The 2017 Gold Cup quarterfinals saw a surprise member in them, with Canada advancing out of the group stage for the first time since 2009. This was the first competition for the Canucks under head coach Octavio Zambrano, and it turned out to be a successful first one for the new man in charge.
Jamaica also had a good Gold Cup to this point, not losing a match in the group stage. They made good on their efforts against Curacao and were able to secure draws against Mexico and El Salvador. The five points from three matches was enough to see The Reggae Boyz finish second in the group on the back of goals from Darren Mattocks and Romario Williams.
2017 Gold Cup: Jamaica Runs by Canada in Quarterfinals
First Half
The way the first half went was less than surprising, for both nations. Canada held much of the possession, pressured the Jamaican back line at every chance, and almost all of their attacking movements went directly through Alphonso Davies and Cyle Larin.
As for Jamaica, they seemed content to not have much of the ball. Despite Canada holding the majority of the possession, they were lethal when on the ball. Jamaica was well aware that the Canadian back line isn’t the fastest and took their counter attacking chances whenever they could. It was because of this game plan that they knocked one in the back of the Canadian net in just six minutes.
And while most Canadian and neutral fans focused primarily on the play of Davies and Larin, they weren’t the only two Canadians that put in a solid first half performance. Right back Samuel Piette showcased his intelligence and defensive awareness to stop Jamaican attacking moves on multiple occasions.
Another name that could be talked about for Canada in the first half was that of goalkeeper Milan Borjan. Despite losing his clean sheet in just six minutes, a goal he couldn’t be blamed for, Borjan made multiple saves that kept the Canucks in the contest.
The normal names were on display for the Jamaicans as well, as Mattocks set up Shaun Francis for their goal in the sixth minute. This was directly in line with the obvious counter attacking style Jamaica put into place, something Canada found extremely difficult to cope with during the first 15 minutes of the match.
The Return of Cyle Larin
In what has been a heated topic of debate, Canadian head coach Octavio Zambrano decided to bring Cyle Larin back into the fold. After being suspended due to his DUI arrest, he missed the group stage play for Canada. The surprising development wasn’t that he was brought back, but that he went right into the starting 11.
It’s hard to debate that Larin is the most talented striker that Canada has to offer, but with the group stage that Lucas Cavallini had, many thought he would get the start. Larin had two quality chances to score, the first being a header off the post from a set piece. But it seemed as if Larin was destined to continue his rather rough form for the national side.
Second Half
In a much different fashion than the one in the first half, Jamaica got another early goal. Williams had a beautiful curling effort near the corner of the 18-yard box. Borjan got a hand to it, but wasn’t able to get enough on it to steer the curling shot wide of the net.
Zambrano made two substitutions shortly thereafter, bringing on Cavallini and Menjrekar James to spice things up. Canada continued to dominate much of the possession, and it eventually paid off. Junior Hoilett, who had a brief moment of solid attacking play earlier in the half, put away the first one for the Canucks in the 61st minute to make it 2-1. And what a beauty of a curling effort it was.
The name Hoilett would continue to be the focal point of the game and the commentators. Hoilett looked dangerous every time he was in the attacking third, with another dangerous curling effort towards the top corner being saved by Jamaican goalkeeper Andre Blake.
Feel the Rhythm, Feel the Rhyme
Canada Soccer will now see their eight-year drought since their last win past the group stage become a ten-year drought. Despite stellar play from Hoilett and Piette, and a well-played match overall, the Reggae Boyz proved that their speed was just too much for the Canucks to handle. But Canada Soccer should be proud of their Gold Cup run. Scoring their first Gold Cup goal in six years, advancing out of the group stage for the first time since 2009, and actually looking like a cohesive unit provides much to be optimistic about in The Great White North.
As for Jamaica, they deserve a round of applause. They came in with a game plan to sit in, let Canada make mistakes, and pounce on those mistakes with lethal counter attacks. The pace of their squad, and the intelligent runs they made throughout the game, proved that possession isn’t everything in soccer.
2017 Gold Cup Semifinals Match-Up for Jamaica
The Reggae Boyz will take on the winner of the Mexico – Honduras match. That match takes place this coming Sunday in Pasadena, CA with kickoff set for 9 PM ET. Jamaica was in the same group as Mexico. Their meeting in the group stage ended as a 0-0 draw. The last time that Jamaica met Honduras was in a friendly back in February 16th when The Reggae Boyz beat the Hondurans 1-0.
