Gold Cup quarterfinals offer exciting matches: A fan’s take

Posted Thursday, June 16, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

As a fan of the Philadelphia Union, there is some excitement in regards to the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals.

The United States defeated Guadalupe to sneak into the quarterfinals despite a pair of ugly games. The Americans will face Jamaica and are in a favorable half of the bracket. Additionally, another match will spark interest for Union fans. Guatemala will square off against Mexico, which means Carlos Ruiz will appear in a big match.

CONCACAF is defined by the rivalry between the United States and Mexico, and that is the match that most soccer fans will want to see in the final game. But it would be foolish to overlook Guatemala. They are coming off a four-goal game, including one from Ruiz. With a chance to advance to the semifinals on the line, Guatemala will be playing hard. The USA loss to Panama should show fans that anything can happen. Mexico is clearly the favorite in this game, but Guatemala won't be an easy out.

For the Americans, they limp into the knockout round after failing to win their group. They have struggled in the last two games and Jamaica is a tough draw. But there is no excuse for the United States not to win this game. The United States has struggled to close games and they have appeared to be pretty sluggish through much of this Gold Cup run. But all it takes is one game to change momentum. They will need to come out strong against Jamaica. There is no reason they shouldn't be able to do that.

Between the United States'match and the chance to see Ruiz, the Gold Cup is definitely worth watching.

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