For the second consecutive final, the two regional powers Mexico and the U.S. will face off in the CONCACAF Gold Cup final today at Giants stadium.
Both teams came to the competition with less than the A team starters. The U.S. has fielded a squad that is charitably called a B Team but really is essentially an MLS All-star team. Of the 19 players on Bob Bradley's Squad, only four players ply their trade outside the MLS, Heath Pearce, Troy Perkins, Clarence Goodson and Michael Parkhurst. Only Heath Pearce has spent more than two years abroad and he is currently out of contract after falling out of form and favor with his former club Hansa Rostock.
I would suspect that Bradley will start with this line-up
--------------Perkins-----------------
Heaps----Goodson----Marshall----Pearce
Rodgers---Beckerman--Pause---Holden
------Arnaud-----Ching(c)----------
There are three potential changes that could be made: Santino Quaranta for Arnaud, Jimmy Conrad for Goodson. Alternatively, I could see Quaranta on the right wing and Holden in the middle.
However, I don't see Bradley making any of those changes. The line up above played well against Honduras and I don't see any reason to make changes. Goodson stepped up well in a difficult situation when Conrad went down.
Game time is 3:00 PM EDT and will be on Fox Soccer Channel. You can also follow the action on the U.S. Soccer match tracker if you don't have FSC.
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This summer’s Gold Cup will be played in 13 venues across the US, including four MLS stadiums.
Eight-time winners Mexico won the last edition of the Gold Cup in 2009 with a 5-0 victory over the US in the final. Mexico and the US have met four times in the final, with the Mexicans holding a 3-1 edge.
All three CONCACAF World Cup teams, United States, Mexico and Honduras, will participate in the tournament along with quality challengers Jamaica, Costa Rica and Canada.
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