The Gold Cup travels to Houston, Texas this Saturday July 11, as Group B play continues at BBVA Compass Stadium. These matches will consist of Jamaica taking on Canada and Costa Rica battling El Salvador, with all teams in search of their first CONCACAF 2015 Gold Cup win.
According to TiqIQ.com, tickets for this Saturday doubleheader can be purchased on the secondary market at an average of $112.28, coupled by a get-in price of $70, and should certainly feature some intriguing action with all four teams tied up in the standings. Soccer fans tempted to take the action in live can find cheap Houston flights on Hipmunk.com to get them to BBVA Compass Stadium for the games. In addition, those wanting to make a soccer vacation out of it can also find Houston hotel rooms through Hipmunk starting at $71.
Jamaica and Canada open this back-to-back slate at 6:30 p.m. EST. Jamaica began group play with a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica, as a first-half goal from Garath McCleary and a second-half tally from Jobi McAnuff were enough for The Reggae Boyz to capture a point in their first Group B match. This result comes after dropping all three matches during their appearance in the 2015 Copa America.
Canada, meanwhile, enters off the heels of a somewhat slow start, also drawing in their first match when they faced El Salvador. Midfielders Russell Teibert and Jonathan Osorio showed class appearing as second-half substitutes, but Canada will need forward Cyle Larin to shake off a breakaway miss against El Salvador when they take the field Saturday night. Although this has been highlighted as the defining moment of the game, football is a team sport and the Canucks simply need to put together a better all-around performance to have a chance at taking all three points. Jamaica, on the other hand, will look to use their draw opposite Costa Rica as a blueprint for this next match.
Costa Rica and El Salvador will then close out the night kicking off at 9:00 p.m. EST. Costa Rica entered group play as the favorites to advance as group winners and now have their work cut out for them following the draw with Jamaica. El Salvador did what was needed to earn a point against Canada, but have a tough task in upsetting the Costa Ricans.
David Ramírez scored Costa Rica’s second goal against Jamaica and also contributed an assist. The opening match showcased the highest FIFA-ranked CONCACAF nation’s passing and attacking abilities, but they did look vulnerable to the speed of The Reggae Boyz. Heading into this match, they will need to have an improved performance on the defensive side of the ball to have any chance at gaining at least a point here.
El Salvador, who drew with Canada last match, may how found two potential emerging goal-scorers heading into this important fixture with Costa Rica. Midfielder Jose Arturo Alvarez Hernandez and forward Irving Herrera combined for ten total shots, with five of them being on target. For them to have a chance at capturing all three points, one of these players must step up and find the back of the net.
