Gold Cup begins with U.S. against Grenada

SEATTLE (AP) — Leave it to the most experienced international veteran on the U.S. Gold Cup roster to give this tournament perspective.

U.S right back Steve Cherundolo has been hurt since November. He had hip surgery in April. The 30-year-old defender was home last month while the Americans shocked top-ranked Spain in the Confederations Cup in South Africa, then led Brazil by two goals before losing 3-2 in Sunday’s final.

So for Cherundolo, getting back his starting job by playing in the CONCACAF Gold Cup is as big as playing Spain or Brazil last week would have been. Right?

Uh, no.

“Our goal is obviously to win the tournament. Anyone who doesn’t have that goal shouldn’t be here,” said Cherundolo, who has 51 appearances with U.S.

He joins veteran scorer Brian Ching as the two regular national team starters returning from injury to join the Americans’ quest for a third consecutive regional championship for North and Central American and the Caribbean. The 12th-ranked U.S. opens tonight against Grenada, a tiny island nation ranked 88th in the world.

“It’s a different tournament,” Cherundolo said. “I don’t think it’s comparable at all. There’s a lot more travel involved between games within the country. The teams are different, the level of competition is, as well.

“But our goal is to win.”

The Americans have never lost in Gold Cup group play, going 21-0-1. The tie was on July 12, 2005, with Costa Rica in Foxborough, Mass. That’s where the U.S. will play its final match of the opening round, on July 11 against Haiti. That will follow Wednesday’s game in Washington, D.C., against Honduras.

Haiti and Honduras play the first game of today’s doubleheader at Qwest Field, home of Major League Soccer’s expansion Seattle Sounders.

Coach Bob Bradley has given most of the national team’s regulars the next few weeks off before the start of the European preseason or allowed them to return to their MLS teams. Only four of the 23 players on the original Gold Cup roster were at the Confederations Cup before CONCACAF allowed the travel-weary Americans to add seven more players Thursday. Charlie Davies was the only one of the four who played in South Africa.

Cherundolo, who grew up in San Diego, is just excited to be back. And relieved. He played through pain for months after colliding with a Hannover teammate during training last fall. He eventually missed the second half of the Bundesliga season plus five World Cup qualifiers and Confederations Cup following surgery April 20 to remove a calcification in his hip. He had to wait that long because the joint was too swollen to operate on it.