Costa Rica might have not won the Gold Cup even once as their best finish remains to be runners-up in 2002, but, they come into this tournament as a confident unit as they are the highest ranked (14) FIFA team in the competition.
Costa Rica are placed in Group B alongside El Salvador, Jamaica and Canada and the Costa Ricans are expected to finish atop their group. Costa Rica start off their Gold Cup campaign against Jamaica on Wednesday at StubHub Center in Carson.
Though Jamaica should provide a good fight against Costa Rica, they are second favourites in the game.
The Jamaicans might have been disappointed by their performance in Copa America 2015, in which they lost all their group matches, hence they have a point to prove against Costa Rica. Celso Borges, Costa Rican midfielder, feels that his team are prepared for their opening game.
"I think we're very well prepared for this match," Goal quoted Borges as saying. "The important thing is that the team has a good fluency in their game and we all understand each other."
"We are different to other teams because of our squad. We have been working together for a long time. It has helped us develop a way to play that characterised us during the tournament [World Cup]," he said.
Costa Rica enjoyed a good run in the 2014 World Cup, where they topped their group consisting some big names of world football such as Italy, England and Uruguay. They lost to Argentina in the round of 8.
It is such performances, which has helped them earn one of the favourites tag for Gold Cup 2015.
Another Group B game between Canada and El Salvador is scheduled at the same venue on Wednesday. Canada have been impressive of late winning four matches on a streak.
Of late, Canada might have only defeated smaller teams, but it will help the team gain confidence before such big competitions like Gold Cup. Though the game between the two sides might not be on the same level to that of Costa Rica vs Jamaica as Canada and El Salvador are the two weakest teams in the group.
However, both teams will be eyeing to win their first game and secure some points in the table.
Where to Watch Live
The CONACAF Gold Cup 2015 match between Costa Rica and Jamaica is scheduled for 8pm ET(5:30am IST, 1am BST), while Canada vs El Salvador is scheduled for 10:30pm ET (8am IST and 3:30am BST)start .
Viewers in the US can watch it live on Fox Network with live streaming option on Fox Soccer2 Go.
BT Sport 2 will air the game live in the UK, while El Salvador viewers can watch the game live on Sky Mexico.
Viewers in Canada can watch the game on Sportsnet World.
