Gold Cup Group A: Game 1- Canada vs Jamaica

Its finally here. The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup begins tomorrow with the Canucks taking on Jamaica in California.

Venue: The Home Depot Center, Carson, California
Time: 8:00 PM EST

This will be our first meaningful match since being eliminated from contention for the World Cup by Jamaica, 3-0 almost a year ago. We have, of course come off a couple of friendly victories which will for sure give our boys a little confidence in North America’s premier soccer tournament.

Both victories; 1-0 in Cyprus and 3-0 against Guatemala, brought in some new faces, and a more european-centric squad was fielded. Simeon Jackson brings a new dimension to our attack, and has been exceptional in his first 2 games, and reliable players such as Ali Gerba, have not failed to live up to expectations.

So, let us take a look at our first opponents:

Jamaica
Gold Cup Appearances: 7 (1991, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2009)
Gold Cup Titles: 0
Best Finish: Third (1993)

Key Players
D Ian Goodison (Tranmere Rovers) (9G in 113A)
D Ricardo Gardner (Bolton Wanderers) (9G in 96A)
F Ricardo Fuller (Stoke City) (5G in 48A)
F Luton Shelton (Valerenga) (27G in 43A)

Update: Surprisingly, Jamaica is on an extremely impressive unbeaten run at the moment and could be considered sleepers to make noise in the group. Having not lost since September of last year, 13 matches ago, The Reggae Boyz are experiencing a fine vein of form. Included in that run was their fourth Caribbean Championship when they beat Grenada 2-0 late last year. With plenty of players putting the ball in the net, the Jamaicans will be dangerous.

Outlook: The confidence is there and so are the goals. Add in that they’ve only allowed five goals in their last eight matches proves that the defense is holding it’s weight as well. Having said that, this is a very difficult group and they may run into problems, especially if they have to play from behind. The potential is there though, and advancement to the next round isn’t totally out of the question.

Potential Starting XI: Ricketts; Gardner, Goodison, Marshall, Davis; Williams, Johnson, Phillips, Campbell-Ryce; Shelton, Fuller

Hart is likely to field a similar starting lineup to the one that started against Guatemala. Preventing the quick Jamaican counter will be key in getting a decent result tomorrow. There can be plenty of goals, or it can end up being a 1-0 game. This one is tough to call.

So here is my prediction for the opening match:
Canada 2-2 Jamaica