Honduras is considered the favorite in the Gold Cup's Group B and while they should be able to put together a strong run, the Honduran national team could face a tough test when they open their tournament against Haiti.
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Making the countries fourth Gold Cup appearance, Haiti is looking to pull an upset in their opener against Honduras. With 2 trips to the quarterfinals in 2002 and 2009, Haiti surely has a solid resume from this event but a tough test is issued right out of the gates to start the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
When and Where to Watch Gold Cup Match
Honduras and Haiti will take to the pitch on Monday, July 8th at 9:30pm, EST. Television coverage of the match from Red Bull Arena in Harrison, New Jersey will be provided by the FOX Soccer Channel as well as Univision Sports.
An on-line live stream will also be available by visiting FOX Soccer 2 Go.
Match Preview
With a roster chock full of players from across the world of soccer, Haiti is the tournament's most internationally diverse squad. Jean Philippe is the top offensive choice for Haiti and head coach Israel Blake Cantero knows the play of his scorer will have a tremendous impact on how far Haiti can advance at this year's Gold Cup since the depth at scoring positions isn't as strong as their Monday evening opponent.
Defender Jean Jacques Pierre will serve as one of the squad's leaders throughout the tournament and along with midfielder Peterson Joseph and Mechak Jerome, Haiti will have a significant level of talent on the field but it may not be enough to keep pace with a strong Honduras team.
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The Honduran nationals are still very much in the hunt for a World Cup berth. Playing out of the CONCACAF qualifying hexagonal, Honduras currently sits in fourth place behind the USA, Costa Rica and Mexico. While the top 3 teams in the pool will automatically qualify for next summer's World Cup in Brazil, the fourth place finisher will enter a playoff with New Zealand to determine another spot.
Though World Cup qualifying is in the midst of a break, Honduras certainly holds the ability to make a strong run in the Gold Cup. Making their 10th appearance, the Honduran nationals are looking to put together an impressive campaign similar to their second place finish in 1991.
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Led by the experience of Osman Chavez and Jorge Claro, Honduras also features a solid core of young talent. Andy Najar will look to become a bigger member of the team while Mario Martinez hopes he can solidify future employment with a solid Gold Cup performance.
Head coach Luis Fernando Suarez leads a team that finished second at the 2013 UNCAF Copa Centroamericana tournament and as the clear favorite to win Group B, Suarez and company can certainly boost their success rate with a victory over Haiti.
Wrap Up
Catch all the action between Haiti and Honduras on Monday, July 8th at 9:30pm, EST. Television coverage will be provided by the FOX Soccer Channel and the Univision Network while an on-line live stream can be found by visiting FOX Soccer 2 Go.
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