Gold Cup action only today as Copa America finished their group stage and has a rest day. Gold Cup Group C hits the field in Los Angeles and is the only group to have three teams able to win the group after two matchdays. In comparison, only Group A even has three teams able to still qualify for the knockout rounds after two matches. Honduras is the sole team eliminated in this group and they play the defensive-oriented El Salvador.

Jamaica and El Salvador are in the driver’s seat with a draw In their respective matches getting them through. Don’t expect Jamaica to sit back though — while they are at their best when they counter attack, they will not get that chance against Curacao most likely. Both teams will try to utilize wing speed and take advantage of suspect defenses. Curacao is the weaker of the two offenses, but they are gunning for their first knockout round berth and may push more than in previous matches to get that. If so, they’d join Haiti as first-time knockout stage participants.

El Salvador can sit back and get a draw against Honduras. The problem being, Honduras has a lot of talent and has been unlucky to lose both matches. If El Salvador sits back and hopes to get a 1-0 shutout, they may give up a goal, lose, and risk getting eliminated. El Salvador will need to push a bit of a tempo and grab an early goal to allow them to sit back and defend and secure, at worst, a 1-1 draw.

In Group B play, Haiti went down 1-0 to Costa Rica and then surged back with two second half goals and shocked Costa Rica. Haiti won Group B for their first-ever group win since the Gold Cup adopted the group stage. They’ve struggled to advance out of the group in the past and this is a big step in Haitian soccer. Haiti also managed to win every match by scoring two goals, going 2-1, 2-0, 2-1. In the other match, which did not matter for who advances, Bermuda beat Nicaragua 2-1. Bermuda managed to grab their first win in Gold Cup history. Bermuda had never previously entered the tournament, either by choice or unable to qualify, and secured their first win in their final match.

Copa America finished up the group stage with Uruguay beating Chile, 1-0, and winning their group. Nico Lodeiro subbed off at halftime, likely to avoid yellow card accumulation after picking one up early in the first half of the first game. In the other match, Ecuador and Japan both got off to quick starts with Japan grabbing a lead 15 minutes in. Ecuador tied it up in the 35th and that’s how the match ended. Both sides knew they needed a win to advance and pushed late for a winner but fell short. Paraguay advanced as the second third-place side into the knockout rounds. With the win, Uruguay won the group and faces Peru in the quarterfinals.

What to Watch?

• What can Jamaica’s attack do? Against Honduras, Dever Orgill could do no wrong, but he couldn’t do much right against El Salvador. El Salvador has yet to concede a goal, so maybe that is why, but Orgill, Brian Brown, and Leon Bailey will need to get behind the Curacao backline to win the match.
• How does Curacao handle the moment? Curacao rarely makes/enters the Gold Cup, and since the group stage format went into play, they have never made it out. How do they handle the moment when they advance with a win?
• El Salvador only needs a draw, but they are playing arguably a better side in Honduras. Honduras has nothing to play for but pride, though. El Salvador has their points by keeping two straight shutouts. Can their defense contain a Honduran offense that will likely be backups but wants to show they aren’t last place material? If El Salvador plays defensively, as they have in their other games, will playing for a draw yield a loss?
• Does Honduras care? Honduras has looked threatening at times and was a considered a potential semi-final side. Instead they are eliminated going into the final matchday. I would expect some bench players to get time and for a good fight to show this tournament wasn’t for naught.

Gold Cup Standings

Gold Cup Advancing Scenarios

• Jamaica: Advances with a win OR draw. Advances with a loss AND an El Salvador loss by more goals OR by the same goals AND Jamaica scores one goal less/the same/more than El Salvador.
• El Salvador: Advances with a win OR draw. Advances with a loss AND a Curacao loss. Advances with a loss AND Jamaica loss IF Jamaica losses by more goals than El Salvador losses OR they lose by the same AND El Salvador scores at least two more goals than Jamaica.
• Curacao: Advances with a win. Advances with a draw if El Salvador losses by two goals OR if El Salvador losses by one goal and Curacao scores more goals than El Salvador OR if El Salvador losses by one goal AND Curacao scores the same total goals as El Salvador AND Curacao gives up two less goals than El Salvador (if they give up one less in this scenario, discipline tiebreaker).
• Honduras: Eliminated.

How to Watch?

Jamaica v. Curacao

Group: C (Gold Cup)

Location: Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

Date and time: June 25, 2019, 5:00 p.m. PT

TV: FS1 (English), Univision (Spanish)

Streaming: Fox Sports Go, Univision, FuboTV (affiliate link)

Honduras v. El Salvador

Group: C (Gold Cup)

Location: Banc of California Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

Date and time: June 25, 2019, 7:30 p.m. PT

TV: FS1 (English), Univision (Spanish)

Streaming: Fox Sports Go, Univision, FuboTV (affiliate link)

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This is your Sounder at Heart Copa America and Gold Cup thread. Watch with us.