Gold Cup Champions, the Day After

So yesterday the USMNT broke six years of disappointment and a potential qualifying disaster when they beat Panama 1-0 to claim their fifth Gold Cup. The Yanks are riding high, having won 11 straight games, their own record! And now since they're squarely on top of the CONCACAF Hex, it looks like smooth sailing to get to the World Cup next year.

Unfortunately, it came with a price. Fan favorite Stuart Holden injured his knee--AGAIN--during the first half of yesterday's game and had to leave. We don't know the extent of the injury, but preliminary reports from yesterday told us that it's a sprained right knee. Holden should be getting an MRI today, so we'll find out eventually the extent of his injury. Hopefully it won't be much.

On the good news front, however, Aron Johannsson, a 22-year-old playing for AZ Alkmaar has announced that he'll be making his one-time switch to the USMNT. Klinsy's been keeping his eye on the kid who was born in  Mobile, Alabama to Icelandic nationals before moving to Iceland, so there's another international kid who will be getting time with the national team. Johannsson split AZ Alkmaar's scoring with Jozy Altidore last year and now that Jozy's moving to Sunderland, he should be getting a starting spot next season. Oh, and one more thing: apparently this guy scored a hat trick in under four minutes. WOW.

Also, now that he's been brought up back to his old playing level, Landon Donovan should be starting the big games once again once the USMNT resumes World Cup Qualifying. With him, Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore in attack, they should finally have a trio of scorers to frighten their opponents.

And also, apparently someone on Tumblr decided to have some fun by mocking the USMNT by comparing them to the Women's team. Obviously that blew up in their face as they have been scolded by a few American soccer fans. Really, you should have thought before you posted that, whoever you are. Even if you were being a little smart aleck, you don't make it look like you're creating a rivalry between two teams of different gender who represent the same country.

Well that's my little update. I'll probably have more once World Cup Qualifying starts again and I'll have a few things to say then.