all of us put out our best all the time, it should be fun."
Tuesday, June 19: Clark eager for Canada showdown
Houston Dynamo midfielder Ricardo Clark could appear in his first Gold Cup semifinal Thursday when the United States plays Canada. An added layer of anticipation comes with two targets on the opposition -- his club teammates.
Clark and Brian Ching face off against teammates Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad in the semifinal. The two "sides" haven't wagered anything on the outcome ... yet.
"I'm looking forward to playing against my teammates," said Clark. "It will definitely be fun, and the overall atmosphere and caliber of the game will make it exciting."
Clark has been monitoring his Dynamo teammates' progress since being called up to the U.S. national team. While Clark looks forward to rejoining the Dynamo, he hopes his return to the Houston side is delayed a bit longer in Chicago.
"I'm really excited about this experience," said Clark. "It's my first Gold Cup semifinal and I can't wait."
Sunday, June 17: Onstad previews U.S.-Canada
This Father's Day Pat Onstad has more than one reason to celebrate. With Canada's 3-0 victory over Guatemala, the Maple Leafs are set to face off against the U.S. in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
"We played very well, took advantage in the first half. In the second half we eliminated any opportunity they had to come back, staying on the offensive the majority of the time," Onstad said of the quarterfinal win against Guatemala.
Now, Onstad and Dynamo teammate Dwayne De Rosario zero in on Thursday's semifinal in Chicago against defending Gold Cup champ United States.
"I think really that we have to keep playing the way we have been," said Onstad. "We need to keep lots of movement on and off the ball. Kick the ball long and stay on the offensive. Against the U.S. we need to play with them and compete at their level, and don't let them have control of the match."
"Right now we're still enjoying the past game," said Onstad. "We know they're a great team, probably the best in our region. If we want be considered up there too then we have to be able to compete against the U.S. and Mexico."
Friday, June 15: Fates & Fortunes during quarterfinal weekend
The Dynamo quartet of Brian Ching, Ricardo Clark, Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad will help determine their respective countries' fates this weekend. Ching and Clark play with the U.S. national team in Gold Cup action Saturday against Panama. Team Canada, with the assistance of De Rosario and Onstad, face Guatemala in the other quarterfinal in Foxborough, Mass. De Rosario has expectations for the Canadian National Team to advance to the final four.
"For us to win, we simply need to put the ball in the net," said Dwayne. "It's going to be a tough match, they're a good team, and we are both playing to win. It should be a good game. We are experienced playing them many times and know what to expect. We know they will be tough defensively."
Team Canada has made noise in this Gold Cup, and soccer fans in the CONCACAF region have taken notice.
"It can be complicated because we all have different styles," said De Rosario. "When we come together we have to make everything click. It isn't just a city. There's a lot more at stake, you have the whole country on your shoulders."
Is it realistic to expect Team Canada to advance past the quarterfinals?
"Keep playing the way we are," said De Rosario. "If we stay competing at this level we should be able to go far. This is an important match ahead so we're concentrating on that, but hopefully we'll continue to win."
Wednesday, June 12: Onstad guides Canada to quarters
Closing out a whirlwind week of being shuttled back and forth between Houston Dynamo and the Canadian national team, goalkeeper Pat Onstad came up with big saves for Canada Monday night to secure a first place finish in Group B of the Gold Cup.
Playing two matches in just over 24 hours, Onstad managed to serve up a 2-0 Canadian shutout over Haiti.
"To be honest, my first reaction was just from the high of beating Columbus, it didn't sink in until I was on my flight the next morning that I was going to have to get up and play again that night," Onstad said of the news that he would be playing for his national team the following night. "When I got out there experience kind of took over, the guys played great in front of me which made it easier."
In transitioning back and forth between Dynamo and the Canadian national team, Onstad credits the coaching and playing styles of both teams. </p>
"The nice thing about the two teams is the coaches encourage everyone to play hard the whole time, which takes a lot of pressure off the defense. It's not like the old days of Team Canada; you get a chance to keep possession and enjoy the playing of the guys in front of you."
With Canada coming out on top of Group B, the Maple Leafs are set to play Guatemala in the quarterfinals of the Gold Cup. </p>
Of expectations for the rest of the tournament, Onstad said, "Obviously we have three games to go before the finals, we're really concentrating on the quarterfinal. We want to be one of the better teams in CONCACAF and secure a spot in the World Cup by hopefully making at least the semis, if not the finals."
Tuesday, June 5: Gone ... for the moment
Four Dynamo stalwarts are now elsewhere, at least for the moment. Brian Ching and Ricardo Clark have joined the U.S. national team in Carson, Calif., in anticipation of their CONCACAF Gold Cup group play opener Thursday, June 7 vs. Guatemala.
Dwayne De Rosario and Pat Onstad are with the Canadian national team in Miami to start group play Wednesday against Costa Rica. Onstad's callup to the team was somewhat of a surprise.
Onstad was asked to be included on Canada's roster after he was red-carded Sunday during the Dynamo 2-1 win over FC Dallas. Knowing Onstad would not be available to play Thursday against Colorado, the Canadian Soccer Association asked Onstad to be included on the national team roster. Suddenly, with an injury to Canada goalkeeper Greg Sutton, Onstad will play Wednesday night against Costa Rica, which, coincidentally, is the last team Onstad faced when he last played for Canada in 2004.
"The timing worked out perfectly, depending on your point of view, said Onstad. "I was being suspended for the one game, so it works out where I could play for the national team."
Onstad first played for Canada's senior team in 1988 vs. Bermuda. Pat has 46 senior caps and now plays Gold Cup action for his native country.
"It's better than sitting around and not playing," said Onstad. "I'm now older than most of the guys here (Pat is 39) but so far this has been an enjoyable change of events."
