Can CONCACAF Gold Cup Titans Continue to Dominate?
Mexico and Costa Rica will go head-to-head in the final match of Group A in the CONCACAF Gold Cup this Sunday at 10:00 p.m. EST at the Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. This match will determine who tops the group, as both teams are tied for first with six points. Having won their last two games of the tournament, the Mexican and Costa Rican sides have produced high-scoring games and nothing short of entertaining. Costa Rica, ranked 57th in FIFA, may not seem like a major threat to bigger teams, but they have no problem giving them a hard time. There is no doubt they won’t make it easy for Mexico.
In their last match, Cesar Montes was a big player for Mexico, scoring two goals in the second half to put them on top of Suriname. Montes is a defender but can push the ball back during counterattacks in a way that produces beautiful goals, which is surely something to watch on Sunday. In their last two matches, Mexico completed a percentage of 88% and 86% accurate passes, which is important in this tournament as a lot of the style of play from these teams is fast and physical. Being able to accurately pass throughout the pitch and maintain possession is part of the reason Mexico has been so successful in this tournament over the years.
Costa Rica’s last match against the Dominican Republic was a nail-biter as they were able to score a late second-half goal in the 85th minute to overpower the tournament rookies by one goal. The match winner came from youngster Josimer Alcocer, who was the most fouled player on the pitch, showing how much of a threat he can be for the other team. Another player on the Costa Rican side to watch is Manfred Ugalde, who has been having an incredible tournament, scoring three penalty goals, but his success rate remains at 100%. Ugalde has also assisted and applied immense pressure to both previous opponents' defenses, which he is sure to do to Mexico.
In their last 11 meetings, Mexico hasn’t dropped a game to Costa Rica, having won eight and drawn three. This match is sure to be one of the most exciting matches of the group stage as both teams have been having a strong start to the tournament and show no signs of letting up. Costa Rica can make history by beating Mexico for the first time, and the reigning champs are looking to further assert their dominance and go for gold. The winner of this match will top the group and move on to play the second-place team in Group D in the quarterfinals, which could be Saudi Arabia as it stands. Whoever loses this match will likely have to face off with the United States early in the knockouts, which could make the path to gold a bit more tricky.
