Gold Cup 2015: Group Results, Tables and Schedule After El Salvador vs. Canada

All eyes were on co-host Canada Wednesday night as they began their Gold Cup campaign against El Salvador, but the opening match of the day between Costa Rica and Jamaica stole the show.

The latter two sides shared four goals in a 2-2 draw bristling with creativity, industry and entertainment. It was a match which whetted the appetite for Canada’s first outing in this tournament, but they were unable to find a way past an obdurate El Salvador defence, drawing 0-0.

With plenty of action to come, Bleacher Report's Michael Cummings ran the rule over some of the players set to shine in this tournament:

Here’s a recap of some of the standout moments from Day 2 of the 2015 Gold Cup, how the standings are shaping up and a brief look ahead to Thursday’s games, when another of the favourites for glory get their respective campaign up and running.

Position	Team	Pl	W	D	L	GD	P
Group A
1	United States	1	1	0	0	1	3
2	Panama	1	0	1	0	0	1
3	Haiti	1	0	1	0	0	1
4	Honduras	1	0	0	1	-1	0
Group B
1	Costa Rica	1	0	1	0	0	1
2	Jamaica	1	0	1	0	0	1
3	Canada	1	0	1	0	0	1
4	El Salvador	1	0	1	0	0	1
Group C
1	Mexico	0	0	0	0	0	0
2	Guatemala	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	Trinidad and Tobago	0	0	0	0	0	0
4	Cuba	0	0	0	0	0	0

Standings courtesy of CONCACAF.com.

Canada Blunted, But Costa Rica and Jamaica Thrill

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

For a country which has been gripped by football fever after the success of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, Canadians were keen to see how their men’s side would fare in their big tournament this summer. Sadly, they didn’t quite live up to the hype.

In a competitive Group B, this clash with El Salvador looked to be the co-host’s best chance to snag a victory. But they were nullified brilliantly by their diligent opponents, who seemed delighted to come away from the match with a point.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Needless to say, the game didn’t make for much of a spectacle, as Sportsnet’s James Sharman noted:

Perhaps that assessment is a little harsh, but compared to the pulsating clash between Jamaica and Costa Rica earlier in the day, the second game was certainly something of a damp squib.

The earlier fixture had a bit of everything, with both teams showing they’ll be a big threat in this year's Gold Cup. After all, Los Ticos proved their quality last summer with a stunning World Cup run, while Jamaica acquitted themselves well in the Copa America recently with some determined defensive displays.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

The Reggae Boyz showed a little more attacking flair in this one though, with Garath McCleary tucking home from close range early on. But as we can see here courtesy of Fox Soccer, Costa Rica drew level with an ingenious bit of build-up play and a calm finish from Roy Miller:

Buoyed by that goal, Los Ticos piled forward in search of another, and after spurning some great opportunities, David Ramirez put his side in front 2-1. At half-time, Costa Rica had a one-goal lead, but it was a breathless encounter which remained precariously poised.

Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

Within two minutes of the restart, Jobi McAnuff prodded home to equalise after a stunning individual run. Here’s a look at the goal, per the Team Jamaica Twitter account:

Both sides could have won it from that point, and although the game continued at an unwavering and frenetic tempo, there were no more goals to come from this one.

But each side will be delighted with the manner in which they played and will feel confident of securing automatic qualification spots at the expense of Canada and El Salvador.

Thursday, July 9—Fixtures

Kickoff Time (ET)	Fixture	Venue
7 p.m.	Trinidad and Tobago vs.Guatemala	Soldier Field, Chicago
9:30 p.m.	Mexico vs. Cuba	Soldier Field, Chicago

Mexico are in search of a record seventh Gold Cup win this summer and will get their 2015 tournament underway against Cuba in Chicago.

Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images

Miguel Herrera’s El Tri side were invited to take part in this summer’s Copa America, but the Mexico boss decided to take a shadow squad to the tournament, putting all his focus into the CONCACAF showpiece.

With attacking talent like Carlos Vela, Giovani dos Santos and Oribe Peralta at hand, the men in green will be one of the most entertaining sides in the competition.

Ahead of that encounter, Trinidad and Tobago and Guatemala will square off in what should be an entertaining affair. With Mexico the big favourites in Group C, a win for either may be all that’s needed to secure progression to the quarter-finals.