CONCACAF Gold Cup: Ticos, Mexico Open Tournament With Lopsided Wins

The CONCACAF Gold Cup opened on Sunday with two games, both from Group A, played at Arlington, Texas:


In the opener, Marcos Urena scored twice (6', 45') as Costa Rica demolished Cuba 5-0.


In the nightcap, Javier Hernandez delivered a second-half natural hat trick (59', 66', PK-90') as Mexico transformed what had been a scoreless stalemate at halftime into a 5-0 annihilation of El Salvador.


GROUP A STANDINGS:


1. Costa Rica (GP: 1; GD: +5; PTS: 3)
     Mexico (GP: 1; GD: +5; PTS: 0)
3. Cuba (GP: 1; GD: -5; PTS: 0)
     El Salvador (GP: 1; GD: -5; PTS: 0)


In this competition, twelve national teams, all members of CONCACAF, are split into three four-team groups, with each team playing each of the other three teams in its' group once apiece.  The top two teams in each group, as well as the two third-place teams with the best records, advance to the knockout stage, beginning with the quarterfinal round.  The team that wins this tournament would qualify for the 2013 Confederations Cup, which is scheduled to take place in Brazil.


The other groups:


Group B (starting Monday at Carson, California):


Honduras
Guatemala
Jamaica
Grenada


Group C (starting Tuesday at Detroit):


United States
Canada
Panama
Guadeloupe