Pre-Quarterfinals: Copa Oro

It's been a pretty good CONCACAF Gold Cup so far for Dynamo fans. DDR and Onstad are starring in Canada's run. In their most recent match, DDR beat the Haitian goalkeeper (and Haiti) with a goal from an impossible angle. He added insurance with a PK, which was poorly taken, but effective. Hey, didn't DeRo miss a PK vs DC United in his last game with the Dynamo before he joined the Canadian team? Stuart Holden had best PK in the shootout at the end of the MLS Cup last year -- decisive, powerful, and untouchable regardless of the GK's reflexes. Maybe Holden should hold class for the Dynamo veterans.

How about the video of Onstad doing some landscaping in front of his goal, tearing out the loose turf before Canada's match versus Haiti? He's a guy whose comfortable in his position and isn't afraid to assert himself. In the second half he had an awesome (and fearless) stop when his defense left him out to dry. That terrible knock on the head had to worry Dom. It did me.

The US MNT had a good opener vs Guatemala, a better effort vs T&T (but it was a T&T "B" squad, and our finishing was awful), and a wonderful open and creative match vs El Salvador. Ching had a good first match vs T&T and an outstanding match vs El Salvador. He isn't a penetrating dribbler (which many fans, naysayers, and philistines erroneously think is a skill all effective strikers must have), but he is a great possession dribbler, and his vision in those two games was outstanding. He had a goal, an assist (with a beautiful outside the foot pass), and set up two more goals (assists on assists?), not to mention getting in position for several threatening opportunities. His great strike from about 25 yards out went just a bit high, but was very much outside his standard fare, and came from the "theater of the imagination" as Glenn Davis likes to say. Ching made the defenses sweat.

I must say I would never think of pairing Ching with Twellman. The two are too much alike. I'll admit that I thought it a sign of poor tactics on Bradley's part when he first put Ching in with Twellman, but the two worked well with each other. Each looked out for the other and worked the ball like a pair of attacking mids at times. I was pleasantly surprised with both strikers' effort and results.

This weekend we see who moves on and who goes home. Here's my take:

Saturday
Canada - Guatemala (Boston, Noon) - Onstad should be able to keep Ruiz out of the goal, while DeRosario and DeGuzman are more than capable of getting Canada the points they need.
USA - Panama (Boston, 3 PM) - I see the US getting a result, but I don't see them dominating a spirited Panamanian side, much to the chagrin of the fans.

Sunday
Mexico - Costa Rica (Houston, 2 PM) - I'm going with Mexico, but the way they've been playing, CR could definitely win this.
Honduras - Guadalupe (Houston, 5 PM) - Honduras got an atypical result beating Cuba 5-0, and might be able to ride that high over Guadalupe.