CONCACAF Gold Cup 2011 - Quarterfinals
By Joe, BettingExpert.com | Published
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Manchester United striker Javier Hernandez is bombing away with goals in America where the CONCACAF Golf Cup 2011 is hosted. Defending champions and won their group with maximum points, Mexico is good to get their final spot at this rate.
CONCACAF Golf Cup 2011
The quarterfinals for the CONCACAF Gold Cup 2011 is about to commence and there is eight teams left in this tournament where one will find itself way to the trophy. This is the fourth consecutive CONCACAF Golf Cup that is held in the US, the Americans are favorites to make it to the final while Mexico is to defend their 2009 title.
Costa Rica vs. Honduras
Both teams will be looking to march on into the semifinals but Costa Rica will have to take the label of being the underdog in this occasion. Actually in several occasion, precisely with 10, Costa Rica has not being able to register a win over Honduras, this look like a mammoth task for them. They finished behind Mexico in Group A with four points. Defeat to Mexico saw Costa Rica drawing with El Salvador and beating Cuba 5-1 which virtually got them where they are today.
Honduras is tip to make it into the next round and with a win 2-1 over Costa Rica in the Copa Centroamericana final to claim their first UNCAF title, they are looking for yet another repeat. Honduras finished second in Group B with four points beaten by group leader, Jamaica who also defeated them 1-0 in their final group stage game. The Los Catrachos wouldn’t mind the result as the pairing up with Costa Rica isn’t as bad as that bad of a draw. The Los Catrachos will be looking towards both Walter Martinez and Emil Martinez who has previous scored goals against Costa Rica but in the CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament, both C. Costly and J. Bengtson are the real deal upfront for Honduras.
Mexico vs. Guatemala
No doubt what is expected from Mexico and anything but a win will be considered a failure in this tournament. The Mexican are 8 times gold cup winner and their 9th is in sight and as the defending champions, they are really showing their champion strides. They finish winners of their group with maximum points beating 4-1 Costa Rica, 5-0 Cub and 5-0 El Salvador. At this rate, they should be able to reach the finals without any difficults with Manchester United Javier Hernandez bagging 5 goals in three games, this should be another run about against Guatemala.
The Guatemalan are fortunate to get this far and meeting the Mexican could set the end of the tournament for them. Their achievement came against a 4-0 win over Grenada in the first group stage match with C. Ruiz as the driving force. Their 0-0 draw against Honduras put them into the main front of the quarterfinals after losing 2-0 to Jamaica. The only absentee for Guatemala against Mexico is defender G. Cabrera who will serve his one match suspension.
Jamaica vs. USA
This is the currently the surprise team of tournament considering the play and result from the Jamaican team who is more known for their running within the world plan. An impressive run in the group stages with three wins over Honudras 1-0, Guatemala 2-0 and and Grenada 4-0. Their rise to the top could be related to their strong workrate and teamwork. They are pretty solid from the defensive to the offensive although the goalie is yet to be tested. Players emerging into stardom could yet to be unfold but defender D. Phillips and striker R. Johnson are surely showing some signs of leadership.
There were moments of panic with the team USA when they lost their second game and their quarterfinals place was in danger. The Americans muster up their experience to get that vital 1-0 win over Guadeloupe to end up above Canada for the second place in the group. The team is nowhere near the strengthen from their previous heights but Team USA shouldn’t be underestimate and as the host nation, a final place is a good achievement. Team USA will be weary with Jamaica as 7 of the Jamican starting line up plays their football in the Major League Soccer. Both Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey were given three days off prior to the quarterfinal and expected to return.
Panama vs. El Salvador
Finishing above USA is a big deal and Panama will suck in their adventurous journey with a quarterfinal match up with El Salvador. This team is definitely on a good run, beating Guadeloupe 3-2, USA 2-1 and drawing with Canada 1-1. So undefeated in the group stages and also undefeated against El Salvador in three consecutive occasions, there are favorites to go through to the semifinal. It’s not just all statistics with them, they do have a solid team who are strong and physically challenging both in the air and ground, so this is a tough team to break in the 90 minutes.
The Salvadorans need to forget the 5-0 defeat to Mexico and also their inability to beat Panama in their last three meetings. Instead, they should concentrate on the improvements that have been made every step they have taken after the defeat to Mexico, they drew with Costa Rica 1-1 and sent Cuba home with a 6-1 thrashing. Strike Rodolfo Zelaya knows that here is a challenge in front of them and with this three goals scored already in the tournament, he could be the one guiding them to further success. They haven’t been in this position since 2003 and this could be as far as they go.
18.06.2011, 21:37 CET
Thanks TheGame, Mexico is on another planet for now, i expect them to cruise into the final and maybe a different finalist this tournament.
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18.06.2011, 19:17 CET
Good work Joe, my pick for the tournament is Mexico they have been flying.......