CARSON, Calif. -- Costa Rica rallied from an early deficit but couldn't hold on as Jamaica claimed a point in a rousing Group B opener at the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Jobi McAnuff tallied on an electric run into the Ticos' box in the 48th minute to give Jamaica, coming off three one-goal losses at the Copa America, a 2-2 draw Wednesday night at StubHub Center.
Garath McCleary gave Jamaica an early advantage, but New York Red Bulls defender Roy Miller and David Ramirez scored four minutes apart late in the first half to send Costa Rica, the group favorite after reaching the quarterfinals in last year's World Cup, into the lead.
Jamaica struck in the 13th minute, from a long throw-in on the left from New York Red Bulls defender Kemar Lawrence. The ball looped into the box, and McCleary hit it on the bounce, the shot deflecting off Wes Morgan's foot en route to the net.
Costa Rica found it simpler getting to the Reggae Boyz's box, but they couldn't beat Dwayne Miller early, with the goalkeeper knocking down Ramirez's shot and corralling the ball under pressure from Johan Venegas in the seventh minute, then diving to his left to deny Christian Gamboa's long-range try in the 20th.
The Ticos went ahead with goals four minutes apart.
Roy Miller tallied in the 33rd minute, heading the ball inside the right post after Ramirez, at the right corner of Jamaica's box, took a nearly square pass from Bryan Ruiz on a free kick from the left and chipped it into the area.
Ramirez scored the go-ahead goal from Celso Borges' line-drive ball from midfield over the backline. Ramirez raced to chip it over Dwayne Miller near the left post, and Morgan's attempt to clear the bouncing ball in front of his net sent it into the goal's ceiling.
Jamaica pulled even just three minutes into the second half, with McAnuff, running at full pace and nearly out of control, raced past two defenders into the box, then left-footed the ball past goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado and inside the right post.
Costa Rica, which sent on Real Salt Lake's Alvaro Saborio in the 59th minute, had three outstanding opportunities for a winner, and Jamaica had one. Dwayne Miller had to stretch to parry a Roy Miller blast aimed for the upper-right post in the 49th, made a better stop on a Saborio header in the 74th, then snagged in traffic substitute Deyver Vega's shot from the right on a counterattack.
Vancouver Whitecaps forward Darren Mattocks, who came on in the 61st, repeatedly tested Costa Rica's backline with his pace, but when he found a real chance -- in the 64th, on a run from the left into the box -- he fired straight at Alvarado.
Jamaica meet Canada and Costa Rica face El Salvador on Saturday at BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston.
