The 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup got underway on Saturday with a pair of teams rolling to opening day wins.
Tata Martino’s Mexico steamrolled past Cuba 7-0 in Group A play with L.A. Galaxy product Uriel Antuna scoring a hat trick. Raul Jimenez also added a brace while Diego Reyes and Ernesto Vega also got on the scoresheet. Antuna’s opener came two minutes in as he finished off Jimenez’s effort which smacked off the post. Jimenez extended the lead in the 31st-minute, stroking home his first of the evening from the edge of the penalty box. Reyes’ second goal in his 61st appearance for El Tri continued the first-half dominance before Antuna pounced on a Cuban error to make it 4-0 heading into halftime.
Carlos Rodriguez played in Jimenez for his second in the 64th-minute ahead of Vega’s finish in the 74th-minute. Antuna set up Vega whipping a cross into the box which the substitute put away. Antuna capped his hat trick in the 80th-minute, putting away a rebound from Rodriguez’s previous effort. It was his first hat trick in only his third senior appearance for El Tri.
Mexico takes on Canada next while Cuba faces Martinique.
Canada 4 – Martinique 0
Canada also claimed a comfortable win on Saturday with a 4-0 triumph over Martinique in Pasadena. Jonathan David led the way with a brace while Scott Arfield and Junior Hoilett also found the back of the net.
After a bad backpass from Martinique goalkeeper Loic Ludovic Chauvet, David slotted in his first of the tournament in the 33rd-minute.
The striker extended Canada’s lead in the 53rd-minute, thanks to a beautiful over-the-top ball from Samuel Piette. Piette’s pass caught the Martinique backline sleeping and allowed David to score one-on-one.
Alphonso Davies crossed into Junior Hoilett’s path in the 63rd-minute to make it 3-0 before Arfield ended the scoring four minutes later. Mark-Anthony Kaye played a pass to the Rangers midfielder who slotted his effort into the bottom-right corner.
A couple of meaningless games in the worst tournament ever created. Mexico and USMNT should be playing against real competition in Copa America on the other side of the continent. Everyhting else is a copout for continuous mediocrity…
How come USA never approched Jonathan David? We really could have used him, as well as it would not have been hard to persuade him, ask him if he wants to go to a WC. The decisions and the way our team is playing currently, it is up in the air if USA will be a shoe in for the WC in the past everyone assumed we will qualify.
How would that have convinced him? Both Canada and the US had the same World Cup experience in 2018: watching it from home.
Read my comment slower I clearly explained! You said the same think I said at the end! Sorry your reading comp skills are non existent!
You said the same thing I said at the end of my comment! *
That David guy plays in Belgium, has speed, and the announcer said he was born in New York. Did the US ever try to recruit him?
From the sounds of an interview he did in French, it seems Canada asked him to play for the senior team fairly quickly and he’s played at all levels for them. It’s quite possible that the USSF just didn’t know about him or weren’t scouting Canada for eligible players. With Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies, Scott Arfield and Ballou Tabla, Canada is going to be a handful in the coming years. I wouldn’t be surprised if they qualified for the World Cup.
“with L.A. Galaxy product Uriel Antuna scoring a hat trick.”
Five months with LA makes Antunes a galaxy product? LOL.
Antuna has played most games for the Galaxy and has one or two goals. He gets a hat trick yesterday. Doesn’t say much for the level of competition in the Gold Cup. BTW, I looked it up, he is on loan from Manchester City after starting out with Santos Laguna, so in no way is he a Galaxy product.
Technically he is a product
Product means the player was developed by the club. Antuna is not a Galaxy product.
Canada is going to sneak up on folks this qualification cycle. I think this cycle is their best chance in decades to qualify for a WC.
Agreed! I’ve been watching their player development and where their young guys are playing for the last 5 years. They are heading in the right direction for sure. Honestly reminds me of The US in the mid 2000’s with a Han full of alerts in Europe breaking through in their first teams mixed with some domestics plyers.