Local Blogs

Our Blogs are written by our staff and selected members of the Community. The writing is not supervised by an editor, and readers are free to converse directly with the author (and other readers) in the comments area below each post.

United States men reach Gold Cup final in spite of serious tactical shortcomings

Photo by Associated Press

Juan Agudelo

Panama's Roman Torres and the United States' Juan Agudelo (No. 9 in red) go after the ball during the first half of a CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal soccer match Wednesday night at Reliant Stadium in Houston. Agudelo, a former resident of Barnegat Township, started the match. The U.S. defeated Panama 1-0.

Photo by James Clark

Freddy Adu

United States national team player Freddy Adu smiles in the tunnel of the old Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., after the U.S. tied Argentina 0-0 in June 2008. Adu, long forgotten by the U.S. hierarchy, played a key role in the team's 1-0 win over Panama in a CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal Wednesday night in Houston.

Photo by TempSport

USA-Italy

On June 14, 1990, in Rome, the United States men's national team lost 1-0 to Italy in a FIFA World Cup group game. Pictured (from left) are the USA's John Harkes, Italy's Salvatore "Toto" Schillaci and the USA's Desmond Armstrong.

Photo by Ben Fogletto

Figueroas

Linwood, N.J., residents Jessica Figueroa (left) and her mother Alejandra display their Mexican pride on the soccer field. The whole family will be watching the Gold Cup final Saturday night.

MORE SPORTS BLOGS

To view a blog, click on any of the "Visit My Blog" buttons below. Readers are free to converse directly with the author (and other readers) in the comments area under each blog post.