Reinforcements have arrived for those teams still alive in the Gold Cup and it’s off to the quarterfinals we go. Some are not fond of the narrative shift that occurs when a nation drastically alters its roster once it gets through to the knockout stage of this tournament but there’s no question that it’s a massive boost for the programs that are able to do so.
Every team takes advantage of the rule when it can but it’s possible that the Americans are the guiltiest culprits. They called up first-team regulars Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey and Tim Howard once they were clear of the group stage and Sportsbook now has them pegged as the second favorite to win the competition.
The USA ended group play tied atop the lot with Panama and will face El Salvador in the round of eight. The Yanks will be a massive fave in the quarterfinal match and will be disappointed with anything other than outright victory in the tournament’s finale.
Just ahead of the hosting Americans it’s Mexico who the shop has favored to lift the Gold Cup. Although they’ve played a boring brand of football thus far, El Tri – a country ranked 16th in the FIFA world rankings – is the favorite for a reason.
They’re running with an experimental squad after using their best players at the Confederations Cup but Mexico has the deepest well of any team in CONCACAF and there’s little fear that they won’t be a part of the final.
Finishing second in Group A, Team Canada went unbeaten in round-robin play and is being offered at +1400 to stay that way throughout the entire tournament. The Canucks actually won the competition back at the turn of the millennium so a champagne run is not totally out of the question. Calling up the talented Orlando City forward Cyle Larin to help out Alphonso Davies up front, Canada could be the dark horse going forward.
- Mexico +160
- USA +175
- Costa Rica +500
- Panama +1000
- Jamaica +1400
- Canada +1400
- Honduras +2500
- El Salvador +5000
