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Curacao hasn't played in the Gold Cup or a CONCACAF championship since 1973. The best opportunity to get into the knockout rounds of the Gold Cup will come on Sunday night in the first match of Group C against Jamaica. The Reggae Boyz, though, are flying high after reaching the Gold Cup final two years ago, and there will be a supreme confidence for a repeat appearance this year.
At 7 p.m. ET, tune into FOX Sports 1 for live television coverage of this Gold Cup match on Sunday, July 9, 2017, at Qualcomm Stadium.
Soccer Odds at BookMaker.eu
Curacao +225
Jamaica +125
Draw +205
Over/Under 2
Odds Analysis
Goals are expected to be at a premium on Sunday night in San Diego. Jamaica and Curacao are certainly not the most offense-minded teams in CONCACAF, and with this being the first match of this group, it's going to likely be a match played tightly to the vest. That's why the total is set at a flat 2.
You'd like to think that Jamaica should be an easy favorite in this fixture, but that just isn't the case. The Reggae Boyz are set at +125 on the moneyline and are just less than 50/50 to win this match.
Roster Analysis
There's a tremendous Dutch influence on this Curacao team. Virtually all of the defenders play on teams that are playing their club soccer over in the Netherlands, including a couple playing in the top flight. Keeper Eloy Room is also playing for Vitesse.
There's a big concern in the front of the pitch at this point for Curacao. There isn't a player on the roster who is older than 25, and none of the players have more than 14 career appearances.
It'll be interesting to know whether Jamaica's team has enough gas left in the tank to get the job done again in this tournament. Jermaine Johnson and Je-Vaughn Watson are 37 and 33-years old respectively, and Jermaine Taylor, the top defender, has played in 92 matches and has had a long season at Minnesota United.
Darren Mattocks was one of the key cogs in the Gold Cup run two years ago, and he'll be back in the saddle as the most effective striker in this match.
That said, aside from these four, there isn't a lot of experience on this roster, including a bunch of players who have never suited up for the national team before. It's strange to think that the average Curacao player has played more competitive soccer in the past than the average Jamaica player if you take out the few tremendous veterans of the bunch.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
These two teams played against each other in the Caribbean Cup final a couple weeks ago. The Jamaicans were comfortable favorites in the fixture and ultimately lost 2-1 to lose on out in Caribbean's biggest championship.
The Reggae Boyz have only won one of their last five matches in normal time, including needing penalties to take care of French Guiana.
Simply stated, Jamaica is overstated here at +125. There's a common belief that this Jamaican team is going to easily reach the group stage of the Gold Cup, but we aren't so sure that will ultimately be the case. This Curacao team is as good as it's been in decades. This isn't a team that is going to win the Gold Cup, but we think it's ultimately going to have a shot to get through this group in spite of the fact that few believe it's possible. It'll all start with three somewhat shocking points against Jamaica.
Gold Cup Odds: Curacao 2, Jamaica 1
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