Winnipeg Fury Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 You have to feel for Cuba. This is becoming a regular occurence for this team. Must be difficult for the management and players. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sloth8 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Gian-Luca Great crowd for the match.... ...They all defected Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gian-Luca Posted March 13, 2008 Author Share Posted March 13, 2008 A mercy call at the end, no injury time played even though there was plenty of stoppages from the poor exhausted Cuban players collapsing with cramps on the field. Honduras is definitely through to the semi-finals I believe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ed Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Gotta admit that Adu was something else the other night. Could have scored 4 goals but managed only one. Good to hear the USA has its share of headcases though, with Feilhaber the latest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Cuban team start with 10 men after defections (releads after Cuba take field with 10 men) By Simon Evans ORLANDO, Florida, March 13 (Reuters) - Cuba’s Olympic soccer team took to the field with only 10 men on Thursday after up to seven of their players defected. Five members of the communist state’s under-23 team defected after their Olympic qualifying game against the United States, a 1-1 draw, in Tampa on Tuesday. A further two players, both reported to have defected, were absent from the line-up against Honduras on Thursday. With one player already suspended following a red card, Cuba coach Raul Gonzalez had only ten players available to him and his team began the match with a one-man disadvantage and no substitutes. ADVERTISEMENT The five players who defected after Tuesday’s game were captain Yenier Bermudez, goalkeeper Jose Manuel Miranda, defenders Erlys Garcia Baro and Loanni Prieto and midfielder Yordany Alvarez. Media reports on Thursday said that defender Yendry Diaz and midfielder Eder Roldan had defected on Wednesday and neither of those players were present at Thursday’s game. The Cuban Football Association in Havana slammed the players as cowards. “This was a very irresponsible act of cowardice by these five players,” Antonio Garces, a Cuban Football Association official, told Reuters in Havana. “They have betrayed their homeland,” the official said. PLAYING ON The Cuban team is part of an eight-nation tournament in the U.S to determine which two teams will represent North and Central America and the Caribbean in the Beijing Olympics soccer tournament. The regional soccer governing body CONCACAF, which organises the tournament, said in a statement that the Cuban team would continue to take part despite the absences. “CONCACAF’s sole objective is to ensure the 2008 CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament is carried out in the proper manner,” a statement said. “The Cuban Delegation has informed us that they will continue to participate in the tournament. All matches, therefore remain as scheduled.” The defecting players had initially been offered a trial by second-tier professional team Miami FC but the United Soccer Leagues club later backed away from that position after contact with CONCACAF. “The official position of Miami FC is that it is not right for any athlete, in any sport, to abandon a competition in the middle of it,” said club spokesman Marcos Ommati. “Our first intention was to help but we had to think it through,” Ommati said, adding that the players might be offered a chance with the club after they resolved their legal status in the U.S. Miami has a large Cuban exile community and the addition of Cuban players would have been a boost to the profile of the club. Cuba, aiming for their first appearance in the Olympic soccer competition since the 1980 Moscow Games, will also face Panama in Group A on Saturday. (Additional reporting by Robert Green in Tampa and Tom Brown and Jim Loney in Miami; editing by Miles Evans/Rex Gowar) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Rollins1555362254 Posted March 13, 2008 Share Posted March 13, 2008 Honduras 2- Cuba 0 - Final the Americans are losing their mind because they only took one off of full-strength Cuba, while Panama and Honduras get to play pulling-'em-from-the-stands-Cuba. If Honduras holds the Us to a draw--and we get through in the two spot--we could avoid the US in the semi. Things are getting interesting... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Rollins1555362254 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 The US/Panama game can be seen here: http://www.channelsurfing.net/watch-sports.html Fun fact: If the US doesn't win tonight, it can't win the group! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Rollins1555362254 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 US takes the lead on a 42nd min PK. Adu the scorer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Adu scores in Americans’ 1-0 win over Panama in Olympic qualifying TAMPA, Fla. (AP)—Freddy Adu scored on a penalty kick in the 42nd minute to help the United States’ under-23 team beat Panama 1-0 on Thursday night in the second round of Group A pool play in CONCACAF Olympic qualifying. The Americans, coming off a 1-1 tie with Cuba on Tuesday, improved to 1-0-1, while Panama dropped to 0-2. The top two teams in the group will advance to the March 20 semifinals in Nashville, Tenn., along with the top two from Group B. The finalists will earn spots in the Beijing Olympics. The United States will finish group play Saturday against Honduras (2-0). Panama, which cannot advance, will play Cuba (0-1-1) on Saturday. If Cuba loses or ties, the U.S. automatically advances. Honduras already has clinched a spot in the semifinals. Adu scored after Panama goalkeeper Jose Calderon received a yellow card for tripping Josmer Altidore 15 yards from the goal during a breakaway scoring chance. On his penalty kick, Adu struck the ball with his left foot, and it went just past Calderon’s outstretched arms into the right side of the net. The 18-year-old American star also scored against Cuba. The United States again had trouble converting scoring chances into goals. In the 47th minute, Calderon hit the ground to knock a shot away. Later, he stopped Holden Stuart’s free kick from 25 yards. The United States had a brief scare in the 56th minute when Adu fell to the ground after making contact with a Panamanian player. But just as Adu was about to be placed on a stretcher, he bounced up off the ground and was playing again moments later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Rollins1555362254 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 quote:Originally posted by Winnipeg Fury Adu scores in Americans’ 1-0 win over Panama in Olympic qualifying The United States had a brief scare in the 56th minute when Adu fell to the ground after making contact with a Panamanian player. But just as Adu was about to be placed on a stretcher, he bounced up off the ground and was playing again moments later. His time in Portugal is doing him well, I see.... But, for the record, Adu didn't "make contact" with a Panama player. The Panama player punched him in the gut when the officials were looking the other way. Adu still rolled around on the ground like a prima donna, however. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Worst blog article ever: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/blog/sow_experts/post/Cuban-farce-could-hurt-U-S-;_ylt=AjN3pH34WWE4Gb5ee0yxyOAmw7YF?urn=sow,71675 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marktci Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 quote:Originally posted by loyola Worst blog article ever: http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/blog/sow_experts/post/Cuban-farce-could-hurt-U-S-;_ylt=AjN3pH34WWE4Gb5ee0yxyOAmw7YF?urn=sow,71675 Agreed. And a couple of the commenters hit the nail on the head: 1. The US team dug this hole for themselves when they tied Cuba. 2. It's the US (the country) policies that make this possible. If not for the embargo and the wet feet/dry feet policy, this doesn't happen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loyola Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 I think the best argument is that FIFA rules allow you to start a game with 8 players so there's no reason to cancel Cuba participation since they have 10 men. This 8 men rule isn't only for Beers League. It's for, most importantly, FIFA competitions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scottie Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 quote:Originally posted by loyola I think the best argument is that FIFA rules allow you to start a game with 8 players so there's no reason to cancel Cuba participation since they have 10 men. This 8 men rule isn't only for Beers League. It's for, most importantly, FIFA competitions. And they'll have a full 11 for the last game as one player was suspended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tarnado1555362291 Posted March 14, 2008 Share Posted March 14, 2008 Haiti Team that played against Guatemala HAI: 1-Johnny Placide - 4-Alain Vubert, 5-Olrish Saurel (22: 17-Paulin Jean), 6-Lescinel Jean Francois, 8-Fritzon Jean Baptiste (42: 11-Fabrice Noel), 9-Leonel Saint-Preux, 10-Sony Norde, 14-Jacqueson Jean (67: 12-James Marcelin), 15-Ednerson Raymond, 19-Bidrece Azor, 20-Judelin Aveska. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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