Group B appears to be the most open of the 2019 Gold Cup pools heading into this weekend’s big kickoff, with Costa Rica and Nicaragua set to collide on Day 2 as they begin their quest for the top spot. Three-time champions Costa Rica will be clear frontrunners to begin their group campaign as they look to make their 11th consecutive appearance in the quarterfinals or further.
Gold Cup: Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua
- Date: Sunday, June 16
- Time: 8:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: FS1, UDN, Univision
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)
Los Ticos have been a firm fixture in the latter stages of the Gold Cup since 2000 or so, and a rather simple-looking Group B shouldn’t provide too much pushback as they target first place. Nicaragua has improved their form since the beginning of 2018 and lost only two of their last eight matches. However, they haven’t beaten Costa Rica since 1950 and have lost 14 of their total 16 matchups since 1943. However, it is a major positive for coach Henry Duarte’s men that they held Costa Rica to a 0-0 stalemate when they last clashed in January 2017.
Duarte is Costa Rican and will have added motivation to bring Nicaragua their first victory over his native land this century. The 60-year-old started his coaching career in Costa Rica’s national youth team almost 30 years ago and has personal ambitions to make his mark. Costa Rica counterpart Gustavo Matosas has seen his side win three times and lose three times in their last six games. The greater concern is that those three defeats all came in their last four games.
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