Mexico will playoff against Haiti for a place in the 2019 Gold Cup final at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona on Tuesday.
Although Tata Martino’s perfect record with the national team was ended with a 1-1 draw against Costa Rica, Mexico triumphed on penalties to win through to the final four.
Haiti, meanwhile, secured a stunning 3-2 victory over Canada in their quarterfinal, recovering from 2-0 down by scoring three times in the final 40 minutes to reach the semis for the first time in the expanded format of the event.
Marc Collat’s side are, however, even greater underdogs to defeat El Tri.
| Game | Haiti vs Mexico |
| Date | Tuesday, June 2 |
| Time | 3:00am BST / 10:00pm ET |
| Stream (US) | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
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In the United States (US), the game can be watched live and on-demand with fuboTV (7-day free trial).
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| US TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| Univision / Fox Sports 1 | fubo TV (7-day free trial) |
In the United Kingdom (UK), the game will be broadcast on FreeSports.
| UK TV channel | Online stream |
|---|---|
| FreeSports | N/A |
Squads & Team News
| Position | Mexico squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Ochoa, Orozco, Gonzalez |
| Defenders | Moreno, Reyes, Gallardo, Araujo, Salcedo, Alvarez, L. Rodriguez, C. Montes, Navarro |
| Midfielders | Guardado, J. Dos Santos, L. Montes, Pineda, Gutierrez, Alvarado, C. Rodriguez, Antuna |
| Forwards | Jimenez, Pizarro, Vega |
Mexico has battled selection problems throughout this event but its issues have eased a little with the return of Hector Moreno to action off the bench against Costa Rica. He will still struggle to start this match.
Erick Gutierrez continues to miss out, while the quick turnaround promises to be trying for Andres Guardado and Jonathan dos Santos, who was taken off against Costa Rica feeling the back of his leg. Carlos Rodriguez may start, although Martino has said he will not rest players.
Possible Mexico starting XI: Ochoa; Gallardo, Salcedo, Araujo, L Rodriguez; Dos Santos, Alvarez, Guardado; Antuna, Jimenez, Pizarro
| Position | Haiti squad |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Placide, Duverger, Rouaud |
| Defenders | Arcus, Jerome, Ade, Alexis, Geffrard, Guerrier, Jean-Baptiste, Christian |
| Midfielders | Herivaux, Bissainthe, Herold Jr, Clerveaux, Saba, Alceus |
| Forwards | Bazile, Nazon, Etienne, Cantave, Desire, Pierrot |
Ricardo Ade was named in Haiti’s Gold Cup squad but has been unable to feature due to visa problems.
Mechack Jerome is out after rupturing his Achilles tendon earlier in the competition.
Possible Haiti starting XI: Placide; Arcus, Jean-Baptiste, Geffrard, Christian; Guerrier, Sabat, Alceus; Bazile, Pierrot, Nazon
Betting & Match Odds
Mexico are strong 3/10 favourites with bet365. Haiti can be supported at 9/1, while a draw after 90 minutes is 4/1.
Match Preview
Mexico and Haiti face a test of their stamina and depth on Tuesday as they are forced into a quick turnaround for their semifinal match after both playing last-eight fixtures on Saturday.
El Tri suffered its first hint of a stumble under head coach Tata Martino, who watched his side play out a 1-1 draw with Costa Rica before finally overcoming its rival in a penalty shootout in which it had missed first.
That tie ended a seven-game winning run under the former Barcelona coach, who was left to regret a lack of VAR at the competition.
“The refereeing was bad,” he explained bluntly after the game, having seen his second yellow card of the tournament, which prevents him from taking to the touchline for the semifinal clash. “It's impossible, with the technology that exists today and with VAR in Mexico and with VAR in the United States, that this tournament be played without VAR.
“I'm out of the next game and this referee could officiate the final of the tournament.”
Meanwhile, he played down the quick turnaround time between the match in Houston and the midweek fixture in Glendale.
“The medical team told me there are issues with cramps due to the 120 minutes the players had to run,” he said. “We have three days until the semifinal with a trip in between, but I think it will be possible to play on Wednesday without problem.”
Haiti’s unexpected progress – they are the tournament “revelation”, according to Martino – to the semifinals might have taken less time, but it was even more dramatic. The underdogs in a clash against Canada, they rapidly fell 2-0 behind but overcame their more illustrious opponents to take a 3-2 victory.
“There will be no pressure on the players to beat Mexico,” coach Collat said on the eve of what is perhaps the country’s biggest ever game.
“It is an extraordinary occasion for Haiti to be in the semifinals of the Gold Cup and I believe the players are ready for this event.”
It will take an upset of seismic proportions for the islanders to continue their run.