We went into d game like if we were playin d "big 3" in concacaf...when playin Mexico....d US or CR who are all better teams than us yes we have to play a defensive type game cus dey dat good but not against panama! Panama don't warrant dat typa respect....dey won today cuz we facilitated their play with our neglect to play dem open.
With all due respect, had you played an open game vs Panama as you did vs Mexico its likely that you would have conceded heavily(just like you did vs Mexico). In a quarterfinal game, the preferred approach is to be compact in midfield/defense and see how your opponents react. The Mexico game somewhat was a special case, Mexico obviously threw everything at you in a game that had very little consequence to both teams, as both of you were already thru to the next round. They got two goals early and continued hunting for more, leaving their defense exposed for your strikers room to gun them down. Those tactics are OK for a game that has no great consequence on proceedings, but no coach worth his salt will employ such tactics in a quarterfinal or semifinal game against respectable opponents. Hart took the right approach vs Panama... notice also Mexico employed totally different tactics in the late game last night.
Cuba has been poor all tournament, conceding 14 goals in 3 games... and though Guatemala conceded far less, apparently they are not too far ahead of Cuba given that Cuba beat them.
But to say Panama is a poor team is wide of the mark, in CONCACAF, they are a pretty decent team, and has had great success at the last three gold cups. I have a strong feeling Jamaica will be facing them for the third place game. On Saturday.
Don't get me wrong RF, I'm not discrediting panama efforts in concacaf fuh d past few years...im just judgin d team from last nights game....and dey were poor. No way had we played open dey would've score heavily a la Mexico....simply cuz dey don't have d personnel to do so a la Mexico. Dey had ample chances to score last night and their personnel was very impotent....look how dey had to score...from our poor defensive mistake....so no way dis team deserved d typa space and time on d ball as dey got....with dat being said dey looked ok cuz jus like any shithound...if yuh allowed the time and space to take yuh time and play eventually u have a better chance of havin things ur way.
Movin on indeed our game against Mexico both teams wanted a result to win d group...so yuh mistaken....it was ah important game fuh both teams....simply because Mexico prefer to play panama Dan CR and we d same....had we play CR...lets jus say d game woulda been over in the first have cuz allowing dem d same time and space dat panama got...I sure u would agree (cuz I kno u saw den against Mexico) that dey would've kill off d game early.
Now with regards to Mexico playin CR cautiously....dey would certainly do so cuz CR is a big team and yuh have to respect dem.....now do u think dey would've played panama with d same caution? I don't think so....simply because dey would've had less respect for dem....jus as dey do most times dey face us.
On a final note u feel panama could come and play JA with dat same level? No way!
And ppl allyuh need to watch over d game...as a player yuh does kno when a player tired and cyar go but there isn't any excuse fuh d kinda display I saw last night....as a professional that's unacceptable. I saw 4 of our players in a bundle markin each other....i saw players actin like dey don't kno dey roles defensively....ball switching from one side to the next and everybody kno where the ball is goin to end up and players jus waitin for d pass to be made and den reactin...I saw a few of our players defending in a line infront a few panama players and nobody takin d responsibility to show a sense of awareness to pick up a man behind dem...boom air ball or tru pass and 4 men out d play jusso and we under pressure...nah! Men playin football too long tuh be doin dem nonsense. As a football player it simple...if yuh tired take yuh rest goal side of yuh opponent....dais elementary defending....nothing to do with bein tired...jus gotta dig deep and get it done....dais where d heart or d belly or d bad mind or warrior spirit or eye of d tiger or wuh ever yuh wanna call it kicks in! So men hatta take responsibility and win dey individual battles. Men was actin like dey absolutely loss too many times and dis is where an organizer on d field come into to play and the technical staff. So yes overall d effort was better when compared to d past but we have a lot of work to do ppl or else we'll be havin more heartache in d WC qualifiers..quit lookin fuh excuses...when Gio and co by Campbell and co by Dempsey and co sleepin we hatta be trainin.