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It all comes down to this.
Yes, I have gone 6-for-6 so far in picking winners. Not scorelines or penalties, just picking which team will advance. That's the easy part. To his credit, Steve's gone 5-for-6, and while
Picking correct scorelines, now that's hard. Although the guys over at The Yanks Are Coming sure made the semi-finals look easy, their predictions are at the bottom of their Honduras preview from midweek. They were dead on, both games, and yes, I'm jealous.
So now, with only one game left, I have one last chance at the perfect pick, and in case you're wondering, yes, I will brood about not making a perfect pick for two years until the 2015 Gold Cup. I have a very long memory for these things.
STANDINGS
JAKE (4-2) - Winners 6/6, Scorelines 0/6
STEVE (2-4) - Winners 5/6, Scorelines 1/6
GOLD CUP FINAL PREDICTIONS
UNITED STATES [C1] vs. [A1] PANAMA
JAKE: United States 3-1 Panama, FT - Don't let that scoreline fool you, this isn't going to be a runaway. I think the that the US and Panama will trade goals in the first half, Eddie Johnson and Gabriel Torres perhaps, which sets up someone to play the hero in the second half. My guess: Kyle Beckerman, who's been long overdue to score in this tournament and has been solid shooting from around the top of the box. I'm thinking a well struck, 15-20 yard shot around the 65th minute to put the USA in front. Landon Donovan tacks one on late as Panama pushes guys forward, classic Donovan, springing the counter and being wide open in the center of the box to seal it. When looking for the perfect prediction, go big or go home.