Of the four teams in Group C playing on Sunday night, only Mexico truly looked like a side capable of winning the Gold Cup. El Tri can put Group C away and lock up a bid in the quarterfinals of the CONCACAF championship if they can bounce Jamaica as they'll be expected to do in Denver.
At 10 p.m. ET, tune into FOX Sports 1 for live television coverage of this Gold Cup match on Thursday, July 13, 2017, at Sports Authority Field.
Odds Analysis
Mexico was a big favorite over El Salvador on Sunday night, and though they did concede a goal, they were never seriously threatened. If they play with as much gusto and organization in this match as they did against El Salvador, El Tri will be on their way to three more points with the easiest match in Group C against Curacao left to play.
There's a reason why Mexico is going to be a big favorite once again to clear a potential hurdle. The Mexicans will surely dominate possession in this match and ask plenty of questions of Andre Blake in the Jamaican net.
How They Got Here
Jamaica really has Blake to thank for the three points it picked up against Curacao on Sunday night in San Diego. The Reggae Boyz weren't great defensively, and it was up to Blake to come up with six saves to ultimately save the day.
After almost an hour of probably ultimately being the lesser of the two teams, Jamaica came through with goals from Romario Williams and Darren Mattocks, the latter of which surprisingly started on the bench. The 37-year old figures to get back into the Starting XI in this one, and he'll have to be a big threat on the counterattack to give the Jamaicans any chance at the upset.
There was a brief moment of panic for Mexico when an early 1-0 lead was countered by a Nelson Bonilla goal for El Salvador. That said, El Tri saw out their first match of the Gold Cup with ease in a 3-1 victory. Goals from Hedgardo Marin, Elias Hernandez and Orbelin Pineda were enough to easily see off El Salvador, and now, the path should end up being relatively clear to the knockout stages of this tournament.
The key, as always for Mexico, is going to be possession. There were a lot of moments in the second half of the opening match against El Salvador where things seemed a little stagnant, and there was some sloppy play for sure. That won't work against Costa Rica or the United States, but against El Salvador (and here against Jamaica), mistakes can be covered up more easily.
Free Soccer Betting Pick
This Mexican team is quite young, but it's one that played with a lot of promise for Juan Carlos Osorio on Sunday night. With as suspect as the Jamaican defense played against Curacao, we can't see them hanging in there under the constant pressure and bombardment that will surely come from the attack for El Tri.
Jamaica allowed lowly Curacao to have 57 percent of the possession on Sunday night. Can you imagine just how bad that's going to be against a Mexico team which routinely finishes with at least 55 percent of the ball against even the best competition? Mexico might have it closer to 65 percent of the time in this one, and that will leave moments few and far between for the Reggae Boyz to strike.
Blake is a fine keeper, but this one is going to be beyond him. It won't be his fault that Jamaica slips to a win and a loss in the early going in the Gold Cup.
Gold Cup Odds: Mexico 2, Jamaica 0
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