The Gold Cup got underway last with a doubleheader in front of a sold-out crowd at the Cowboys Stadium. The fans got what they came for as they saw ten combined goals and blowout victories by two of the tournament favorites.
Costa Rica opened the Gold Cup with a 5-0 rout of Cuba. Los Ticos took an early lead as Marco Urena scored his first of two goals on the day in the seventh minute of the Group A match. Heiner Mora, Joel Campbell and Real Salt Lake’s Alvaro Saborio also found the back of the net in the win that kept Costa Rica undefeated against Cuba in four Gold Cup meetings.
Mexico got off to a flying start in the tournament, too, with Javier ‘Chicharito’ Hernandez leading the way with a hat-trick in a 5-0 thumping of El Salvador. After holding its own in a scorless first half, El Salvador broke down defensively, allowing Mexico to net three times in a span of five minutes. Efrain Juarez began that sequence, followed by a Jesus De Nigris finish and a Hernandez header.