CONCACAF Gold Cup 2013: Predicting the Semifinal Winners

Now the Gold Cup competition gets serious. All of the minnows are gone. And the winner advances to the final at Soldier Field on Sunday.

The only surprise in the quarterfinals was Honduras overtaking their Central American comrades Costa Rica. The top three teams heading in to the tournament—Panama, Mexico and the USA—all were victorious, albeit some more easily than others.

These semifinals look to be very competitive, and the games should be close and hard-fought to the very end. So, let's see who's going through to the last round.

United States vs. Honduras

The U.S. has been by far the most impressive team in this tournament. Chris Wondolowski has finally found his form, but if he wants a shot at making the World Cup squad next year, he needs to get a goal against an established side like Honduras.

Landon Donovan has been fantastic as always, while younger talents like Mix Diskerud have impressed. I could go on and on about the players who have done well (like Kyle Beckerman), but that would take a while. The U.S. is simply firing on all cylinders. 

Honduras are a quality side with some very good players, like U.S.-raised Andy Najar. I don't think they present much more of a challenge than El Salvador, but I think they'll be able to keep it together defensively, unlike the Salvadorans. The score at full time will read 2-0 to the States.

Mexico vs. Panama

Mexico are desperate to win this competition following their recent poor form at the Confederations Cup and in WC Qualifying. The last time Mexico and Panama met was in the group stage, and Panama pulled off a surprise 2-1 win.

Mexico has struggled recently, barely beating Trinidad & Tobago in the quarterfinals. This is mostly a B team, but contains a lot of the heralded youngsters who won the U-23 World Cup last year. This tournament is huge for their integration in to La Seleccion. 

Panama, on the other hand, have been solid throughout the Gold Cup, with the brilliant strike force of Gabriel Torres and Blas Perez. They will cause the Mexican back line problems, although they're usually not the problem—the Mexican attack is.

On paper, Mexico wins. On form, Panama wins. I'm really torn on this game, but think Mexico will take a 2-1 win in extra time. Those tired legs could be a problem come Sunday in Chicago.