The Costa Rica vs Cuba match will be the first game of the Gold Cup’s Group C this Tuesday, July 9, 2013 (5:30 PM PST) at the Jeld-Wen Field in Portland, Oregon. Costa Rica and Cuba will play their first match in a group which also includes Belize, and the tournament favorite USA. The ‘ticos’ will play with their ‘B’ selection, but they hope that will be enough to go deep into the competition. Cuba on the other hand is an underdog in the group, therefore a tie against Costa Rica will be their top goal for Tuesday’s match.
The Costa Rica national team only has eight players from the ‘A’ squad. This alternate selection will attempt to maintain the good form showed during the CONCACAF Hexagonal in which the team is in second place and on pace for next year’s World Cup. The team coached by Jorge Luis Pinto is predicted to finish second in the group right behind the United States, therefore they will have to win by a large margin against Cuba to try and obtain the group’s top seed.
Cuba, as has been the case in their past Gold Cup appearances, will play with a squad poorly known to the outside world. Cuba’s political ideals do not allow for their players to play abroad, therefore the team coached by Walter Benitez will participate with unknown domestic players. Nonetheless, Cuba achieved a place in the Gold Cup via the Caribbean Cup and they will be a team to look out for as they can become a surprise.
Costa Rica vs Cuba Prediction
Costa Rica’s squad is composed of veteran and young promising players from the MLS and their domestic league. The Gold Cup will be a good opportunity for many ‘B’ players to try and win a role in the first team. Although the ticos are not in full force, they will play this tournament to win it as all other favorite nations are also with alternate squads. Tuesday’s game against Cuba will demonstrate what this team is capable of, and a win is obligatory if they want a chance at defeating the USA for the number one seed in Group C. The Costa Rica vs Cuba match will end 3-0 in favor of the tricolor.
Costa Rica vs Cuba Television
The Costa Rica vs Cuba Gold Cup match will be televised this Tuesday, July 9, 2013 on Fox Soccer Channel and Unimas at 5:30 PM Pacific.
