Mexico vs. Costa Rica: Date, Live Stream and 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Preview

Mexico and Costa Rica will meet in the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Both of these teams—especially Mexico—were favorites for the trophy ahead of the tournament, but neither was able to win its group after a series of disappointing results in the first stage.

Following a 6-0 trouncing of Cuba in their opener, El Tri slumped to draws against Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago. Costa Rica drew all three group matches, against Jamaica, El Salvador and Canada. 

Keep reading for our preview of the match.

Mexico vs. Costa Rica Match Details

Date: Sunday, July 19

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

TV: Fox Sports 1, Univision (U.S.)

Live Stream: Fox Sports Go (U.S.), UnivisionDeportes.com

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Giovani Dos Santos Likely to Miss Match

Mexico forward Giovani dos Santos suffered an injury in El Tri's final group match, a thrilling 4-4 draw with Trinidad and Tobago. The new Los Angeles Galaxy signing left the match at halftime and did not return.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

According to ESPN's Tom Marshall, the 26-year-old Dos Santos likely will miss the match against Costa Rica with a leg issue. The good news for El Tri was that Dos Santos did not sustain a fracture.

"Unfortunately, he left with a problem in his left abductor muscle," Mexico doctor Gerardo Aguilar told reporters. "If it is fasciitis, Gio will be out for three to five days."

That means Dos Santos could return in time for the semifinals, should Mexico defeat Costa Rica. Taking Dos Santos' place will likely be Oribe Peralta, who scored a hat-trick in the opener against Cuba.

Peralta would most likely partner Carlos Vela, who has scored twice so far in the tournament and provided a creative presence in the front line for El Tri.

Chuck Burton/Associated Press

Disappointing Starts

Mexico and Costa Rica might have been a matchup some expected in the final, but after poor starts to the tournament, one of the two CONCACAF heavyweights will be eliminated.

Costa Rica entered the tournament with plenty of admirers following a strong showing at last year's FIFA World Cup. The Ticos won their group ahead of world powers Italy, England and Uruguay, and they advanced to the quarterfinals before finally bowing out on penalties against the Netherlands.

Eric Christian Smith/Associated Press

But the Gold Cup hasn't gone quite as well—at least not yet. After coming from behind to take a 2-1 lead against Jamaica, Costa Rica conceded a second-half goal and had to settle for a 2-2 draw. The Ticos led again in their next game, against El Salvador, but gave up an equalizer in second-half stoppage time and drew 1-1.

Paulo Wanchope's side finished Group B with a scoreless draw against Canada.

Mexico, meanwhile, started the tournament with a 6-0 rout of Cuba. But El Tri were unable to break down Guatemala in their second game, which finished in a scoreless draw. The final group game saw Mexico lose 2-0 and 4-3 leads on the way to a 4-4 draw with Trinidad and Tobago.

That last match raised concerns about the team's defense, and coach Miguel Herrera will have to decide whether to use his favored 5-3-2 formation—as he did against Trinidad—or revert to the 4-4-2 in the absence of injured first-choice center back Hector Moreno.

Neither team has fully impressed so far at the Gold Cup, but B/R's Matt Jones writes that he expects a high-scoring game:

"

Los Ticos have been solid in their games so far but have struggled to find an incisive edge in attacking areas. Against an open but very dangerous Mexico team, it’s important that they do if they’re to progress.

But Miguel Herrera’s side look a little savvier, and although they lost concentration in a frantic finish against Trinidad and Tobago, there are players in the XI who will relish the pressure of a quarter-final encounter. Expect El Tri to edge another high-scoring 90 minutes.

"

J.M. Lopez/Associated Press

Squad Moves

After the group stage, managers had the option to replace up to six players in their squads, as long as the replacements were part of the team's provisional roster ahead of the tournament.

Herrera did not make any replacements.

Wanchope made only once change, bringing in Vancouver Whitecaps defender Kendall Waston for Michael Umana.