The United States Men’s soccer team has reached the finals of the Gold Cup after coming in fourth place in 2015. Prior to the beginning of the tournament, the United States made headlines while it, along with Mexico, announced publicly that each country would not be sending its main roster to the event. The most notable absentee from the roster was midfielder Christian Pulisic who is, in most people’s opinions, the best player on the U.S. national team. However, this United States team still had enough firepower without him to make it to the tournament final.
The United States struggled earlier on in the group stage of the Gold Cup as it tied Panama 1-1 and then barely beat Martinique 3-2 before returning to its dominant self. The struggles were largely due to the inexperience of the players on the roster and the defense’s inability to keep opponents in front of them. However, after the group stage, the United States recalled forwards Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore to the active roster and the U.S. was able to defeat Costa Rica in the semifinals as both players scored second half goals to propel the team to a 2-0 win. The United States has not surrendered any goals in its last three games and it looks like this team is clicking on all cylinders headed into the final.
The United States’ opponent will be Jamaica after the country shockingly upset Mexico 1-0 in the semifinals. The game was a defensive struggle until Kemar Lawrence unleashed a wonder strike via free kick in the 88th minute. Despite making the Gold Cup final back in 2015, Jamaica was not expected to make it far in this year’s tournament but now looks to complete this Cinderella story on Wednesday night.
Jamaica’s path to the final was relatively uneventful prior to the semifinal upset. After beating Curacao in the opening match and tying against Mexico and El Salvador in the group stage, Jamaica managed to defeat Canada in the quarterfinals 2-1.
If Jamaica wants to pull off this upset, it is going to have to rely on its speed along the wings to blow past the American defenders to create some odd man advantages. If Jamaica can successfully execute some crosses and some corner kick opportunities, it can potentially be enough to thwart the United States.
As for my prediction in this contest, I have to side with the United States. Based on pure talent, the United States should be able to decimate Jamaica and wear down its defense to generate several goals. Had Dempsey and Altidore not returned, I might have sided with Jamaica. However, with that elite attack, I think that the United States will score a few goals and win by a score of 2-0.
Gold Cup Final: Match Time, TV Channel & Viewing Details
Event: Gold Cup Final: USA vs. Jamaica
Date: Wednesday, July 26, 2017
Start Time: 9:30 P.M. EST
Location: Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California
Broadcast: FS1
How To Watch 2017 Gold Cup Final Online & Mobile
Fox Sports GO app
Mobile user can watch the match using the Fox Sports GO app (iTunes Store | Google Play Store | Amazon Store | Windows). You’ll need a cable subscription though, like you would watching it on your desktop.
Sling TV
Sling TV is a service that allows subscribers to watch live and on-demand TV channels on TVs, computer or mobile device. It’s just like a cable or satellite TV service, except it’s delivered over the internet. You can sign up for Sling TV’s free 7-day trial. If you cancel your subscription within seven days, you will not be charged. Once signed up, simply download the app for your computer or mobile device to start watching.
