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DENVER, Co- Fans in the Mile High city of Denver, Colorado were treated to a 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B clash between Mexico and Jamaica. Both teams came into the match with three points and a +2 goal differential after their first game, with Mexico on top via goals scored.
Jamaica made a few changes from their last game, allowing Michael Binns and Darren Mattocks to start. Jermaine Johnson, who started against Curacao, stayed on the bench.
Mexico, on the other hand, made a few changes of their own. To no surprise to Mexico fans, there was a change at keeper as Moises Munoz started instead of Jesus Corona. Erick “Cubo” Torres, Jesus Molina and Orbelin Pineda also took starting spots.
Unlike prior games, Mexico found themselves starting strong. The back line of Hugo Ayala, Molina, Hedgardo Marin and Edson Alvarez was stingy and played a huge role in keeping the ball out of their half.
The first notable opportunity of the game came in the 10th minute of the match. Elias Hernandez, the hero of Mexico’s game Gold Cup opener vs El Salvador, took a free kick that was met by Torres. The Houston Dynamo forward was able to get his head on the ball but put it over the crossbar.
Mexico found themselves controlling early, creating opportunities in Jamaica’s half.
At the 22nd minute, Torres puts another header towards goal, only for it to hit the post and be cleared. This would end up being Mexico’s closest opportunity at scoring.
Jamaica found their first big opportunity in Mexico’s box when Oniel Fisher found the ball at his feet in the 24th minute of play. Unfortunately, Fisher could not handle the pass and it bounced into the arms of Munoz.
Hernandez found himself setting up another chance at goal with a corner kick in the 39th minute. Jesus Molina put a great header on goal, only for it to be headed over the crossbar by Jermaine Taylor at the goal line.
Mexico found one last legitimate opportunity before the end of the first half when Edson Alvarez sent a cross from the left side of the box. The ball went through the front of the goal and over everyone’s head.
At this point, Mexico had dominated in every facet of the game.
At halftime, Mexico subbed off forward Rodolfo Pizarro for center-mid Cesar Montes. This move essentially put a larger emphasis on defense than on offense.
Fortunately, they still had Hernandez on the left wing to anchor the offensive attack.
At the 47th minute, a Hernandez cross found Jesus Gallardo. Gallardo couldn’t get his head on the ball and popped it out of bounds.
Not long after, a 50th minute free kick by Gallardo sent the crowd into a frenzy as it hit the top of the net. After a few seconds, the Mexican crowd fell silent as they realized the ball went right over the crossbar.
In his last big opportunity to help Mexico score, Hernandez made a run on the right side of the box in the 52nd minute. He then took the run towards the top-center of the box. Hernandez’s shot was then met by Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake, who made the easy save.
Jamaica found it difficult to put together any attack, ending with zero shots on goal. The final opportunity that put any sign of surprise in the crowd was from Je-Vaughn Watson in the 55th minute. The New England Revolution midfielder took a shot well outside of the box that ended up wide left.
It was at the 76th minute when Hernandez was subbed out for Erick Gutierrez. This signaled an end to Mexico’s attack.
The Consensus
When the final whistle blew, the crowd of 49,121 erupted into boos.
The first half of the game was very competitive, with both teams creating chances at goal.
The second half gave a much different, lackluster feel.
Jamaica’s physicality in the second half proved to be too much for Mexico. It was enough to throw off attacks and keep the game at a slower pace.
Positives and Negatives
Mexico did what they’ve struggled to do recently: start strong. As mentioned above, their back line was stern and allowed the offense to take over. Jamaica was left without a shot on goal, which is a great accomplishment for the defense. On the negative end, the offense did nothing. Subs were a little questionable, especially when you consider you’ve been dominating all night.
For Jamaica, we can’t overstate how well they did to keep Mexico out of goal. There we some close calls but the defense did well enough to only allow three shots on goal. Their physical play slowed Mexico down, which contributed to the result. Like Mexico’s offense, Jamaica’s did nothing. To have no shots on goal was not expected. They only held the ball for 27% of the match, which was expected. The counter many thought would show up disappeared.
What’s Next for Gold Cup Group C?
Group C will now head to San Antonio, Texas to wrap up group play on Sunday.
Mexico has 4 points and a +2 goal differential, good enough for the top spot in Group C. They’ll play Curacao, who are yet to earn a point and have a -4 differential.
Jamaica go into their final group stage match in second place, with 4 points and a +1 differential. They’ll play third place El Salvador, who have 3 points and a 0 differential.
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