Match match: Guatemala vs Jamaica
Match time: July 10, 2023 05:00 Beijing time.The semi-finals of the Golden Cup continue to start.
Venue: Cincinnati Stadium, USA
Founded in 1919, Guatemalan football did not open its international scene until 1921, and was runner-up in the CONCAF Championship three times in 1943, 1946 and 1948, and never had a World Cup final. Head coach Turner, a 56-year-old who has played for various clubs in the Mexican Super Liga and helped the Mexican youth team win Olympic football gold medals in 2012, officially took over the Guatemala national team in January 2021 and has played a total of 22 games with the team.
In the squad of players called up this time, there are a number of international players who play abroad, and the main goalkeeper Hagen is from the Israeli Premier League. The main central defender plays for Juventud in the second division Gondilo with excellent interception ability of 1.87, and the big stars in the team are Herrera who plays for the Montreal Impact of the MLS and Rubio Rubin of Real Salt Lake City, it is worth mentioning that Rubin played an important role in qualifying for the team in the third game of the Gold Cup group against Guadeloupe, and Ryan is the only player to play in the League One, having made 20 appearances for Cardiff City on the stage of the Premier League.
Jamaican football opened its international scene in 1925 and did not have its own league until 1973, winning the Caribbean Cup twice in 1991 and 1998. Most of the players in the team were born in the UK, and at least half of the 23-man squad plays in the English league, such as Bailly in the Premier League, Antonio in the "Hammers" and Gray from Everton, and the first round of the group faced the United States after the start of the Gold Cup, and Trinidobago and St. Kitts and Nevis in the final round won by a big score, and it is reasonable to qualify for the knockout rounds, but these internationals are still a month away from the new season, and whether they can go all out to play the cup depends on the performance on the field.
Key takeaway: In terms of track record, Guatemala has won 1 and lost 6 in the last seven meetings. From the point of view of group points, Guatemala and Jamaica also advanced to the knockout stage with 7 points, but Jamaica entered the knockout stage in second place because of goal difference, although the overall strength of the two teams is not on the same level, but it is not luck to enter the knockout round, considering that Jamaica has a number of overseas players much more concerned than Guatemala, but everyone must know that Guatemala has kept two clean sheets in the group stage, anything in the cup can happen, perhaps, Jamaica has a hard time eating opponents in regular time.