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The Group B leader Martinique, and the U.S. Men’s National Team square off in Tampa Wednesday night for the second round of group play. The surprise group leader after one game is the tiny island of Martinique.
The small island leads Group B after an impressive 2-0 over Nicaragua, while the USMNT struggled in the Nashville heat, with a 1-1 draw against Panama. After the game Martinique manager, Jean-Marc Civault, praised his team, “They are playing very inspired,
#MTQ's first goal of the match. #MTQvNCA #GoldCup2017 https://t.co/9Hc3mFmpmZ
— The AOSN (@TheAOSNcom) July 9, 2017
Bruce Arena better have his squad ready for a fast paced tempo. If Martinique can control the tempo, it might be a long night in hot and humid Florida. A loss here would be devastating for the host nation, who many had predicted to hoist the trophy. Things god dicey in Nashville, as Panama brought their A-game, and pushed the USMNT on the brink of a loss. The USMNT was out played much of the game, and if it was not for Brad Guzan, it may have been a lopsided loss on home soil.
Arena was very critical after the opening draw, “We didn’t play well on the day … I thought we didn’t deal well with the pressure, especially in the midfield. We turned over way too much. We didn’t do a good job of establishing a rhythm.”
With the lackluster performance in front of such a large home crowd, expect there to me a few changes up front, to add more of an attack Wednesday night. Agudelo and Morris, along with Gyasi Zardes, helped provide some spark in the second half, and all three are in contention to start. Paul Arriola didn’t play against Panama, but he is also a player who Arena could turn to after seeing his attack struggle on Saturday.
Kelyn Rowe looked the best overall out on the pitch, dominating the midfield play game 1. Dom Dwyer continued his streak, scoring in his second consecutive game with the USMNT.
The lone goal so far. Dom Dwyer puts the #USA up vs #PAN. #USAvPAN #GoldCup2017 https://t.co/hxq4pkO9bF
— The AOSN (@TheAOSNcom) July 8, 2017
On the other side of the pitch, Martinique boasts a very fast paced, physical team. It’s also a team that is beat to handle the heat and humidity expected Wenesday in Tampa. Kevin Parsemain and Langil look to lead things up front, and give Martinique their best chance of taking down the USMNT back line.
Group B is up for grabs between the top 3 teams. Martinique needs one point out of their next two games to lock up a spot in the knockout stage. The USMNT are in a weird spot, a loss does not kill their chances, but it certainly will bring much scrutiny to Bruce Arena’s squad. They better not over look this Martinique squad, because they are fast, and inspired to make a run this Gold Cup.
Prediction
USA 3-2, in a very very very close one.
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