United States vs Guyana 19/06/19

19 June 2019

The United States begin their 2019 Gold Cup campaign at the Allianz Field in Minnesota, as they take on Guyana in the opening game of Group D.

Even though they’ve put together three straight wins at the beginning of 2019, the USMNT’s drop-off in form has seen them struggle to pick up a triumph in three consecutive outings (D1, L2) ahead of the tournament. While all three of their wins since the turn of the year saw them beat their rivals to nil, the Stars and Stripes have netted barely one goal in all three of their recent failures, allowing over 1.5 match goals only once though. Defending champions now have a chance to post their first triumph in a competitive match since a 4-0 win over Panama in the World Cup qualifiers back in October 2017.

Meanwhile, ranked 177th in FIFA’s rankings, Guyana will make their debut at the Gold Cup. With none of their players featuring the first-tier football, they are big underdogs here let alone their disappointing record in 2019. The Golden Jaguars have suffered three defeats in four outings since the turn of the year (W1, L3), with two of their losses across that period ending with the same 3-1 scoreline. Still, entertainment has not been lacking in Guyana’s games over the past 19 months, with seven of eight of their matches in that span featuring over 2.5 goals, while five of them saw both teams score.