I’ll tell you something for nothing: it’s the perfect time to live in the United States if you love soccer. The US national team almost pulled off the impossible at the Confederations Cup, we’re right into the meat of the 2009 MLS Cup, and the CONCACAF Gold Cup starts tomorrow. What more could a football fan possibly ask for?

While plenty of the USA squad that competed in South Africa last month won’t be taking part in the Gold Cup, there is still a lot to be excited about in the lead up to day one tomorrow. The United States team might be young and short on international experience, but they are definitely not lacking in skill. The prodigious Freddy Adu will be aching for a chance to earn a few more caps after the only major role he played at the Confederations Cup was warming the bench.

While the majority of its players are youngsters, the USA has wisely bolstered its line-up with a handful of veterans in the form of Steve Cherundolo, Jimmy Conrad, and Brian Ching. All of whom will be hoping for a repeat of 2007’s Gold Cup victory.

On the other end of the spectrum sits Mexico, who must still be reeling from its controversial loss to the United States in 07. The Mexicans have also selected a younger squad, however it is far more experienced than the US team, and boasted EPL exports Giovani Dos Santos and Carlos Vela. Don’t be surprised if these two nations are matched up at the end of the competition again.

BetUS has updated odds on every match, and you can bet on the handicap and moneyline, as well as the total.

Canada
Handicap: pk +105; Moneyline: +180
Draw
Moneyline: +225
Jamaica
Handicap: pk -135; Moneyline: +130

Costa Rica
Handicap: -1 -135; Moneyline: -250
Draw
Moneyline: +300
El Salvador
Handicap: +1 +105; Moneyline: +550

Honduras
Handicap: -1½ +105; Moneyline: -500
Draw
Moneyline: +400
Haiti
Handicap: +1½ -135; Moneyline: -1000

Grenada
Handicap: +2½ Ev; Moneyline: +1400
Draw
Moneyline: +600
USA
Handicap: -2½ -130; Moneyline: -1000

Panama
Handicap: -½ -135; Moneyline: -135
Draw
Moneyline: +230
Guadeloupe
Handicap: +½ +105; Moneyline: +325

Nicaragua
Handicap: +2½ +135; Moneyline: +1600
Draw
Moneyline: +600
Mexico
Handicap: -2½ -165; Moneyline: -1000

Dr’s Note: My surprise pick for the tournament is Honduras. They’ve been given a fairly easy qualification task, with the United States being the only real challenge in the group stage. The Hondurans have been here before, finishing 3rd in 2005 and quarterfinalists in 07; with players like Tottenham’s William Palacios and Wigan Athletic’s Maynor Figueroa, it will be a tough task for any team to defeat them.

The Men’s Quarterfinals finished up and I managed to call three of the four matches.  As I (and many others I’m sure) predicted, Roger Federer easily advanced to the Semifinals after a straight sets win over Ivo Karlovic.  This marks his 21st successive major Semifinal.

Andy Murray will be joining Federer in the Semis after a 7-5, 6-3, 6-2 win over Juan Carlos Ferrero.  It will be Murray’s first appearance in the Wimbledon Semifinals.  British fans couldn’t be happier and probably a bit relieved that it wasn’t another four-hour trial like his match against Wawrinka.

Andy Roddick and Lleyton Hewitt had a five-set epic battle in which Roddick managed to come out victorious.  The American beat the Australian 6-3, 6-7 (10-12), 7-6 (7-1), 4-6, 6-4.  Roddick came on strong, starting the first set with a 3-0 lead but Hewitt took the set back.  And so it went, back and forth between these two popular players until Roddick sealed the deal after converting his second break point in the ninth game.  Victory came on his first match point.

The real surprise of the day was the match between Tommy Haas and Novak Djokovic.  Haas proved that experience is indeed a powerful tool after claiming a 7-5, 7-6 (8-6), 4-6, 6-3 win over the world no. 4.  Haas’s serve-and-volley style coupled with a strong backhand worked well for the German, but his sheer determination to win turned out to be his biggest asset.  There was no way he was going to lose this match.  He upset the world no. 4 and will be advancing to the Semifinals.

The courts are heating up, and the Semis will see some pretty intense matches.  Federer will face off against Haas for a chance at the finals, and Murray will face Roddick.  BetUS is offering the following odds:

Roger Federer v Tommy Haas
Moneyline
Federer: -1600
Haas: +700

Andy Murray v Andy Roddick
Moneyline
Murray: -375
Roddick: +235

But before all of that, the Women will faceoff in their Semifinal round.  It’ll be a showdown between Russia and the US as Venus Williams goes up against world no. 1 Dinara Safina and Serena Williams faces Elena Dementieva.  All four top seeds have advanced, which marks the first time this has happened in a Grand Slam since Wimbledon 2006.

The Williams have been dominating their opponents in this tournament and it will be interesting to see if Safina or Dementieva will be able to put a stop to their winning streaks.  Neither of the Russians has been able to pull out a Grand Slam win but it’s not from a lack of trying.  Safina has made it to the Finals on a few occasions, but just can’t seem to keep her nerves under control long enough to put up a decent fight.  And this marks Dementieva’s 43rd Grand Slam, but the no. 4 seed has yet to secure a spot in the Finals.

On the other side of the net, the Williams’ shelves are stacked with hardware, and, unfortunately for all of their opponents, another win seems imminent as they play their best on the grass.  Venus has not lost a set at Wimbledon since the third round in 2007.  And though Serena’s wins have been more evenly dispersed across all four Grand Slam tournaments, she is particularly looking forward to another Wimbledon title.  Perhaps Safina and Dementieva will put up more of a fight than the sisters have faced so far at Wimbledon, but my guess is that it will be another face off between Venus and Serena in the Finals.

BetUS is offering the following odds:

Dinara Safina v Venus Williams
Game Hcp
Safina: +4 ½ -110
Williams: -4 ½ -130

Moneyline
Safina: +400
Williams: -700

Elena Dementieva v Serena Williams
Game Hcp
Dementieva: +4 ½ -110
Williams: -4 ½ -130

Moneyline
Dementieva: +400
Williams: -700

Lucas Glover turned the leaderboard on its head today with a come-from-behind victory to snatch the US Open at Bethpage from Phil Mickelson and Ricky Barnes.

Glover had an inconsistent tournament that included a second day 64 to bring him -7, before a worrying +3 on the final day of play just carried him through to win by 2 strokes.

Unfortunately for Mickelson – whose wife Amy begins treatment for breast cancer next month – his steady form just wasn’t enough to see him to the winner’s podium, and he recorded a record fifth US Open runner-up finish. After eagling the 13th, Mickelson was tied for the lead, but two late bogeys at 15 and 17 pushed him back to a second-place tie with David Duval and
Ricky Barnes.

While Mickelson may not be ecstatic about another US Open gone begging, he should be proud of his consistency over the past four days. If anyone is to be disappointed it should be Ricky Barnes. Barnes was sitting on -8 after the third day of play, but he never recovered from a bogey at the 1st on Monday and slipped to a frustrating 76, +6 for the day.

I really feel for Mickelson and even, to an extent, Tiger Woods – who was always playing catch-up after a bad first round. But Barnes’s win just goes to show that majors are extremely tough tournaments to call.

Woods missed the chance to add to his 14 major titles and seems doomed to wait at least another few years if he wants to overtake Jack Nicklaus’s world record of 18.

Rain was certainly a factor throughout the tournament. Some players, like Woods, just couldn’t refocus after the wet conditions of the first two days – Woods only hit 38 of 56 fairways and 48 of 72 greens in regulation. Others, however, thrived after the rain subsided and took advantage of some sloppy play and bogey-riddled rounds.

Congratulations should go to Lucas Glover, and commiserations to Mickelson. Maybe next year, Phil.

Be sure to keep your eye on the PGA Tour over the next few weeks. The Travelers Championship, AT&T National, and John Deere Classic will all be great tournaments to watch for signs of who is on form to win the British Open on July 16-19. BetUS has already posted Future odds for several players in the running to take out the championship.