Congratulations Julio and Panama. I think you may have done us a favor. I pray that you have done us a favor.

Considering the US needed extra time in 2009 to defeat Panama in the Quarter-finals, this result should not come as too much of a surprise. A 5-0 blowout in the 2009 final against Mexico and unimpressive results in international play in the past couple years have to make me wonder if the US is in decline!

It is hard to swallow when someone comes into your house and hammers you in front of your fans but it is even worst when they do it to our red, white and blue. And it should matter even if you hate soccer or love soccer. No body should come into our house and hammer us. But the US team will be fine. They will go back and lick their wounds and go at it once again. Meanwhile the question we must ask ourselves is what do we need to do to become a soccer nation and win a world cup? We don't need an international coach. Why? Because coaching is overrated. Players win championships not coaches. But I will tell you what we need and actually one part of what we need to do is what Spain implemented after they flamed out in 1982 WC. They established futsal in every grade school. I have a little different twist to that. We need to create a NEW SPARTA but first we must do this first. Soccer in the US is considered a hobby. Soccer outside of the US is considered a way of life. Until we have 5 year olds playing futsal everyday in the inner cities of America we will never have magical players that can help the US to be the best in world soccer. Coaching is totally overrated. Players win championships not coaches. We need players and they are not going to come from $250 soccer shoes, beautiful soccer complexes, gimmicks, suburbia soccer environment, or the soccer system that exist in the US. There is GOLD in them mountains. But them mountains are located in the HOODS of America and not the suburbs. Suburbia soccer has it's place. For some it is a form of day care and for others it is country club. If US wants special players they will only come from the Barrios and Ghettos of America. US Soccer is wasting their money and time with Suburbia Soccer. The US needs a soccer revolution and that revolution must begin in our inner cities. Until then we will continue to hang in there. I have been preaching this for 36 years. I have been almost all over the world. I know exactly what we need to do and that is to create a NEW SPARTA. Everything else is smoke n mirrors.

Since its inception, the US has hoseted or co-hosted all 11 tournaments, yet only won four of the previous ten. Of the other six, Mexico has won five (including the two they co-hosted) and Canada, who has never hosted a single Gold Cup Game, won in 2000. If the US has difficulty winning with home field advantage so heavily slanted in its favour then I do not give them much hope in tournaments held outside home sweet home. Oh, by the way, do like other confederations and move the confederation championships around. This is bull that the US hosts every tournament. Look at UEFA, imagine if Germany got to host the Euros every four years or Brazil got to host the World Cup every four years. Enough of CONCACAF pandering to the US, there are over 30 nations in CONCACAF not just the US and Mexico.

Ken, you must be joking. The only reason this contest has any legs at all is that the US has the ability to host the tournament. The other nations don't have the infrastructure or the security to host. Mexico has the stadiums, but they couldn't host the tournament unless they could get their drug cartels under control, and that is not going to happen, plus they may have trouble selling the tickets. Canada has the stadiums and the security, but would they be able to get rid of the tickets? The other minnows could never host, they don't have anything but their teams.