MIAMI — Tuesday marked the last day of an eventful Round 1 in the group stage of the Gold Cup. After the first round, here’s a look at how all of the groups have played so far and what’s next for each team.
Group A
The Gold Cup kicked off last Saturday with Group A.
The United States and Jamaica game last Saturday ended in a 1-1 tie while Trinidad and Tobago won its match against Saint Kitts and Nevis, 3-0, on Sunday.
Former Inter Miami defender Damion Lowe’s early goal in the 13th minute put Jamaica up 1-0 against the defending champions. However, the US answered late in the second half to cap off the score at 1-1.
Then it came time for the match between Trinidad and Saint Kitts. Trinidad scored two goals early on and an own goal made the final score 3-0.
Right now, Trinidad and Tobago leads the group with three points.
Jamaica will face Trinidad and Tobago and Saint Kitts and Nevis will play against the United States at CityPark in St. Louis Wednesday to start off round two of group stage play.
Group B
Mexico and Haiti are tied atop the group after winning their openers.
Mexico is seeking redemption, starting in the group stages, as they fight to achieve their ninth Gold Cup championship after falling to the United States, 1-0, in the Gold Cup final two years ago.
Haiti’s Frantzdy Pierrot scored the game winning goal in the 97th minute to defeat Qatar, 2-1, while Mexico defeated Honduras, 4-0, in a dominant performance on Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.
Qatar will play Honduras and Haiti will play Mexico in round two at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on Thursday.
Group C
Being the only group in the Gold Cup that does not feature one of the North American giants, this group has had a few surprises in the first round.
Coming into the group stage, Costa Rica and Panama looked to be the favorites. After the first round, Panama and Martinique both hold a three point advantage over Costa Rica and El Salvador.
Martinique’s match against El Salvador in the group’s first match was thought to be the tournament’s biggest stunner so far.
Martinique scored two goals early in the first half and despite being down a man almost the entire second half, Martinique managed to come out with a 2-1 win against El Salvador.
Following that, Panama defeated Costa Rica, 2-1, in a match in which Panama’s offensive prowess appeared to be too much for Costa Rica. Panama had 10 shots on goal and controlled the ball for 61% of the time.
On Friday, Martinique will battle against Panama to start round two and El Salvador will face off against Costa Rica at Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey.
Group D
Things are spicing up in Group D as Canada, the team that was heavily favored to win the group, only gained one point after tying with Guadeloupe on Tuesday and Guatemala taking the group lead on Tuesday.
When Thierry Ambrose scored in the 23rd minute against Canada, it appeared as though Guadeloupe was about to pull off a major upset. However, Canada was able to come back in the second half thanks to goals from Lucas Cavallini in the 49th and what many thought would be the game-winning own goal in the 70th.
However, Guadeloupe scored an own goal in extra time to split the points in the opening round of Group D.
Guatemala and Cuba were last to play at DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale. Cuba had won five straight matches since a 2-1 setback to Guadeloupe on June 2.
Guatemala had 17 shots on goal and Darwin Lom’s shot from the right side of the box placed Guatemala on top at the start of the second half. Cuba was not able to answer back and the score ended 1-0.
In Round 2, Cuba plays Guadeloupe and Guatemala plays Canada at Shell Energy Stadium in Houston, Texas on Saturday.
