Gold Cup Semifinal Preview USA - Canada

There are several images that sum up the United States' march through the Gold Cup. Most seem to project an American squad that has played solidly throughout most of the tournament. But some display the lack of ruthlessness shown by the U.S. side, with Clint Dempsey's blown opportunity late against Panama a prime example.

The latter trait has allowed the Americans' opponents to hang around in games that should have been blowouts, and with the U.S. set to face an in-form Canada team in Thursday's semifinal, it's imperative the U.S. team finds that cold-blooded streak, lest it falls short in its quest to win its fourth CONCACAF title.  This inconsistency is something the American players are well aware of. U.S. defender Carlos Bocanegra described his team's play in the tournament as "up and down," and admitted that U.S. head coach Bob Bradley has already warned his side that the generosity shown in the quarterfinals can't continue.

"We've addressed it as a team," Bocanegra said. "We realize that we didn't finish Panama off. But we're in a transition period and we still have some fairly young guys. Hopefully we'll sort that out and take advantage of our opportunities when we get them."

Canada is a team capable of taking advantage of any gifts the Americans might offer. And unlike Panama, which was hobbled by suspensions to three players, Canada has all of its weapons available. In particular, the midfield trio of Dwayne De Rosario, Atiba Hutchinson and Julian De Guzman look especially potent.  Each player has filled his role to perfection. Hutchinson's two-way game has seen him contribute much to the Maple Leafs' attack, while also protecting Canada's back line. De Rosario has taken his live wire game that is an MLS staple and moved it out wide, where his unpredictability has caused opponents problems.

"We know [De Rosario] can create stuff sometimes out of nothing," Bocanegra said. "He's a good dribbler, and he scores goals, so he's going to be someone we're looking out for."

Perhaps a bigger key for the U.S. is stopping De Guzman. Early in Canada's quarterfinal triumph, the Maple Leafs were struggling to play through Guatemala's packed midfield, so De Guzman began to drop deeper to get the ball. Initially, it appeared as if this would play into Guatemala's hands, because it took the Canadian midfielder further away from goal. But in this case, De Guzman's skill on the ball allowed Canada to keep possession better and build its attack. Once it got into the attacking third, the goals came quickly, with its second tally -- a clinical series of passes that was finished off by striker Ali Gerba -- a thing of beauty.

For this reason, it will be imperative that the U.S. midfield -- led by resident destroyer Pablo Mastroeni -- puts its defensive stamp on the game and negates the influence of Canada's attacking trio. That will require keeping an eye on the mobile De Guzman, and making sure the U.S. has sufficient numbers in midfield to maintain pressure on the ball.