Guadalupe drops Cuba 4-1 in CONCACAF Gold Cup Action

Story by Robert H Kelly

Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved

HOUSTON, TEXAS (July 1, 2023) Guadalupe jumped out to a three-goal lead in the first half in route to a 4-1 win over Cuba in the second match for each team in the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup at Shell Energy Stadium.

The Gwada Boys earned three points with the win, in preparation for their final group stage match against Guatemala on July 4.

The first score came in the 13th minute when forward Matthias Phaeton found the back of the net giving Guadalupe a 1-0 lead. Play remained pretty constant for the remainder of the half, with each team unable to gain an advantage over their opponent. Then, in the span of two minutes, Cuba allowed two more goals into the back of their goal, giving The Gwada Boys a 3-0 lead at halftime. The first goal came by forward Ange Plumain in the 41st minute, with the follow-up goal by Matthias giving him a brace for the match.

In the second half, Guadalupe added to their goal total in the 50th minute when defender Anthony Baron scored the insurance goal.

Cuba finally got on the scoreboard when captain Aricheell Hernandez scored his team's first goal of the tournament in the 62nd minute.

Next up for Cuba is a July 4 matchup versus Canada.

Canada, Mexico score early wins in Group A of CONCACAF Gold Cup

Logo courtsey of CONCACAF

By Chris Price
Copyright 2019 All Rights Reserved

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA (June 15, 2019) The 2019 edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup kicked off on Saturday with two matches at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. Also known as Spieker Field at the Rose Bowl, the 97-year-old venue hosted the kickoff double header in Group A action, with No. 78 Canada facing Martinique and No. 18 Mexico playing No. 175 Cuba. Due to the fact that Martinique is not a member of FIFA, they are not ranked, but as a member of CONCACAF, they are eligible for participation in the Gold Cup.

In the first match at the Rose Bowl, Canada blasted past Martinique 4-0, with Jonathan David getting a brace in the 33rd and 53rd minute. Junior Hoilett and Scott Arfield added insurance goals in the 63rd and 68th minute, respectively.

Match two gave Mexico an easy 7-0 win over Cuba off a hat trick by Uriel Antuna, scoring in the 2nd, 44th, and 80th minute. Raul Jimenez added a brace, in the 31st and 80th minute; with Diego Reyes scoring in the 38th minute. Alexia Vega added an insurance goal on the 74th minute.

Group A will continue on Wednesday, June 19 at Broncos Stadium at Mile High in Denver. Cuba will face Martinique with a 7 p.m. MT start, while Mexico will play Cuba in the night cap.

JUDO: Cuban Delegation Arrives in Miami on Monday for 2008 Pan American Championships

COLORADO SPRINGS, COLORADO (May 3, 2008) Twenty-two members of the Cuban delegation will be arriving at the Miami International Airport at 2:30 p.m. via Panama on Monday May 5 to participate in the Pan American Championships and Olympic Zone Cup, May 8-11.

The team includes four current or former World Champions, will be competing in the event which is the final qualifier for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

“These Pan American Judo Championships will be one of the most important international events ever held in our country due to the presence of world powers Cuba and Brazil plus great judokas from Venezuela, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, Canada, Mexico and, of course, our own USA athletes,” said USA Judo CEO Jose H. Rodriguez (Colorado Springs, Colo.). “This will be a unique opportunity for those who love Olympic sports and contact sport to come out and see some of the world’s best athletes compete for an Olympic berth. Obviously the presence of a full team from Cuba adds a special flavor to this event. This is indeed a historic event for our nation and the South Florida community.”

Members of the Cuban Team include:

Yanet Bermoy (48kg), 2005 World Champion and 2007 World silver medalist
Yurileidys Lupetey (57kg), 2001 World Champion and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist
Driulis Gonzalez (63kg), three-time World Champion and four-time Olympic medalist
Yurisel Laborde (78kg), two-time World Champion and 2004 Olympic bronze medalist
Yordanis Arencibia (66kg), four-time World and 2004 Olympic medalist
Oreydis Despaigne (100kg), 2007 World bronze medalist

UPDATE: Cuban Defections During Gold Cup 2007

By Robert H. Kelly

(Houston, Texas, June 13, 2007) It has now come to light that two Cuban soccer players participating in the Gold Cup 2007 are missing and presumed to have defected.

Before last night’s match against Honduras, Cuban forward Lester More and midfielder Osvaldo Alonso were not in attendance at Houston’s Reliant Stadium and there whereabouts are unknown.

It was previous reported that only Alonso had defected, but updated information added More to the list.

There has been no official word from the Cuban camp. However Cuban coach Raul Gonzalez was quoted saying “It’s morally wrong to elave your country.”

These two players join Alberto Delgado and Ret Angel Martinez who defected at the 2002 and forward Maykel Galindo who followed suit in 2005.

Honduras Destroys Cuba 5-0 in Gold Cup 2007 Action

By Robert H. Kelly

(Houston, Texas, June 13, 2007) In the first game of the final round of Group C in the 2007 Gold Cup, Honduras didn’t take long to take control of the game and basically show Cuba the exit door from the tournament.

Scoring 3 goals in the first half, Honduras defeated Cuba 5-0 in front of a mostly supportive crowd at Houston’s Reliant Stadium.

Carlos Pavon (Real CD Espana) was virtually a one man show, scoring a hat trip in the 1st half.

Not even three minutes into the game, he took a pass from Carlos Costly (GKS Belchatow-Poland) in the third minute to take the score to 1-0.

The second goal of the game came in the 12th minute, as he scored an unassisted goal from in front of the net. Score: Honduras 2 Cuba 0.

His final goal of the first half came in the 42nd minute, as he took a pass from Julio Leon (Genova-Italy), scoring on a header. Score: Honduras 3 Cuba 0.

Cuba’s total lack of offense and porous defense may have been due to a lack of talent on the pitch.

A rumor began circulating around the press box by half time that four Cuban players had been benched. In addition, the rumor progressed that they were possibly trying to defect.

A statement for CONCACAF Media Officer Steve Torres stated, “This is not a matter that involves CONCACAF, and therefore we have no comment.”

Coming right back in the second half, Pavon wasted no time as he connected in the 53rd minute on another assist from Leon give Honduras an insurmountable lead of 4-0.

Both Cuba and Honduras began substituting shortly after Pavon’s fourth goal. Cuba substituted in an attempt to find anything that resembled an offense. Honduras pulled Pavon in the 62nd minute I order to give him a rest for Sunday’s match and to allow other players to get needed playing time.

The final goal of the game came in the form of a penalty kick by Amado Guevara (Chivas USA).

Honduras will now go on to face the third place team from Group A or C in a quarterfinal match on Sunday at Reliant Stadium.