USA

Hey it's the CONCACAF Gold Cup! Fun!

No. Not fun. Not fun for people who must watch this product. The soccer is bad at the Gold Cup. Real bad. Even the USMNT, the host nation and one of the favorites, is a shadow of itself. This is a soccer wasteland.

Let's see what some of our colleagues in soccer media had to say about the USMNT's thrilling 3-2 win against Martinique:

The U.S. Open Cup didn’t disappoint on Tuesday, with Sporting KC and FC Dallas combining for three red cards and three extra-time goals in a wild game at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas. 

The home side prevailed 3-0 despite going down a man in the 15th minute. The full highlights are worth the watch:

Phoenix is strongly making its case as the best place for youth soccer in the United States. Although one should take many factors into consideration when evaluating a metro area for its ability to develop players, it's clear that the level of competition in and around the Phoenix area is as strong as any other place in the U.S.

There are some things that just don’t die, like cockroaches and Kool & the Gang.

Something else that won’t die? Joe Cole’s soccer career.

Once one of England’s most skilled players, Cole has bounced around half-a-dozen clubs since leaving Chelsea on a free in 2010.

After playing at clubs like Lille and Coventry City, Cole landed where most people go to retire: Florida.

But instead of hanging up his boots, Cole is still kicking it.

He's playing for NASL side Tampa Bay and is scoring like never before.

During the World Cup next summer, United States supporters across the nation will attend watch parties in droves, frequent bars adorned in red, white and blue and flood sporting goods stores to buy new jerseys.

There's no denying that World Cup Fever is a nationwide phenomenon every four years, but the players responsible for the frenzy do not necessarily come from all corners of the country.

In order to get a better idea of what areas of the U.S. develop the best soccer talent, we looked at where current and past members of the USMNT spent the majoirty of their childhood.

Nobody likes a big decision more than MLS official Baldomero Toledo. Toledo once set the precedent for what would happen if a player ever took off their jersey only to reveal another jersey underneath — he brandished a second yellow and sent the player off.