5 Players to Watch at the 2013 Gold Cup

The 2013 Gold Cup is already under way, and the tournament has put forth some surprising results.

Panama upended Mexico, and Martinique shocked Canada.

It was a great opening day for the Gold Cup. In the interest that is lost due to the absence of the top-flight talent, we are getting some surprising results. The opening-day matches brought a bit of fun back into the tournament.

The 2013 Gold Cup is going to be fun, and I'm sure it will be an interesting ride.

Here are five players to watch throughout the 2013 Gold Cup.

Raul Jimenez

Raul Jimenez was a member of the Mexico U-23 team that went on to win the 2012 Olympic gold medal. He came on as a substitute throughout the tournament.

Following the Olympics, he joined the senior squad.

Jimenez has 14 caps, but no goals. That's not unexpected. He is not the main goalscoring option for Mexico.

With Jimenez now in the starting lineup, it is worth it to keep an eye on him. He will help clean up messes in front of the goal and be a key player in making the right assist. Jimenez will play a significant role in Mexico's tournament hopes.

Even though they took a hit in the opening match by losing to Panama.

Mario Martinez

Mario Martinez is only 23 years old, and he will be an interesting player to watch for Honduras.

He has 31 caps and three goals during his time with the Honduras national team, and two of those came against Canada during World Cup qualifying.

The Seattle Sounder is the fourth most experienced player on the roster, in spite of his age.

Honduras will have favorable matchups in the group stages, and that will give Martinez time to shine. He won't be the best player in the tournament, and he may not score all that often, but keep an eye on the Honduran forward. He'll be fun to watch.

Kevin Parsemain

Martinique has already stunned in the Gold Cup.

A late goal against Canada gave them three points and a leg-up on the other teams in their group.

Kevin Parsemain is one of the reasons.

No one will confuse Martinique with an international power, but Parsemain is a good player. He is an all-around talent. Parsemain can open up scoring opportunities and play good possession football in the midfield.

He will need to be at the top of his game as the Gold Cup moves forward.

Celso Borges

25-year-old Celso Borges is just shy of 50 caps and has 11 international goals to his credit.

He is one of Costa Rica's biggest goalscoring threats.

Costa Rica is in Group C alongside the United States, and there is little doubt Borges will draw attention during that meeting. Borges has the skills to create a lot of trouble for the U.S.

If Borges plays up to his potential, Costa Rica will be in the knockout stages with a legitimate chance to make a deep run. He can score, and he can assist on other scoring chances for his team. Time will tell how he does, but he should make noise.

Stuart Holden

Most of this list has been younger talent than Stuart Holden, but there is a big reason you should pay attention to him throughout the Gold Cup.

If Holden continues to play up to the level that he has set forth in 2013, he will take a starting role into the 2014 World Cup.

Holden has been playing excellent football in the 2013 calendar year, and one can only hope that continues.

The USMNT enter as a favorite in this tournament. Holden will be a big piece of the puzzle for the Americans, and if he hopes to join the squad in Brazil, he will need to continue to impress.

He will. Watch.