U.S. ties Haiti in Gold Cup play
. -- Stuart Holden scored in the first minute of second-half injury time, giving the United States a 2-2 tie with Haiti on Saturday night in its final first-round game of the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament.
The U.S., seeking its third straight title in the championship of North and Central America and the Caribbean, finished first in Group B and will play the third-place team from Group A or C next Saturday in Philadelphia. The United States (2-0-1), which already had clinched advancement, improved to 23-0-2 in Gold Cup group play.
Davy Arnaud put the U.S. ahead in the sixth minute, but Haiti stunned the Americans with goals in the first four minutes of the second half by Sirin Vaniel and Mones Chery.
The U.S. again started a young lineup, with goalkeeper Luis Robles, defender Jay Heaps, and midfielders Sam Cronin and Colin Clark making their first international appearances. Six of the starting 11 made their first national team starts.
In other news, Mexico Coach Javier Aguirre was suspended for three matches by CONCACAF for starting a melee during a Gold Cup match against Panama, putting him in danger of missing a World Cup qualifier against the U.S.
The Mexican Football Federation was also fined $25,000 for what the CONCACAF disciplinary committee considered “serious irresponsible behavior” by the coaching staff.
Aguirre’s suspension was to start with Mexico’s last group game today against Guadeloupe. If Mexico is eliminated before the semifinals, Aguirre would miss the Aug. 12 World Cup qualifier against the U.S.
