Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Group B of the 2013 Gold Cup kicked off from Harrison, New Jersey at the Red Bull Arena. The first two teams that faced off were Trinidad & Tobago and El Salvador — do not be fooled into thinking that these two are not good enough to entertain you, because if you did … you made a mistake.
Both sides had some of their best players available: Roberto Zelaya is the star striker of El Salvador while Kenwyn Jones plays the same role for Trinidad and Tobago. Both players made their presence felt on the field as they scored.
The opening goal was scored by Keon Daniel who found himself inside the area then slotted the ball home.
Zelaya equalized midway through the first half with a rising free kick from roughly 25 yards away from the frame (this was the best goal of the night.)
Zelaya would head his side in front for the first time in the second half, but Jones would equalize under slight pressure from the defender by curling home from close range.
Both sides missed chances to win within the final 20 minutes as Zelaya had a bicycle attempt saved from point-blank range while a teammate created space to rock the near post from inside the area. At the other end, Carlos aimed at the near post but the keeper punched it away just in time.
Trinidad played possession and used their size advantage to create their chances. They scored both of their goals like this but did not use their height advantage in the box in the final third. That is something they need to work on if they are to score more goals.
El Salvador plays mostly on the ground as they are a smaller but more technically-gifted group of players. They created chances but were denied on more than one occasion.
Overall, the Central American nation played a better game but Trinidad definitely held their own. Both teams have a chance of advancing from this group.
