CONCACAF Gold Cup - 7-9th July Matches

[kompressaur]

odds from www.bet365.com

[PTDSEI]

At first glance...Surely Canada must be worth a punt at home to C.R. They`ve a load of players with European clubs eh?

[kompressaur]

I would say so PTD. Isnt the Canadian 'glory years' over though? I knew they had Richard Hastings of Livvy playing for them once. Costa Rica seem quite strong these days mind PTD. Maybe someone who actually KNOWS about these games might help us.

[MIKEROBB]

My thoughts exactly.
I would have thought that Canada would have quite a decent side given the fact that they have a few players scattered around Europe(give or take the one that pretends he's English )
Gonna take a closer look at this and try to get some details on the Canada squad

[kompressaur]

Taken from us.terra.com

SCOUTING THE TEAMS
CANADA: Making their seventh appearance at the CONCACAF Gold Cup but first under the direction of Frank Yallop ¿ Reached the semifinals in 2002, losing to the USA 4:2 on penalties, but then the maple leafs went on defeat Korea Republic 2:1 in the third-place match ¿ Claimed their first international honour in over 100 years of football by winning the 2000 Gold Cup, defeating Colombia 2:0 in the finals.

COLOMBIA: One of the two invited teams competing, is taking part in their third Gold Cup event ¿ Colombia reached the 2000 tournament final but fell 2:0 to Canada ¿ After winning the 2001 Copa América, the cafeteros advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2003 CONCACAF Gold Cup but lost 2:0 against Brazil ¿ Colombia is guided by technical director Reinaldo Rueda.

COSTA RICA: Winners of the UNCAF (Central America) Nations Cup in Guatemala this past February, Costa Rica are in their seventh Gold Cup tournament in 2005 ¿ The five-time UNCAF champions earned their best Gold Cup performance in 2002 losing in the finals to the USA 2:0 ¿ The ticos are the Central American team with the most appearances in the tournament¿s semifinals (four) ¿ Alexandre Guimaraes, who led Costa Rica to the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea/Japan, is once again back at the helm.

CUBA: One of three qualifiers from the Caribbean, Cuba is making their third consecutive and fourth overall trip to the Gold Cup ¿ Cuba missed out on the 2000 tournament after finishing third to second-placer Haiti (on the head-to-head tiebreaker) in the CONCACAF Interzone Playoffs ¿ The cubanos claimed their first tournament victory (2:0 against Canada) and a berth to the Gold Cup quarterfinals in 2003 ¿ Technical director Armelio Luis Garcia has been in charge of Cuba since last year.

GUATEMALA: Under technical director Ramón Maradiaga, Guatemala hosted the 2005 UNCAF Nations Cup and finished third, while earning one of the four Central American berths to the CONCACAF Gold Cup ¿ The chapines have made six previous appearances at the CONCACAF event, earning their best performance in 1996 claiming fourth-place.

HONDURAS: Were runners-up at the 2005 UNCAF Nations Cup held in Guatemala and earned their seventh berth to the CONCACAF Gold Cup ¿ The catrachos best finish at the CONCACAF event was second-place, losing a 4:3 penalty kick thriller to the USA in the 1991 final ¿ Honduras is once again guided by technical director Jose De La Paz.

JAMAICA: Won the 2005 CFU Digicel Cup and is one of the three qualifiers from the Caribbean at this year¿s CONCACAF Gold Cup ¿ The reggae boyz reached the tournament¿s semifinals on two occasions (1993, 1998) ¿ Jamaica¿s best finish came in 1993 as they shared the bronze medal with Costa Rica after both played to a 1:1 draw in the third-place game ¿ Technical director Wendell Downswell is in charge of the squad.

MEXICO: The defending champions are competing in their eighth CONCACAF Gold Cup ¿ Mexico was the first team to capture four titles (1993, 1996, 1998, 2003) and is one of only two CONCACAF teams (other USA) to always advance out of the first round ¿ The tricolor are the only team to capture two tournament crowns (1996, 2003) without conceding a goal ¿ Mexico have also not allowed a goal in their last 601 minutes during the Gold Cup ¿ Ricardo LaVolpe has been the technical director for the tricolor since 2003.

PANAMA: Are making their first appearance at the Gold Cup in more then a decade after going winless in 1993 tournament ¿ Panana is one of four Central American nations to progress to the CONCACAF event after reaching the semifinals of the 2005 UNCAF Nations Cup in Guatemala ¿ The canaleros are led by technical director Jose Hernández.

SOUTH AFRICA: Second guest team at the Gold Cup, South Africa is also the first African nation to compete at the event ¿ Under the guidance of Stuart Baxter, South Africa¿s participation in the CONCACAF tournament falls into the long term goal of building the squad as they prepare to stage the 2010 FIFA World Cup ¿ Bafana Bafana also hosted and captured the 1996 African Nations Cup having become a member of FIFA four years earlier.

TRINIDAD & TOBAGO: One of the three qualifiers from the Caribbean are making their fifth overall appearance at the Gold Cup ¿ Despite winning the Caribbean crown on eight occasions, Trinidad & Tobago¿s best performance at the CONCACAF event was reaching the semifinals in 2000 ¿ Leo Beenhakker is at the helm of the soca warriors.

USA: One of two nations (other Mexico) to have played in all seven previous Gold Cups but have only won the CONCACAF event twice (1991, 2002) ¿ The stars & stripes have the most victories in tournament play with 24 and are the only CONCACAF team to win all their first round group matches for a perfect 16-0 since 1991 ¿ Technical director Bruce Arena has been at the helm since 1998.

[kompressaur]

Group A ( in Miami ) : Columbia , Panama , Honduras and Trinidad And Tobago
Group B ( Boston and Seattle ) USA , Costa Rica , Canada and Cuba
Group C ( Los Angelis and Houston ) Mexico , Guataumala , Jamaica and SA

[Kiko]

I think the Canadian game is better left alone. They have 2 players you guys are probably familiar with. Kevin McKenna - ex hearts players and Ian Hume. Plays in the Championship if my memory serves me right but i can't remember who and Tomaz Radsinki who is their star player.

They were beating by a Hondura's reserve side last week 2-1 and seemed to be played off the park. Canadian fans don't hold much hope either. A little snippet from a Canadian fan - don't seem to hold high hopes for the side. Many are calling for their head coach's head.

Having said that, even amongst the hard-core fans there isn't as much excitement as there was before about the Canadian team - or that's the feeling I get at least. Amongst the general public as well over here, but they haven't had much to get excited about under FY. We need to start winning, and we need to show some progress in this Gold Cup - even with a depleted roster - and if we don't see any, then it will be time to find a coach who can achieve that.

Many fans have also said this is the lowest level of interest ever shown in the Canadian national side.

Canada have taking with them for the Gold Cup a relatively young and inexperienced side and i feel they could turn into the whipping boys.

Canada were unable to overcome Costa Rica in their WCQ and Costa Rica have brought back in their coach who has guided them to the World Cup twice, once as a player and another as their coach.

He has called up basically the same squad who he lead to famous victories over Mexico, USA and got 2 goals against Brazil. Think this is a bit of a banker IMO.

[Kiko]

The Trinidad game interests me at 2/1. They possess some decent players from the shores of the UK. Their squad is the following

Goalkeepers: Shaka Hislop (unattached), Kelvin Jack (Dundee FC), Daurance Williams (CL Financial San Juan Jabloteh)


Defenders – Marvin Andrews (Glasgow Rangers), Brent Sancho (Unattached), Cyd Gray (Jabloteh), Atiba Charles (Vibe CT 105 W Connection), Dennis Lawrence (Wrexham), Anton Pierre (Defence Force), Avery John (New England Revolution)


Midfielders – Silvio Spann (Yokohama FC), Chris Birchall (Port Vale), Glenton Wolfe (National Quarries North East Stars), Carlos Edwards (Luton Town), Densill Theobald (Caledonia Fire), Aurtis Whitley (Jabloteh), Angus Eve (Jabloteh), Brent Rahim (unattached)


Forwards – Collin Samuel (Dundee Utd), Kenwyne Jones (Southampton), Jason Scotland (Dundee Utd), Cornell Glenn (Columbus Crew) and Stern John (Coventry City).

Generally an all round decent squad who could make some sort of impact at the tournament. Unsure of this Honduran side, bit of an unknown quantity.

[Kiko]

Jamaica Squad for Gold Cup

1. Donovan Ricketts
2. Shawn Sawyers

3. Tyrone Marshall
4. Damion Stewart
5. Jermaine Taylor
6. Tyrone Sawyers
7. Robert Scarlett
8. Garfield Reid
9. Claude Davis

10. Jermaine Johnson
11. Omar Daley
12. Nicholy Finlayson
13. Jason Morrison
14. Lovel Palmer

15. Luton Shelton
16. Christopher Nicholas
17. Kevin Deerr
18. Teofore Bennett

Not as strong a side as they have had down the years. Generally a youthful side. Watch out for Tyrone Marshall. Top player in the MLS and is deadly from set pieces.

[kompressaur]

from- http://www.soccermamak.com


6 Jul Gold Cup Colombia - Panama

Colombia is one of two guest teams from outside the North and Central American and Caribbean region. The team is in fifth-place in the South American World Cup qualifying standings.

Reinaldo Rueda has turned Colombia around after being appointed in January. Since then, Colombia has won twice (5-0 Peru, 3-0 Ecuador), tied once (Venezuela 0-0), and lost to powerhouse Argentina 1-0 in its last four qualifiers, and lost 3-2 to England in an entertaining exhibition game at Giants Stadium.

Rueda is bringing few of his top players to the Gold Cup. Instead, he's using the tournament to test some young players who played in the recent World Youth Championship and others who are trying to earn roster spots for the last three World Cup qualifiers.

Key player midfielder Jairo Patino plays professionally for River Plate in Argentina, one of the top clubs in South America.
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While a 1-1 tie with Mexico in a World Cup qualifier in March was an impressive result, Panama hasn't won a game since February, when it beat slumping El Salvador in the UNCAF Cup. Wins over Jamaica and El Salvador last autumn propelled Panama into the final round of World Cup qualifying, but the team hasn't done much since.

Unless Panama can return to its form of late 2004, it will have a short stay at the Gold Cup, and long one at the bottom of the World Cup qualifying standings, were it currently sits with two ties and three losses.

Key player forward Roberto Brown has been Panama's leading scorer in World Cup qualifying with six goals, although he has only one in the final round.

While a 1-1 tie with Mexico in a World Cup qualifier in March was an impressive result, Panama hasn't won a game since February, when it beat slumping El Salvador in the UNCAF Cup. Wins over Jamaica and El Salvador last autumn propelled Panama into the final round of World Cup qualifying, but the team hasn't done much since.

Unless Panama can return to its form of late 2004, it will have a short stay at the Gold Cup, and long one at the bottom of the World Cup qualifying standings, were it currently sits with two ties and three losses.

Brown has been Panama's leading scorer in World Cup qualifying with six goals, although he has only one in the final round.
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Panama is still winless in their WCQ group with 0-2-3 F2 A8. Since the impressive 1-1 draw with Mexico at home, they had lost Trinidad and Tobago 2-0 and USA 0-3.

Colombia should win this game comfortably. Since the change of coach, they had put passed 8 goals in their 2 home WCQ, although their away games were not that good. However in South America, all away games are always tough to play. Panama, though got an impressive 1-1 draw with Mexico, they had conceded 5 goals and scored none in their last 2 WCQ.

In the North and Central American and Caribbean region, only Mexico and USA are the soccer powerhouse, with the rest of the teams just making up the number. This match will be on neutral ground. Colombia even with young players should win easily. Panama can't be compare with any teams in South America. Recommend to bet Colombia -1 3/4, win 1.915 with Pointbet .

6 Jul Gold Cup Honduras - Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad may have an edge over Honduras and Panama in what should be a tight race for second-place in Group A. The Soca Warriors beat Panama 2-0 on June 4 in World Cup qualifying, while Honduras hasn't played a competitive match since February.

Trinidad sits near the bottom of the final round standings for CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, with only four points from five matches. While goals are sometimes hard to come by, in March the Soca Warriors were able to hold Costa Rica to a scoreless draw.

Despite knee problems, key defender Marvin Andrews helped Glasgow's Rangers win the Scottish Premiership title and provides lots of experience in the back. Forward Cornell Glen plays for the Columbus Crew in Major League Soccer.

Trinidad's next World Cup qualifier is on August 17 against the U.S. in East Hartford, Conn.
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While most teams in the Gold Cup have been involved in World Cup qualifying over the past few months, Honduras last played a competitive game in February, when it lost to Costa Rica in penalty kicks in the UNCAF Cup final.

Honduras went from February until July without scoring a goal, beating Canada 2-1 on Saturday night in an exhibition warmup for the Gold Cup.

Honduras will be without forward Carlos Pavon and 2004 MLS MVP Amado Guevara, who has five goals in 14 games with the MetroStars this season. Caballero, currently with the Chicago Fire in MLS, spent three seasons in Italy's Serie A with Udinese. He'll anchor a backline which will need strong performances to compensate for the lack of scoring power up front.

Defender Samuel Caballero will be the key player for Honduras.
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Trinidad will have an edge over Honduras. They are still involved in the WCQ while Honduras is out. The addtional competitive matches for Trinidad definitely will benefit them. They had also done well for their last few WCQ, drawing Costa Rica 0-0, winning Panama 2-0 and the expected 2-0 lost to Mexico. They are currently 2nd last in the WCQ group, with Panam being the last, Costa Rica 3rd and Mexico 1st. Nothing much separate the 2 teams really, recommend to bet Trinidad +1/4, win 2.09 with Pointbet .

[Kiko]

Nice - Trinidad bet looks even more of an option. Didnt realise they had Guevara missing. He is a decent player and would be their flair player i would imagine as he does a great job of it in MLS.

I did read Colombia weren't fielding a strong side for the competition so it could a good bet to lay them in some of their other fixtures. Not the Panama game as this is a near enough banker.

Some outright betting i am looking to get into shortly. Will be looking to see the strength of the Mexican side being fielded. If its their strongest then they will win it comfortably.

USA have a decent chance too, they have some top players from the MLS in their side. Paired with a couple from the Premiership also they are going to go far.

Just checked their odds - both are just above evens which doesn't interest me at all.

Costa Rica at 12s and Trinidad at 34s might be worth a little dabble, then lay off down the line. Costa Rica have a good record in this tournament and have the squad to cause some upsets down the line.

[kompressaur]

Trinadas midfield dont seem much cop mind Kiko. Maybe be a tight game with big Marvin andrews mopping up at the back

[mr onemore]

Honduras - Trinidad

Think this might be a low scoring affair.

Trinidad have a newish coach, Bennhaker, who they got in after getting hammered 5-1 by Guatemala. Defence has been tight since then. Trinidad haven't had a decent result for ages - qualification for WC 3rd round was from a very easy group, and always lose to better teams, three times to Mexico ,loss to USA etc...nothing special IMO

Honduras very difficult team to beat - very unlucky not to qualify for WC 3rd round from difficult group. W1,D4,L1, loss was down to poor ref decisions - offside goal given against, 2 penalty decisions not given etc - against Guatemala...lost 1-0 to USA in March, drew with Colombia last year...

Honduras better team I think, but tight game - I'm taking Honduras

[kompressaur]

Thanks Mr O i was tempted a wee bit in T & T but i think i'll just leave it well alone. I agree on the under and i think a low scoring draw is a real possibility

[Kiko]

Panama win 1-0 and cause the upset of the tournament after the very first game :yikes

T & T finishes 1 each. Good call on unders and draw guys.

Maybe we underestimated how poor this Colombian side is with all their stars missing. Im definately going to look at laying them in the upcoming games.