Haiti’s historic 1-0 win over Honduras on Monday means they will play in the knockout stages of the Gold Cup for the first time in their history.
Their victory, coupled with Panama’s 1-1 draw against the United States, saw the Haitians finish second in Group A. The results mean that Panama, who have now drawn all of their matches in this competition, will wait to see whether or not they will progress as one of the two teams in third place with the highest points total.
Here’s a look at how things are shaping up in what’s been an absorbing competition and a recap of some of the standout moments from Monday’s action.
| Position | Team | Pl | W | D | L | GD | P |
| Group A | |||||||
| 1 | United States | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 |
| 2 | Haiti | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| 3 | Panama | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Honduras | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | -2 | 1 |
| Group B | |||||||
| 1 | Jamaica | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 2 | Costa Rica | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 3 | El Salvador | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 | Canada | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 1 |
| Group C | |||||||
| 1 | Trinidad and Tobago | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 6 |
| 2 | Mexico | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 | Guatemala | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -2 | 1 |
| 4 | Cuba | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | -8 | 0 |
BBC Sport
| Date | Fixture | Group | Time (ET) |
| Tuesday, July 14 | Jamaica vs. El Salvador | B | 6 p.m. |
| Tuesday, July 14 | Canada vs. Costa Rica | B | 8:30 p.m. |
BBC Sport
Panama End USMNT’s Run
Having ground out wins in their first two Gold Cup matches, the United States had secured top spot in Group A. It was a position of privilege which allowed manager Jurgen Klinsmann to rest some key players in the team and Panama took advantage in the opening 45 minutes.
As we can see here courtesy of World Soccer Talk, the opening strike from Blas Perez was a wonderfully well-worked goal.
Colin E. Braley/Associated Press
With Panama needing a win to guarantee progress and the United States bidding to extend their winning run to nine consecutive games, both teams poured forward in search of a winning goal. But neither were able to find a killer touch and eventually, they each had to settle for a point.
The United States were underwhelming once again, but as Paul Carr of ESPN noted, Dempsey made a massive difference after coming on:
#USMNT had 48% possession & completed 16 passes in attack 3rd in the 1st half.
58% & 38 comp passes in attack 3rd in 2nd half. #Dempsey
— Paul Carr (@PaulCarr) July 14, 2015
Panama will have to sit and wait for other results before they can start thinking about the quarter-finals. But having gone unbeaten throughout their three games so far, if they do progress they’ll be a tough opponent to conquer in the knockout stages. The United States still have a lot of work to do before they find their best form.
History Made By Haiti
The most engrossing story of the 2015 Gold Cup so far has been the progress made by Haiti. In all of their matches they have acquitted themselves wonderfully and against Honduras on Monday, they secured a historic victory.
Duckens Nazon was the hero for the minnows with a 14th-minute goal, paving the way for a determined 1-0 victory. Although they had to watch on nervously as Panama pushed for a win against the USMNT, the draw cemented their status in second spot.
Kartik Krishnaiyer of World Soccer Talk paid tribute to the effort of Haiti:
Congrats Haiti. Big moment likely advancing out of #GoldCup Group A where they didn't look over-matched for a minute.
— Kartik #WearaMask Krishnaiyer (@kkfla737) July 14, 2015
There is nothing especially flashy about their style, but they’re organised, tenacious in the tackle and when they do win possession back, they can spring forward with plenty of incision.
Colin E. Braley/Associated Press
Their reward for their determined play is a place in the quarter-finals of the competition. And who would back against Haiti springing more shocks in the matches to come?
Just Football put the remarkable achievements of this team into context given what the nation has had to overcome recently:
Haiti lost around 1% of its population in the 2010 earthquake, let alone all the devastation. To come back & qualify like this a huge feat.
— Just Football (@JustFootball) July 14, 2015
Even if they don’t progress beyond the last eight of the tournament, the Haitian people will be immensely proud of this team.
But in a tournament which is renowned for springing surprises, there’s a sense that this bright outfit may have a major say in the destination of this coveted prize; their fiercely ambitious players will surely think they can win it themselves.
Source: Bleacher Report
