Friday is the conclusion of Group A in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, and everything is on the line for at least three teams. Costa Rica meets French Guiana, who are basically out of it if CONCACAF punishes them for fielding an ineligible player. Then in the late game, Group A leaders Canada face Honduras, who might be still in it without scoring a goal.
Costa Rica vs. French Guiana – 7:30 PM ET
Odds: Costa Rica -600, French Guiana +1600, Draw +550
Costa Rica edged Honduras 1-0 in their opener, and then a 42nd-minute equalizer from Francisco Calvo got them a 1-1 draw with Canada. Costa Rica probably should have won as they had 20 shots and 10 on target, to 10 shots and one on target for Canada, and Costa Rica had 62% of the ball. French Guiana drew 0-0 with Honduras, but that might end up being a 3-0 loss for them by the time this game rolled around. Florent Malouda took the field for French Guiana as captain, but there is one problem: he already played 80 times for France, which made him ineligible. That makes French Guiana look like they were just happy to be here for their first Gold Cup, while three-time winner Costa Rica should be trying to run up the score on Friday.
This is the first time that these two countries have ever faced each other.
Canada vs. Honduras – 10:00 PM ET
Odds: Honduras +155, Canada +170, Draw +225
After a 4-2 win over French Guiana in their opener, two-time Gold Cup winners Canada drew 1-1 with Costa Rica thanks to a goal in the 26th minute by Alphonso Davies. His three goals now leads the Gold Cup tournament and Davies at 16, is the youngest player to ever score at the Gold Cup. Canada held up against Costa Rica, but they need to be better at the back, where they’ve allowed three goals so far. Honduras, on the other hand, were held scoreless in their loss to Costa Rica and then they drew with French Guiana. However, due to Malouda playing for their opponent, one-time Gold Cup winners Honduras might end up with three goals and three points despite not having found the back of the net. Honduras seemed like they had more of the ball (it was 50% for each team) and more chances (which they did, but only slightly: 20 shots, seven on target to 16 shots and six on target for French Guiana). However, Honduras should have put this game away as they had the better chances. Luckily, French Guiana handed them a lifeline with their violation and Honduras still have a chance to make it to the knockout stage, either by being top two in their group, or one of the top two third-place teams.
Honduras has won seven and drawn three of their 13 meetings with Canada. The two split a pair of World Cup qualifiers in recent years, with Canada beating Honduras 1-0 at home in November 2015. Honduras returned the favor with a 2-1 home win in September 2016.
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