Day 3 of the 2015 Gold Cup is upon us and the party now shifts to Chicago as Solider Field is the venue for a double-header to open up Group C play on Thursday.
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Mexico, the 10-time Gold Cup champions, are the heavy favorites to win Group C but as other favorites Costa Rica and the U.S. have found out so far, taking on CONCACAF opponents is not an easy task. Trinidad and Tobago will fancy their chances of advancing to the quarterfinals, while Cuba and Guatemela will be the outsiders.
Below is a brief primer on what to expect from both games, while you can follow the action live by clicking on the link above.
Game 5: Trinidad and Tobago vs. Guatemala
When: Thursday, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Live updates: NBCSports.com
After Guatemala’s struggles against the USA in a 4-0 defeat on the eve of the Gold Cup, T&T will be optimistic about their chances of chalking up their first win of the 2015 tournament. With Kenwyne Jones captaining the side up top, the Caribbean outfit will look to whip plenty of balls into the box. As we saw against the U.S., Guatemala has some talented players but its all about whether or not they can get them in the right position. “El Pescadito” is still knocking around as Guatemala will look to its skipper, Carlos Ruiz, for inspiration. Marco Pappa adds quality to the Guatemalan midfield, so expect him to have a good battle with Khaleem Hyland, while Trinidad and Tobago have four MLSers in their ranks. This could go either way.
Game 6: Mexico vs. Cuba
When: Thursday, 9:30 p.m. ET
Where: Soldier Field, Chicago, IL
Live updates: NBCSports.com
El Tri will have plenty of support in the Windy City and Miguel Herrera’s side will be fired up to bring the Gold Cup back home this summer. After struggling at the Copa America with a “B team” last month, Mexico are rightly one of the favorites to lift their first Gold Cup since 2011 but they have lost Hector Herrera and Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez to injury in the lead up to this tournament. As for Cuba, they only have 16 players to choose from as six players cannot enter the U.S. due to visa issues and their manager Raul Fernandez is also unable to enter the USA. To add to their woes another starter has gone missing from their base in Chicago amid fears he has defected. All in all, expect a big win for Mexico but Cuba did reach the quarterfinals of the 2013 Gold Cup.
