With last night marking the end of the group stage, we now know the matchups for the quarterfinals. The only team to trade places on the last day was Qatar. They were able to win 2-0 against Honduras to take fist place in their group.
The matchups for the beginning of the knockout rounds are as follows:
Qatar vs. El Salvador
In their last match, Qatar was able to claim first place in their group. Their success has mainly to do with striker Akram Afif. Out of the nine goals they have scored so far this tournament, Afif has been involved in 5 of those: scoring two, assisting 2, and winning a penalty against Panama.
El Salvador was the first team to qualify as they won their first two matches by a score of 2-0. Their last match was a 0-1 loss to Mexico, but it was not easy for El Tri to win. Aside from the goal, which went in off a deflection that misplaced the goalie, El Salvador was able to shut Mexico down for the remaining 64 minutes courtesy of an excellent performance by Salvadorian Mario Martínez.
Mexico vs. Honduras
Despite the loss of their main striker Hirving Lozano just 10 minutes into their campaign, Mexico was able to win their last two games and come out at the top of their group. Rogelio Mori was able to step up and score 2 out of the 4 goals that took them to the top of the table. I think this is the matchup Mexico was hoping for, as Qatar has proven to be a stronger force than most expected.
Honduras was the first in their group to qualify but would finish second after their 0-2 loss to Qatar. Honduras has proven to be a goalscoring threat as that managed to score seven goals in just their first two games.
Costa Rica vs. Canada
Canada was the first to qualify in its group but would drop to second place after their loss to the US in their last match. Canada won their first two games by a 4-1 scoreline. Cyle Larin has been their main attacking presence, being the top scorer of the tournament so far having score 3 goals in their first two games.
Costa Rica maintained a perfect record and finished top of their table with nine points. One thing that Costa Rica will have to work on moving forward is their overall discipline, as they have managed to pick up a red card in two of their three matches and will now miss their starting keeper Leonel Moreira in their match against Canada.
USA vs. Jamaica
Although there were doubts about the success of this USA team with the absences of their European stars, they have managed to pull of three wins, ending the group stage with all nine points and at the top of the table. Striker Daryl Dike has been their top scorer and is someone to look out for in their upcoming match.
Jamaica finished second in their group after a 0-1 loss to Costa Rica on their final matchday. The Reggae Boyz have shown their attacking class as they are one of the few teams to have scored all of their goals from outside the box. They also have the height advantage over most of their opponents so set pieces is something to watch out for going forward.
Photo: State Farm Stadium, from Shutterstock, taken by DCornelius
