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Carrie Stroup here with your Costa Rica vs. Jamaica Gold Cup betting odds.
Group Stage
Kick-off: Wednesday, 8:00 p.m. ET
Sportsbook.ag Line: Costa Rica -120, Jamaica +350, Tie +237, Total: 2.5
Costa Rica and Jamaica square off in their Gold Cup openers on Wednesday.
Surprise 2014 World Cup quarterfinalists Costa Rica will look to continue its international success in the Gold Cup, a tournament it has never won. Goalkeeper Keylor Navas, who enjoyed a stellar World Cup, will be unable to play due to injury, but the country’s other stars are on the squad. Manager Paulo Wanchope will be able to call upon youngster Joel Campbell and veteran Álvaro Saborío in attack, and Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges also figure to make an impact at the offensive end of the pitch. At the back, experienced options are available, including Roy Miller, Michael Umaña, Júnior Díaz, Giancarlo González, and Christian Gamboa.
Jamaica, coming off of a winless but hard-fought showing in the Copa América, should enter the Gold Cup with confidence. While it lost all three games in Group B of the South American showcase tournament, all three games finished with a score of 1-0, including against Argentina and Uruguay. The defense is led by Wes Morgan and Adrian Mariappa, both of whom are English-born and play in the Premier League at the club level. Captain Rodolph Austin controls the midfield, and Giles Barnes will be the one needed to contribute goals if Jamaica is to make a run in the Gold Cup.
Costa Rica does have some offensive flare, but these two teams tend to play defensively, and under 2.5 goals should be scored. And while Costa Rica is the favorite, there is plenty of value in taking the tie, which is a very possible result in what should be a close affair. A final score of 0-0 or 1-1 seems likely.
