United States vs Curacao 01/06/19

1 July 2019

The United States and Curacao go head-to-head at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia for the Gold Cup quarter-finals, which will be the first H2H meeting between these two sides since Curacao became an independent nation.

The Stars and Stripes have advanced to the Gold Cup knockout stage as one of three nations to pick up all three wins in the group stage, but they remain the only team that has yet to concede a goal at the tournament. Except for a 1-0 triumph over Panama, the USMNT have demonstrated the impressive attacking game in the remaining two outings in Group D, netting over 3.5 goals per match against both Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago. The USMNT have hit a purple patch after failing to secure a triumph in three warm-up games ahead of the Gold Cup (D1, L2), scoring barely one goal while conceding five across those matches.

Meanwhile, Curacao’s road to the quarter-finals has been rough, especially following a narrow 1-0 loss to El Salvador on the opening matchday. However, Remko Bicentini’s players have bounced back after a disappointing start to the competition, having picked up four points in the remaining two matches in Group C to finish second in the group behind Jamaica. All three of Curacao’s games at the tournament have featured under 2.5 goals, but each of those matches has seen one goal in the first half. Having defied the odds to qualify for the knockout stage, Curacao will now fancy their chances against the team they’ve struggled to win against in both of their previous H2Hs (D1, L1).