Mexico are one of only three teams to have won the Gold Cup and they started this year’s version looking like favorites, routing Cuba 6-0 in a game that really did not test El Tri, but do not be fooled, Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said, there are several teams that could provide an obstacle to Mexico winning their seventh Gold Cup in 13 tournaments.
Herrera said it was obvious that Cuba, who were without several players because of visa troubles and had one player leave the squad earlier in the week, were the exception. Group C, which includes Mexico, may be one of the weaker groups, but Herrera said he has been impressed with teams in the other groups and that trouble could come from several other teams playing in the tournament for north and central American and Caribbean nations.
“This tournament’s very even,” Herrera said through a translator. “I mean, we had weak opponents today, but... the US national team won well, Jamaica had a good game, Trinidad and Tobago had a good game. All these are good teams.”
Photo: AFP
“Sure, the group play looks easy for us and we had an easy game today, but the second game, and third game and second round, could all increase in level of quality and the teams in the second round will be good teams that will deserve to be there,” Herrera said.
Mexico defender Miguel Layun noted that his nation seems to have more trouble with teams in the CONCACAF region than other teams in the world.
“Sometimes I guess we just relax a little bit in these kind of matches,” Layun said. “That’s why it was so important to play like that today, keep that intensity... try to score as many goals as we can.”
Photo: AP
Oribe Peralta scored a hat-trick and even without injured forward Javier Hernandez, Mexico made it look easy against Cuba.
Peralta scored in the 17th, 37th and 62nd minutes. Carlos Vela scored in the 23rd minute and Andres Guardado scored from a free header when he was left unmarked in the penalty area.
Second-half substitute Giovanni dos Santos appeared to score in the 71st minute, but it was ruled offside. Then, in the 76th minute, Dos Santos got free again and scored the final goal for Mexico.
Cuba never seriously threatened the Mexico goal and rarely even ventured far into their opponents’ half of the pitch.
A raucous, heavily pro-Mexico crowd of 54,126 nearly filled Soldier Field in Chicago for the match.
Cuba coach Walter Benitez said after the match that he hoped the six players delayed by visa troubles would join the team for the next match, but did not comment on the departure of Keilen Garcia, who left the squad earlier in the week.
Trinidad and Tobago won the earlier opening Group C match, beating Guatemala 3-1.
Sheldon Bateau and Cordell Cato scored within three minutes of each other, before Joevin Jones added another first-half goal to give Trinidad and Tobago the win in the opening match on Thursday.
Carlos Ruiz scored the lone goal for Guatemala in the 62nd minute.
Guatemala, who rarely threatened in the first half, got more opportunities in the second. Ruiz nearly got a second goal twice, just missing sliding chances to finish crosses in the 78th and 87th minutes.
Bateau put Trinidad 1-0 up when he stretched to score off an 11th-minute corner. Three minutes later, Guatemala defender Moises Hernandez headed the ball into the path of Cato, who touched the ball past goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez.
In the 26th minute Jones, who plays for the Chicago Fire, passed to Cato in the penalty area. Jerez got his hands to the ball first, but knocked it into the space in front of Jones, who slotted it easily into the net.
Both teams play their next Group C matches on Sunday in Phoenix, Arizona, when Trinidad and Tobago take on Cuba and Guatemala face Mexico.
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