Smaller soccer nations are already at a disadvantage when you consider that they often do not have a wealth of talent to draw upon. They may have one or two players who are of star quality, but they simply cannot compete against other nations who have a starting eleven that is about as good as it gets. This is the category that Honduras fall into, as they don’t really have much of a soccer history to draw upon for this CONCACAF Gold Cup game.
They have had a few good players down the years, but success on the international football stage is something that has eluded them. Honduras did make it to the inaugural CONCACAF Gold Cup Final in 1991, losing to the US, and have been to the semi-final in 4 of their last 6 Gold Cup appearances, but it’s fair to say that this squad of players is not as good as those that have come in the past.
Find the latest 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup betting odds here.
Mexico are one of those nations that is blessed with numbers and talent. They sent their top players to compete in the Confederations Cup in Russia earlier this summer, and none of the players who featured there are in the squad for this tournament. Instead, Mexico chose to go with fringe squad players, the majority of whom were plucked from the domestic Liga MX. The results have been a little wobbly at best, but Mexico are once again where they always seem to be in this tournament, and they come into this game as solid favorites to move on to the next round, and possibly even the final.A Closer Look At The CONCACAF Gold Cup Expert Picks Mexico Vs Honduras Game
When: Thursday, July 20 at 10:30 PM EST Where: University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale TV: FS1 Live Stream: FOX Sports GO CONCACAF Gold Cup Odds: Mexico -½ (-155)Why bet on Mexico
Mexico are the most successful team in CONCACAF Gold Cup history, having won it on 7 previous occasions, and coming into the 2017 version as the defending champions. This is a very different squad of players than we are used to seeing from El Tri, though, and they have not looked particularly great to this point. Coach Juan Carlos Osorio, who has been serving a touchline ban throughout the tournament, has routinely changed the team for all three group stage games, and the result has been some seriously disjointed performances that must have Mexican fans a little worried as they go deeper into the tournament. Mexico started things off with a 3-1 win over El Salvador, and followed that up with disappointing performances against Jamaica and Curacao. Yes, they won Group C with an unbeaten record, but left many fans unconvinced of their ability to win this tournament.Mexico CONCACAF Championship Record
- 1963 – Group stage
- 1965 – Champions
- 1967 – Runners-up
- 1969 – Fourth place
- 1971 – Champions
- 1973 – Third place
- 1977 – Champions
- 1981 – Third place
- 1985 – Hosted 1986 World Cup
- 1989 – Banned
- 1991 – Third place
- 1993 – Champions
- 1996 – Champions
- 1998 – Champions
- 2000 – Quarter-Final
- 2002 – Quarter-Final
- 2003 – Champions
- 2005 – Quarter-Final
- 2007 – Runners-up
- 2009 – Champions
- 2011 – Champions
- 2013 – Semi-final
- 2015 – Champions
Why bet on Honduras
Honduras were undoubtedly one of the poorest teams in the group stage, and are really only in this quarter-final because of a clerical error by French Guiana. Honduras started the group stage with a 1-0 loss to Costa Rica, and closed it out with a 0-0 tie against a weakened Canada side. Wedged in the middle of those two games was the match against French Guiana, who just happened to field an ineleigible player. A disciplinary committee awarded Honduras a 3-0 win, despite the fact that the actual game ended scoreless. It was that decision that allowed Honduras to get one of the coveted 3rd place spots, but the question remains, how can this team really be expected to move on to the next round when they haven’t been able to put the ball in the net in the 3 games that they have played so far?Honduras CONCACAF Championship Record
- 1963 – Fourth Place
- 1965 – Did Not Qualify
- 1967 – Third Place
- 1969 – Did Not Qualify
- 1971 – Sixth Place
- 1973 – Fourth Place
- 1977 – Did Not Qualify
- 1981 – Champions
- 1985 – Runners-up
- 1989 – Did Not Qualify
- 1991 – Runners-up
- 1993 – Group Stage
- 1996 – Group Stage
- 1998 – Group Stage
- 2000 – Quarter-Finals
- 2002 – Did Not Qualify
- 2003 – Group Stage
- 2005 – Semi-Final
- 2007 – Quarter-Final
- 2009 – Semi-Final
- 2011 – Semi-Final
- 2013 – Semi-Final
- 2015 – Group Stage
