México Draws with Jamaica in Group Stage of the 2017 Gold Cup
Mexico drew with Jamaica in a goalless match in the group stage of the 2017 Gold Cup at Sport Authority Field at Mile High in Denver. After a triumphant debut, Mexico and Jamaica were unable to break the deadlock, showing equal strength and making them favorites to win the tournament.
On Thursday, Mexico utilized all their footballing resources but couldn't find the breakthrough against Jamaica, resulting in a goalless draw. As consolation, they have four points at the top of Group C in the Gold Cup.
The Tri, who won 3-1 against El Salvador in their debut match, have a slight lead over the Reggae Boyz, who started with a 2-0 win over Curacao.
This match was a rematch of the 2015 final, which Mexico won 3-1, but this time the forces were more evenly matched.
Hours earlier, on the same field at Sports Authority Field in Denver, El Salvador salvaged their poor start with a 2-0 victory over Curacao, the debutant team that has dashed their chances with two consecutive losses.
Mexico vs. Jamaica: Confirmed Lineups
Mexico: Muñoz; Ayala, Álvarez, Marín, Molina; Gallardo, Dueñas, Pizarro, Pineda, Hernández, Torres.
Jamaica: Blake, Lowe, Powell, Binns, Lawrence, Taylor, Mattocks, Watson, Lambert, Fisher, Burke.
| Country | Time | Peru | 21:30 |
| Mexico | 21:30 | ||
| Colombia | 21:30 | ||
| Ecuador | 21:30 | ||
| Chile | 22:30 | ||
| Argentina | 23:30 | ||
| Chile | 23:30 |
With a track record of advancing past the group stage in every edition of the Gold Cup, Mexico will seek their second victory of the tournament against Jamaica to secure a spot in the quarter-finals.
Despite comfortably winning 3-1 against El Salvador, interim coach Luis Pompilio Páez, leading the Mexican National Team due to the six-match suspension of head coach Juan Carlos Osorio, expects his players to increase their level of concentration against Jamaica.
"We cannot score a goal and then concede one in the following minute like it happened (against El Salvador)," reflected Pompilio Páez. "There are certainly more things to correct, but it will be easier to do so having started with a win," he added.
Just like the 'Tri' have areas to improve, the 'Reggae Boys' have several adjustments to make as they struggled to overcome the challenge presented by Curacao, finally finding the breakthrough in the 58th minute to secure a 2-0 victory.
Mexico vs. Jamaica: Possible Lineups
Mexico: Corona; Dueñas, Montes, Ayala, Reyes; Orbelin, Molina, Guti; Elías Hdz, Cubo, Pizzarro.
Jamaica: Blake; Lawrence, Fisher, Powell; Taylor, Lambert, Watson, Lowe; Williams, Gordon, Johnson.