The 2015 Gold Cup Final has ascended upon us and the two best teams in the CONCACAF region will collide on Sunday in a "winner take all" match for the ages.
Less than a month ago, 12 teams travelled to the United States with the chance of winning the Gold Cup. There are now just two left as Jamaica makes its first appearance in the Final against the six-time champion Mexico.
There's a lot on the line for either team other than some hardware and CONCACAF region supremacy. The winner will automatically qualify for the 2017 Confederations Cup in Russia, a launching point for the World Cup.
Mexico is the record holder as far as Gold Cup Titles, and were many experts favorites to win it again this year. However, their road to the final wasn't paved with gold. They looked terrible at times, and great at others. After a 6-0 rout of Cuba in their first match of Group play, they tied Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago, finishing second in the group.
Mexico prevailed in the elimination rounds of the tournament, but by the skin of their teeth. After a favorable call in the penalty box in the final play of the game, El Tri defeated Costa Rica thanks to a converted penalty kick by captain Andrés Guardado.
In the semifinals against Panama, it was déjà vu all over again. After falling behind 1-0 to a 10-men Panama side, a very controversial and now incorrect call was made in the 89th minute as once again Mexico was awarded a late penalty kick. Guardado once again converted the kick to tie the game, and scored the go-ahead goal on a second penalty in extra time.
Unrest broke out shortly thereafter as the Panamanian players charged after referee Mark Geiger, and fans threw bottles and beer onto the field. It was a messy situation for everyone involved, and the world is pointing its finger at Mexico calling the game fixed. It will be interesting to see if El Tri can overcome these off the pitch issues mentally and come back.
Guardado has been the best player of the tournament for Mexico, and if he scores a couple more goals could even steal the Golden Boot away from USA's Clint Dempsey. Guillermo "Memo" Ochoa has been great in net, and Oribe Peralta and Carlos Vela are due for a breakout game after squandering numerous offensive opportunities in the last two.
Giovani dos Santos is expected to be a game time decision with a thigh injury, but Dos Santos reportedly told Mexico's head coach Miguel Herrera that the was going to play.
Jamaica comes into the match as the heavy underdogs and it will be interesting to see how the Reggae Boys play in the most important match of their country's history. Despite taking the field as the underdog, Jamaica is anything but. They have been the best team throughout the entire tournament and come off an emotional victory over the reigning Champions, the United States.
Jamaica could either play with pressure of being the first ever Caribbean team to make the Gold Cup Finals, or with the fluidity and freedom of a team who has already surpassed expectations.
The Jamaican players insist they are not satisfied with merely making it to the final, they want to continue the momentum from winning the Caribbean Cup last year and hoist the Gold Cup Trophy.
Unlike Mexico, Jamaica has been consistent throughout the tournament. They dominated Group B, and destroyed one of the favorites in Costa Rica, a team that reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Jamaica and Mexico are undefeated in the Gold Cup, but by the end of Sunday, only one team will remain so. Who that team will be, could hinge entirely on the play in net by Memo and Jamaica's Ryan Thompson. Thompson was a backup keeper that was inserted between the pipes after an earlier injury to Dwayne Miller. Thompson has been phenomenal in net throughout the tournament, and made nine huge saves against the U.S. on Wednesday in the semifinal.
Jamaica lacks the star power over Mexico, but have many good young players and MLS veterans on their roster. Darren Mattocks and Giles Barnes who scored against the Stars and Stripes will seek to find the net again as they lead their country's offensive attack. Defensively, Jermaine Taylor and captain Rodolph Austin will be assigned the task of stopping Mexico's forwards. A task that could prove to be to difficult to overcome.
Prediction: 2-1 Mexico
Betting Favorite: Mexico -0.5 goals.
Over/Under: 2 goals
The match will kick off on Sunday, July 26th at 7:30PM EST from Lincon Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It will air live on Fox Sports 1 and in Spanish on UniMas. It can be live streamed here. If you prefer to watch the game on your mobile device, please download the Fox Sports Go app from your local app store.
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