On Wednesday night, all eyes will be on Charlotte, NC as they host the world’s No. 1 sport. FIFA’s CONCACAF Gold Cup continues at Bank Of America stadium featuring a doubleheader consisting of Cuba taking on Guatemala and Mexico battling Trinidad & Tobago, scheduled for 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., respectively.
Luckily for fans wanting to catch these teams before Group C play ends, they can do so at very little cost. In fact, according to TiqIQ, Gold Cup tickets feature a get-in price as low as $22 for these two contests. Fans wanting to catch all the action can book cheap flights to and from Charlotte through Hipmunk.com, which has a plethora of options from most major airline carriers. Additionally, for those diehard fans wanting to make a soccer vacation out of it before teams move on to the knockout stage, Hipmunk has affordable Charlotte hotel listings starting at just $53.
Unfortunately, the tournament has not fared well for Cuba, who have secured only two wins in their Gold Cup history, spanning 20 games. Against Mexico, their first match of the Cup, the floodgates opened, in which Cuba allowed six goals and failed to respond. Those bad fortunes followed Cuba into their second match as they fell to Trinidad & Tobago, 2-0. As far as their inconsistency on the field, Cuba experienced those same problems in their lineup, missing six players, including their head coach Raul Gonzalez Triana, as they all failed to arrive in time for their match with Mexico. Facing Trinidad & Tobago, Cuba put forth a very encouraging effort, having several opportunities to score but only managed three shots on target, compared to Trinidad & Tobago’s six. It was undeniably a much better showing than their opener.
Like Cuba, Guatemala suffered the same result against Trinidad & Tobago, losing, 3-1, in their initial Gold Cup match. Against Mexico, however, Guatemala provided the blueprint in having success defensively, as they managed a 0-0 tie with the Group C favorites. Despite Mexico having a decisive possession and shooting advantage, Guatemala’s defensive effort proved to be enough for the shutout, giving them an enormous amount of confidence heading into their final game against Cuba in Group C, which could propel them into the quarterfinals.
In the nightcap between Mexico and Trinidad & Tobago, the world will be treated to one of the more highly-anticipated matches of this Gold Cup. Three different players, defender-Sheldon Bateau and MLS representatives Cordell Cato and Joevin Jones, each scored for the red-and-black against Guatemala for their first win, and Bateau continued his offensive brilliance opposing Cuba, scoring one of the two goals in the club’s second victory.
Mexico, on the other hand, has come back to earth a little after routing Cuba, as they endured the aforementioned 0-0 draw with Guatemala. And even still, it doesn’t take away from the threat Mexico is. Although Cuba was shorthanded, Mexico showed no remorse, as Oribe Peralta registered a rare hat trick, while forwards Carlos Vela, Giovani Dos Santos and midfielder Andres Guardado also put one home. Simply put, it will be two behemoths when Mexico collides with Trinidad & Tobago and could indicate which teams goes the farthest from Group C.
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