Photo: Reggae Boyz coach Winfried Schafer is seeking to create history today by topping Group B in the Gold Cup competition.
Jamaica and El Salvador will go head to head today in search of maximum points in their final game of the group stages in the Gold Cup, at the BMO Field in Toronto, Canada at 5:00pm local time.
Costa Rica, dubbed as group B favourites have not been living up to the billing and could find themselves in deep trouble if they fail to get even a point in their last fixture against bottom placed Canada. Winfried Schäfer’s team now sits atop the group with 4 points after their narrow 1-0 victory over Canada on Saturday.
The Reggae Boyz can create history by topping their group with an out right victory. Their best ever finish in this competition was 3rd place in 1993, however, they made it to the second round by finishing second. To get a win today is a big ask for the boys, but the well travelled German coach has the ‘Reggae Boyz’ playing like a well oiled machine and victory won’t come as a surprise.
Jamaica will head into the match against El Salvador having not lost to the Central Americans since 2000, with five wins in that period, including three in a row. If they can make it six wins, that will assert themselves at the top and it will send a strong signal to their opposition as to the ‘Reggae Boyz’ title ambitions.
As expected, the further you go in any competition the stronger the opponents will be. A win by the Jamaicans will land them at first place which will give them the second place team in group A to play in the quarter finals.
Panama on 2 points, Honduras on 1 point and Haiti on 1 point all are still in with a chance of finishing second in group A. A win can also be favorable to Jamaica as they will avoid the defending champions USA. However, if the Caribbean Cup champs settle for second, their path to the final might be through Mexico, another top contender.
El Salvador have generally had the better of play in their two matches so far but have been unable to turn their dominance in terms of goal-scoring opportunities into victory. It has been an ongoing theme for Albert Roca’s team, with the Salvadorans having only triumphed in one of their eight matches this year. They had to wait late in the second half to salvage a point in the game against Costa Rica. Although they have not found a win yet, El Salvador had been a surprise team in this year’s tournament as they were expected to lose all their games in the first round.
La Selecta’s earning a point from the powerhouse La Sele is an indication that they intend to qualify for the knockout stages. A win against the Jamaicans would ensure Albert Roca’s squad of a place in the quarters.
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