Cerén, El Salvador impress in runner-up Group A effort
Thought by some to be an underdog in a packed Group A field, Houston’s Darwin Cerén and El Salvador rolled off two impressive 2-0 victories against Guatemala and Trinidad and Tobago to reach the quarterfinal. El Salvador held their own in their final group stage game against Mexico, falling just short in a 1-0 defeat to El Tri. Cerén has started all three group stages matches for La Selecta in the tournament. El Salvador will face Qatar in the quarterfinal on Saturday, July 24th, at 6:30pm CST.
Tyler Pasher makes Canada debut in Group B
Following three goals and three assists in his first eight MLS games this season, Tyler Pasher was rewarded with a call to Canada’s Gold Cup roster this summer. The 27-year-old made his international debut in Canada’s 4-1 group stage victory over Haiti, and additionally earned 17 minutes in Canada’s 1-0 loss to the United States. Canada faces Costa Rica in the Gold Cup quarterfinal on Sunday, July 25th, at 6:00pm CST.
Lassiter scores first international goal as Costa Rica top Group C
Winger Ariel Lassiter scored his first international goal in Costa Rica’s 3-1 victory over Guadeloupe to open the tournament for Los Ticos. Ariel’s father, Roy, participated in the 1996 edition of the same tournament for the United States. The Dynamo winger would feature for 22 minutes in Costa Rica’s 2-1 victory over Suriname and start in Costa Rica’s 2-1 triumph over Jamaica. Costa Rica look to stay undefeated as they face Canada on Sunday at 6:00pm CST.
BBVA Stadium, Dynamo Duo shine in Group D
BBVA Stadium was the proud host for six group stage matches for Group D this summer, the fifth time that the Dynamo’s home stadium hosted the tournament. The tournament was the first slate of international matches since the installation of the venue’s new LED lights. Qatar, the host of the 2022 World Cup, and Panama battled in arguably the game of the tournament, ending in a 3-3 draw. Fans poured back into BBVA for the first crop of international games of the summer, with the stadium announcing sellouts for two-thirds of the matches it hosted. Honduras shone, with Dynamo duo Maynor Figueroa and Boniek Garcia leading them to commanding victories over Grenada and Panama. Honduras will face Mexico in the quarter-final on Saturday, July 24th, at 9:00pm CST.
