By Ian S Palmer
Group B CONCACAF Gold Cup action continues at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada with a doubleheader on Tuesday, July 14. The first game features group leaders Jamaica squaring off against second-place El Salvador. Top place is still up for grabs and the group will be decided in Toronto as each four teams will be playing their third and final group stage contest.
2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Betting Preview – Jamaica vs El Salvador
- Pinnacle currently lists Jamaica as the favorites to win this match at 1.900 with El Salvador 3.840 and a 90-minute draw at 3.100
Jamaica goes into the game with four points from a win and a draw while El Salvador and Costa Rica each have a pair of points from two draws. Canada sits in the basement with a lone point from a draw and a loss and will face Costa Rica in the second game of the doubleheader. Jamaica earned a 2-2 draw against Costa Rica in their first match in Los Angeles last Wednesday and then beat Canada in Houston on July 11. El Salvador played to a 0-0 draw against Canada in their opening match and then fought back for a late 1-1 tie against Costa Rica in Houston on Saturday.
Even though Canada had most of the possession, Jamaica carved out more scoring chances in their meeting on Saturday as they outshot their opponents 21-7. However, the game entered nail-biting territory for the Jamaicans as they didn’t manage to score the game winner until the first minute of injury time. Rodolph Austin found the back of the net to give Jamaica all three points and put them in the driver’s seat in Group B.
In the second game at Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday, El Salvador also waited until virtually the last minute to find the back of the net. They fell behind in the 61st minute when Costa Rican captain Bryan Ruiz beat goalkeeper Derby Carrillo after 61 minutes. But El Salvador didn’t give up, and after creating several scoring chances they finally hit the jackpot in the 91st minute when Dustin Corea beat goalkeeper Esteban and tied the game. It was a huge point for El Salvador and a gigantic loss of two points for Costa Rica as it allowed El Salvador to climb into a second-place tie with them.
The top two places in Group B are still up for grabs, but Jamaica is in the best position going into the final round of group games. They should advance to the next round if they lose this match against El Salvador since their four points should be good enough for one of the two best third-place finishes. The top two teams from each of the three groups advance to the quarterfinals along with the two best-third place sides.
Jamaica and El Salvador have met each other a total of 17 times in the past with Jamaica winning nine, losing four and drawing the other four. El Salvador has won just once in the last 10 meetings, which was a 2-0 result in a 2000 World Cup qualifier. They’ve lost six and drawn three since then.
For more information on how to bet on soccer or the Jamaica vs El Salvador match, visit eBetting101.com.