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| Landon Donovan |
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U.S. coach Bruce Arena, however, does not want his squad to take the Cubans lightly. The United States is the favorite to both beat Cuba and win its group.
Arena has hammered away his message, telling U.S. players that they have to go all-out to beat the Cuban team, which has made great improvement in both its coaching and conditioning. "Cuba has surprised us every time," Arena said.
Cuba played solidly in the 2003 Gold Cup, defeating Canada 2-0 and making the quarterfinals.
Soccer is a marginal sport in Cuba, where baseball is king, but the national team traveled to the Gold Cup with the idea of pulling off an upset.
"We're not the favorites, but in modern soccer there is no such thing as a small team," goalkeeper and team captain Odelin Molina said.
Cuba's main weakness is lack of playing experience at the international level, something that Arena noted in analyzing the potential of the island.
"Their Achilles heel is that they don't have much experience, since no professional league exists in Cuba," Arena said, while praising the disciplined approach of the Cuban squad.
The United States, which has played in the seven previous Gold Cups and won two titles in the regional tourney, is one of the favorites, along with defending champ Mexico and Colombia.
The United States will face off against Cuba at 7:30 p.m. (0230 GMT) at Qwest Field in Seattle.
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