it home from four meters.
The Americans replaced Goodson with Chris Wondolowski, Major League Soccer's leading scorer last season, as it shifted to a three-man backline in an attempt to equalize. The move almost paid off in the 81st minute as Wondolowski, off a Jozy Altidore feed, missed an open goal from inside the six.
The Americans almost equalized again in the 90th minute when Bradley volleyed a 16-yard attempt that sailed just wide right of the net.
"We had the ball in pretty good spots, but we didn't finish off well enough," Bob Bradley said.
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Lavolpe set to face familiar foe Mexico
CHICAGO - Costa Rican players kicked balls back and forth through the wet grass of Soldier Field Saturday night.
They dribbled, volleyed and sprinted after balls through cones with several assistant coaches watching under light showers.
Every person on Costa Rica's roster was counted for except for its head coach. Ricardo Lavolpe was absent. Lavolpe didn't want to be part of the practice session that was open to the media during only the first 15 minutes.
Where was Lavolpe? Why was the former Mexico coach missing?
A team spokesperson did not give many details other than Lavolpe chose not to attend the training session.
Costa Rica practiced earlier in the day with Lavolpe present.
Lavolpe could be avoiding all media in anticipation to Costa Rica's match against his former team.
Mexico takes on Costa Rica Saturday night at Soldier Field in what is being considered El Tri's toughest challenge in this Gold Cup.
The game will decide the Group A winner.
But this match goes beyond a berth in next week's quarterfinals. There is some bitter history between Lavolpe and Mexico.
The Argentine-born coach with a bristly black mustache coached El Tri from 2002 to 2006. He led Mexico to the second round of the 2006 World Cup, where it lost to Argentina with a spectacular second half goal by Maxi Rodriguez.
Many in the soccer community say Mexico had never played a better World Cup match than that one. And Lavolpe was at the helm. Lavolpe was later fired.
Lavolpe is well known in Mexico. He has coached several of its first-division clubs. Many of the players on Mexico's current roster have stopped to chat with Lavolpe on several occasions in between training session during this tournament. They even hugged on several occasions.
"There will always be respect for him because he was an important person in my development as a player," Mexico midfielder Andres Guardado said. "We know his style of play and what he likes to do, and we know it's going to be a real challenge."
("Siempre Habra un tipo de respeto porque el fue una persona importante en mi desarrollo como jugador. Sabemos su estilo en la cancha y lo que le gusta hacer y sabemos que tenemos una tarea grande que enfrentar.")
So, why all the hype prior to this match?
Mexico coach Jose Manuel de la Torre played down the scenario. There is no hype in his eyes.
"There is nothing more other than the fact that we know (Lavolpe) well," de la Torre said during a news conference Saturday. "It's not Ricardo against me. It is the Mexican national team against the Costa Rican national team. There is the same hype that there is when we face any other team."
("El hecho que tenemos conocimiento, queda ahi nada mas No es yo contra Ricardo. Es la selección mexicana contra la selección de Costa Rica. Y el sabor sigue siendo el mismo que cuando nos enfrentamos a cualquier otra selección.")
De la Torre was asked what he has learned from Lavolpe while Lavolpe was in charge of Mexico.
"It is not only about Ricardo," de la Torre said. "It's also about other coaches. He always managed his teams well. It's not just him but other coaches in Mexico."
("No solo es de Ricardo si no de siempre de otros (tecnicos). Siempre sus equipos como los manejo es agradable. No es solo el pero otros tecnicos en mexico.")
In Mexico, Lavolpe is disliked. Even in the United States.
Lavolpe was jeered several times in Dallas and in Charlotte when his picture was displayed on the scoreboard screens. The boos echoed throughout each stadium.
Lavolpe responded to the jeers after Costa Rica's 5-0 win against Cuba in Dallas.
"The fans sometimes make decisions but they forget that we qualified to the Olympic Games (Athens 2004), we won the Gold Cup (2003) that qualified us to the Confederations Cup," Lavolpe said. "The fans let the media drive them and by some people. For me, Mexico is a thing of the past."
Lavolpe has mostly been very vocal in the past. He continued his diatribe in Dallas.
"It's been a while since they've made it to the Olympic games," Lavolpe said about Mexico. If they boo me, they should bomb or shoot the coaches that came after me.
"If they are booing me, let's remind them about the development of (Ricardo) Osorio, (Carlos) Salcido, (Aaron) Galindo, (Pavel) Pardo, all players who were responsible for how the team functioned. What am I going to say about the fans? "
Lavolpe hasn't said much to reporters since.
Most of his training sessions have been closed. Perhaps he has something in store for Mexico. It might be something that was worth leaving his team to the assistant coaches at Soldier Field.
El Salvador seeks win against reeling Cuba
CHICAGO - Cuba coach Raul Gonzalez answered questions about leaving the Gold Cup during a news conference in Charlotte. His team was coming off a 5-0 loss to Mexico.
Gonzalez might have not been aware his team still has a chance of advancing despite being losing second consecutive game by a lopsided score. It lost to Costa Rica 5-0 in Dallas on June 5.
Cuba must beat El Salvador Sunday to keep its hopes alive. The group winners and second-place teams advance, along with the two best third-place teams.
Coach Gonzalez's squad would need a lot of help since it has yet to score a goal and has allowed 10. Only Grenada has given up as many goals in the tournament. Grenada finally scored in a 7-1 loss to Honduras Friday night.
The odds of Cuba advancing are bleak. Gonzalez probably knows it. That is why he answered questions about leaving the tournament. He didn't give the impression his team would still be in contention.
"We have faced two rivals that are the powerhouses of CONCACAF," Gonzalez said. "The first one wasn't in the last World Cup but it is a team that is always tough and interesting. The second one owns CONCACAF."
The second one was Mexico, the defending champion and five-time winner of the Gold Cup.
Cuba held Mexico to one goal in the first 45 minutes before El Tri exploded with four second-half goals, leaving the island nation helpless, unable to defend.
"I think Cuba had plenty of discretion in the defense during the first match," Gonzalez said. "We stood better on the field defensively in this last game. Cuba is under a building process. We hope that the future of this national team gets better."
Gonzalez could help his team become better if he sends them out to beat El Salvador. That is a task that might not be any easier than Costa Rica and Mexico.
El Salvador is coming off a 1-1 draw against Los Ticos in Charlotte. La Selecta thought it had earned the three points and it was going to be a true contender to qualify for the quarterfinals. It led 1-0 with a goal by Rodolfo Zelaya into injury time of the second half.
But a right-footed shot across his body from right to left by Costa Rica's Marco Ureña killed the moment.
That play changed the outlook of the group. El Salvador must now beat Cuba to finish group play with four points and hope that Mexico, who has already qualified, beats Costa Rica by a considerable amount of goals. If that doesn't happen, El Salvador could still sneak in as a third place team if it gets some help from other teams.
El Salvador defender Luis Anaya said the team had some miscues that led to Costa Rica's late goal.
"The truth is that we were marking their key men well," Anaya said. "They were attacking as much as we were. They had not scored. But it still bothers us that we couldn't finish the game. We were not 100-percent focused and it caused us the game."
Anaya said El Salvador will play Cuba as if it was a tournament final. They understand this is the opportunity they cannot waste.
"There can be a variety of results, that's the good thing" Anaya said. "We are thinking that we must go with everything against Cuba. This is our advanced final. We need to give more than before. We are dreaming of the next round."
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