The time has come for MLS to take a break for some international competition. The Gold Cup and Copa America are just a few of the tournaments that are taking place during this break. Fresh off the heels of the U.S. men’s national team destruction at the hands of Venezuela, the USMNT rebounded with a nice 4-0 win over Guyana. Paul Arriola and Tyler Boyd led the USMNT to a much needed victory. Next up for the Americans is a massive rematch against Trinidad & Tobago, with a chance to somewhat avenge the loss that kept the United States out of the 2018 World Cup.
The Gold Cup has been great for our neighbors to the south and north. Mexico and Canada both opened up Gold Cup play with big shutout victories. Canada started off the tournament with a 4-0 victory over Martinique, while the Mexicans destroyed Cuba 7-0 through a hat trick from Uriel Antuna of the LA Galaxy. Mexico, who is expected to win the Gold Cup, knocked off Canada earlier to seal their fate in the quarterfinal round.
With MLS on the back burner over the last couple of weeks, the U.S. Open Cup has taken center stage. The beauty of the Open Cup has already given us a few upsets. MLS sides joined the competition last week, and only two sides were upset. New Mexico United ousted the Colorado Rapids on penalties, and St. Louis FC knocked off the Chicago Fire. The “cupsets” continued this week, as both New Mexico United and St. Louis FC disposed of MLS sides FC Dallas and FC Cincinnati respectively. Can St. Louis or New Mexico be the next FC Cincinnati and march into the semifinals or finals? We will find out over the next few weeks when the quarterfinals kick off.
It was announced that new franchise Austin FC had secured 30,000 season ticket deposits. That is an incredible amount for a market many had seriously doubted when it was announced. Fans who aren’t lucky enough to get a season ticket will be placed on a waiting list. Austin FC is set to start play in 2021 so a lot can change before they make their MLS debut, but the initial numbers are impressive.
#AustinFC, Austin’s @MLS club, announced that at 1 p.m. CDT today it has secured deposits totaling over 30,000 seats. #GrowTheLegend Read more: https://t.co/dUpXUOKZm9 pic.twitter.com/slwI7DFc8p
— Austin FC (@AustinFC) June 13, 2019
The U.S. women’s national team has also been in action, looking to defend its World Cup championship. The USWNT started off with a record-breaking 13-0 drubbing of Thailand. Jill Ellis and her team came into this World Cup on a mission, and they have played nothing short of incredible. After knocking off Chile and Sweden, the USWNT has secured a spot in the knockout round, where it is set to face Spain on Monday.
The top ranked team in the world has been spectacular and hasn’t conceded a goal since April 9, when it conceded three goals to Australia. That equates to the USWNT outscoring their opponents 35-0 during that stretch. The USWNT now must roll on with this confidence and continue to rise up to the challenge now that the knockout rounds start.
Below is the schedule for MLS clubs in action this week.
Upcoming schedule
Friday
El Salvador vs. Jamaica – 7 p.m. (CONCACAF Gold Cup)
Honduras vs. Curacao – 9:30 p.m. (CONCACAF Gold Cup)
Saturday
Guyana vs. Panama – 5:30 p.m. (CONCACAF Gold Cup)
FC Cincinnati vs. LA Galaxy – 7:30 p.m.
Chicago Fire vs. Real Salt Lake – 8 p.m.
FC Dallas vs. Toronto FC – 8 p.m.
United States vs. Trinidad & Tobago – 8 p.m. (CONCACAF Gold Cup)
Vancouver Whitecaps vs. Colorado Rapids – 10 p.m.
Portland Timbers vs. Houston Dynamo – 11 p.m.
Sunday
Columbus Crew SC vs. Sporting Kansas City – 5:30 p.m.
Canada vs. Cuba – 6 p.m. (CONCACAF Gold Cup)
Martinique vs. Mexico – 8:30 p.m. (CONCACAF Gold Cup)
As always, stay tuned to Cincinnati Soccer Talk for all things FC Cincinnati when it hosts the LA Galaxy on Saturday.
@iamchrisasbrock for @CincySoccerTalk
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