Cuba vs. Guatemala
2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
July 15 | 6 pm ET | Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C.
Fox Sports 2, UDN, UniMas in the US; Sportsnet World in Canada
The two Group C underdogs will face off likely with everything still to play for, but both nations will need to find how to get more from their attacks after scoring a combined one goal through four matches so far.
That lone tally came from Guatemala veteran and former MLS player Carlos Ruiz, who scored in their opener vs. Trinidad and Tobago. While the Guatemalans were unable to find the back of the net in their second match on Sunday, they will have plenty of confidence after stunning Mexico in a scoreless draw that marked El Tri's first game without a goal in 32 Gold Cup affairs.
Cuba, meanwhile, need to cross their fingers and dig deep to have any shot of reaching the next round. The Cubans could be eliminated from the competition before Wednesday if certain results go against them in the other groups' final games, but will be praying that is not the case. If Cuba are still alive come game time, they will have to come up with a way to create chances and score goals, as anything less than a victory would mean an early exit.
DO-OR-DIE TIME: Guatemala's best showing in the history of the Gold Cup was a fourth-place finish, but that was nearly two decades ago back in 1996. Guatemala might be aiming for at least a repeat of history, but nothing short of picking up three points will do in order for them to reach the quarterfinals. The good news for Guatemala is that they should have all their top weapons available for the clash with lowly Cuba, including Seattle Sounders midfielder Marco Pappa.
MAN DOWN: Having already seen one player leave via defection, Cuba lost another to the same reason prior to Sunday's game with Trinidad and Tobago. Midfielder Arael Arguellez left the team, according to an assistant coach, and joins forward Keilen Garcia as Cubans who have defected during this Gold Cup. Cuba are also curently without midfielder Aricheel Hernandez, who has had visa issues that have not allowed him to enter the US yet and there is no word as to if he will be allowed in the country in time for Wednesday's game.
