Trinidad and Tobago celebrate after scoring a goal against Mexico late in the second half of their 2015 Gold Cup match. (Photo : Reuters)
Caribbean Cup 2014 runner-up Trinidad and Tobago will be up against Gold Cup 2013 runner-up Panama in the lower bracket of the knockout stages of the 2015 edition of the Gold Cup. The game is scheduled at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday.
Both teams are coming off impressive standoffs with two of the summer tournament's top favorites.
The Soca Warriors brought Mexico to the edge, carving out a high-scoring 4-4 draw at the Bank of America Stadium on Wednesday, as per Bleacher Report.
El Tri led early, 2-0, before Stephen Hart's men pummeled Guillermo Ochoa's net with three straight goals to move up 3-2.
Mexican captain Andrés Guardado tied it at 3-all during the 88th-minute, then an own goal from T and T captain Kenwyne Jones made it 4-3 for La Verde. But a "waning second" goal by center back Yohance Marshall tied it to seal Group C's top spot for the Warriors.
Panama is equally remarkable in forcing a 1-1 tie with defending champions Team USA at the Sporting Park in Kansas on Monday, as reported by The Guardian.
Los Canaleros actually led most of the match, but American captain Michael Bradley managed to punch Jaime Penedo's net in the 55th-minute to settle for a stalemate.
The draw allowed the Panamanians to enter the quarters with three points in the overall standings.
The predicted result is a 2-0 win by Trinidad and Tobago over Panama. The Soca squad has more firepower than La Marea Roja and it will again fire from all cylinders in this one.
Trinidad and Tobago starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): Phillip; David, Bateau, Marshall, Williams; J. Jones, Cato, George; Hyland, Cummings, K. Jones
Panama starting lineup (4-2-2-2 formation): Penedo; Davis, Cummings, Torres, Pimentel; Gómez, Godoy; Quintero, Cooper; Pérez, Tejada
