And now, the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup has come down to Mexico and Jamaica, the last two teams remaining. Mexico entered the tournament as one of the favorites to reach this match, as they are in search of hoisting the trophy for the seventh time since 1993. Jamaica, meanwhile, will be hoping to finish off a Cinderella-like run, as they will be appearing in the Final for the first time in their history.
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Mexico has a record of 6-1 all-time in Gold Cup Finals, with their single loss coming in 2007 against the USA. Mexico advanced to the knockout stage as the second-place nation in Group C., and began with a Quarterfinal match against Costa Rica. That would ultimately require extra time for a winner to be found. In the fourth minute of extra time’s stoppage time, Mexico was awarded a penalty kick that captain Andres Guardado stepped up and scored to send them into the next round.
Jamaica enjoyed success in the group stage, as they advanced as the winners of Group B. This gave them a Quarterfinal berth against the second-place team from Group A, Haiti, whom they beat, 1-0. The lone goal of this fixture actually came really early when forward Giles Barnes scored in the 6th-minute, which ended up being the difference for the The Reggae Boyz.
The Semifinal round situated Mexico against Panama and Jamaica against the United States. The former ended up being one of the most controversial games in Gold Cup history, as El Tri defeated 10-man Panama, with the captain Andres Guardado once again converting at the penalty spot. The first tally came in the 88th-minute, while the winner came in the 105th. This was an extremely timely win for Mexico coach Miguel Herrera, who has been on the hot seat due to a run of less-than-stellar performances as of late.
Jamaica, on the other hand, did not need extra time to book their first-ever ticket to the Final. After getting off to a great start, they pressured the US defense and put the first goal home, courtesy of a terrific header from Darren Mattocks. If this wasn’t enough to muster the belief to win, Giles Barnes found the back of the net on a tremendous free kick in the 35th-minute. They then proved resilient to the increased US offensive pressure, holding on for the 2-1 upset triumph.
Mexico’s recipe for success will be the ability for them to incorporate wide defenders into the attack. Wingback Miguel Layún and El Tri’s forwards need to regroup and vastly improve their play to avoid the high-flying Jamaicans. The one bright spot has been their captain, as Guardado has taken it upon himself to carry them throughout this tournament. Mexico has registered a team total of 95 shots on goal so far, and this is the main area of the match they must continue to dominate, as Jamaica keeper Ryan Thompson was less-than-convincing against the US.
Jamaica has been the darlings of play these past few weeks. Led by a pair of MLS standouts, Giles Barnes and Darren Mattocks, they will need to duplicate their play from the previous match. Barnes has scored twice this tournament, with both goals coming in the knockout rounds. Mattocks brings his blinding pace to the pitch, something MLS fans have seen throughout his time playing for the Vancouver Whitecaps. They’ll enter this fixture with the biggest boost in confidence possible after knocking out the tournament favorites.
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