Gold Cup Semifinal: Jamaica vs Mexico Betting Preview
Second Semifinal Wednesday Night in Vegas
Jamaica Take on Gold Cup Favorites
Mexico advanced to a ninth straight Gold Cup semifinal by defeating Costa Rica 2-0 on Saturday. The next day, Jamaica took down Guatemala to stay unbeaten at the tournament. Jamaica’s place in the semis is well-deserved as they’re the second-highest scoring team so far. We’ll take a look at the odds and match facts from an intriguing matchup in our Jamaica vs Mexico betting preview. While eight-time champions Mexico are CONCACAF Gold Cup favorites, at +110 odds, while Jamaica have never won a Gold Cup.
CONCACAF Gold Cup
Jamaica vs. Mexico
Date, time:
Location: Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, USA
Head-to-Head
A look at the CONCACAF Gold Cup stats shows that Mexico hold a 6-1-1 record vs. Jamaica in the competition all-time. However, Jamaica are unbeaten in the last two meetings. In the 2017 Gold Cup, the Reggae Boyz drew 0-0 with Mexico in the group stage. Then, Jamaica managed a 1-0 win over El Tri in the semifinal to advance to a second straight Gold Cup final.
The last two meetings between Mexico and Jamaica have finished in draws. Over the last seven meetings, in all competitions, both teams have two wins and the other three matches have finished in draws.
Jamaica Survive Tough Test
- Last Match: 1-0 W vs. Guatemala
- Group Stage Standings: 2-1-0, 2nd Group A
Jamaica have done an excellent job recruiting English-born players of Jamaican descent. It has certainly paid off this tournament as some recent recruits have played starring roles. Demarai Gray made his Jamaica debut in the opening match vs. the USA and provided an assist straight away. Gray also made a defense-splitting pass that resulted in an Amari’i Bell goal in the quarterfinal vs. Guatemala.
In fact, Bell’s goal was the only one of the match as Jamaica advanced to a fourth Gold Cup semifinal in their last five tries. Gray and Bell are English-born along with Michail Antonio, Bobby Decordova-Reid, Joel Latibeaudiere and Di’Shon Bernard.
Jamaica’s quarterfinal game was hard-fought and Reggae Boyz keeper Andre Blake had to make a few saves. In any case, Jamaica have been one of the best teams for soccer betting in the Gold Cup. Jamaica’s depth will take a hit on Wednesday, though, as substitute striker Cory Burke is suspended.
The Reggae Boyz are battle-tested already, with a draw vs. Mexico’s rivals USA. Jamaica have scored in each of their four matches and have conceded just two goals. It won’t necessarily be a straightforward match for Mexico.
Mexico Bounce Back
- Last Match: 2-0 W vs. Costa Rica
- Group Stage Standings: 2-1, 1st Group B
Mexico bounced back from a defeat to Qatar in their final group stage match to defeat Costa Rica 2-0 in the quarterfinal. The match was all square after 45 minutes but Mexico’s Henry Martin won a penalty early in the second half. Orbelin Pineda sent the goalkeeper the wrong way and easily converted to give El Tri a 1-0 lead. Substitute Erick Sanchez doubled Mexico’s lead with just a few minutes to play and Costa Rica had no answer.
Cesar Montes returned from a four-game suspension to start in the heart of defense. His presence at center back allowed interim coach Jaime Lozano to push Edson Alvarez up into a preferred defensive midfield position. Expect that to once again be the case on Wednesday. Our Jamaica vs. Mexico betting preview notes that El Tri have advanced to the final in 10 of 13 Gold Cup semifinal appearances.
So far, Orbelin Pineda and Luis Romo lead El Tri with two goals apiece. Still, El Tri have been missing dominant attacking play without Raul Jimenez and Hirving Lozano. Mexico have scored at least twice in three of their four matches but their failure to score vs. Qatar was concerning. They dropped their last group stage game despite outshooting the Maroons 25-1.
Match Analysis & Odds
Jamaica’s run at the Gold Cup has been quite extraordinary. Heading into the tournament, they hadn’t won a match in over a year. Now, they’re just one win away from a first final appearance since 2017. Jamaica vs. Mexico betting previews note that these teams met just a few months ago in the CONCACAF Nations League. The match finished 2-2 but neither Michail Antonio nor Demarai Gray were in the squad for Jamaica.
Despite the fact that the last two meetings finished in draws, Jamaica are one-goal underdogs for Wednesday night’s match. Mexico -1 sits at -105 odds as the crowd in Las Vegas figures to heavily favor El Tri. Jamaica +1 comes in at -125 odds and the Reggae Boyz are +500 moneyline underdogs here.
Mexico, who put together a steady performance vs. Costa Rica, stand at -180 odds to go on and win the match. Punters willing to take a chance on a third straight deadlock in this fixture can find a draw at +310 odds.
Jamaica’s front four of Antonio, Gray, Leon Bailey and Bobby Decordova-Reid could certainly cause problems for Mexico. The Reggae Boyz have scored in all of their matches, so far, but under 2.5 goals show -125 odds for this match. Mexico have also averaged over two goals per game at the Gold Cup. Jamaica are unbeaten in the last two Gold Cup meetings but display just +300 odds to advance to the final. Meanwhile, Mexico have an implied 80 percent chance to advance, at -400 odds.
Follow us on Twitter
