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N/C CONCACAF Gold Cup 2013
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CONCACAF Gold Cup 2013 Preview, Predictions: Who Wins Group B? Honduras, El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti Do Battle
By David Salazar, [email protected] | First Posted: Jul 04, 2013 07:35 PM EDT
Honduras' Jerry Bengtson celebrates after scoring on a penalty against Mexico during their 2014 World Cup qualifying soccer match at Olimpico stadium in San Pedro Sula March 22, 2013. (Photo : REUTERS/Stringer (HONDURAS - Tags: SPORT SOCCER))
Group B of the CONCACAF Gold Cup presents one of the most competitive in the tournament. Here is how the four teams matchup against one another.
Honduras
The Catrachos enter the competition as the favorites to get out of Group B. The Honduran side qualified for the World Cup in 2010 and has been a major force in the World Cup qualifiers. The team has qualified for the CONCACAF competition 15 times and won it in 1981. Honduras has qualified for five straight Gold Cups and has reached the semifinals in three of the last four.
El Salvador
El Salvador enters the competition with a major chance to get out of the group stage. The Central Americans have competed in the tournament 13 times but have never won it. The team's best finish came in 1963 and 1981 when it wound up as the runner-up. El Salvador has qualified for five of the last six Gold Cups and seven of the last nine; the team has not gotten further than the quarter-finals in the tournament in that span.
Trinidad and Tobago
The Soca Warriors enter their 13[SUP]th[/SUP] CONCACAF tournament with a chance to vindicate themselves after a poor World Cup qualification. The team is competing in its first Gold Cup since 2007 when it finished with only one point in three matches.
Haiti
Despite, entering the competition as the underdog of the group, Haiti is entering its 11[SUP]th[/SUP]competition; it won in 1973.
Prediction: Honduras is arguably the top team in this group and should ultimately win first place. El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago will likely battle for second place while Haiti will finish in last place in the group.
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
The 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup is set to begin on July 7, and the storylines are building for one of the biggest international tournaments of the summer.
Twelve teams highlight the field, which aims to bring the best national squads from the CONCACAF.
Of course, the field is highlighted by both the U.S. and Mexico national teams as the North American foes look to improve their form in the hopes of qualifying for next year's World Cup. They'll highlight a field that also features the likes of Costa Rica, Haiti, Canada, Honduras and many more.
Let's take a look at some of the biggest talking points for the upcoming Gold Cup.
Will Landon Donovan Re-Prove His Worth?
Harry How/Getty Images
If one name has been synonymous with the USMNT in the past decade, it's Landon Donovan.
The attacking midfielder is America's all-time leader in scoring and assists, and also boasts the claim of being the top goalscorer in Gold Cup history. However, Donovan hasn't suited up for a USMNT match in months.
Now, the 31-year-old will make his return in a tournament that often plays second fiddle to the World Cup qualifiers, as is told by the amount of young players and unheralded names on the roster.
No American soccer player has had more success for the national team than Donovan, and they'll certainly need his help if they want to put themselves in the best position next summer.
Perhaps this is Klinsmann's vision of easing Donovan back into playing time in a tournament that he can watch him closely and doesn't have to expect anything off the bat. Before inserting him with the likes of Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore, he can see how he does with mostly reserves.
If Donovan can get his game back and emerge as a constant threat in the Gold Cup, the implications will reach much further than this summer's tournament.
Is Mexico Slumping At the Wrong Time?
Dean Mouhtaropoulos/Getty Images
This summer was shaping up to be a huge one for the Mexico national team, but it's been a nightmare thus far.
Mexico entered the summer looking the part of the most talented team in the CONCACAF World Cup qualifying, but the table doesn't show it. After six games, the standings from ESPN FC show that Mexico is behind both the U.S. and Costa Rica.
The Mexicans also had a chance to gain some momentum and improve their form in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, where they faced off in a daunting Group A that featured Italy, Japan and Brazil. Unfortunately, they lost their first two games in Brazil before topping Japan in their final match, having already been eliminated.
Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez has proven his worth as the team's obvious hero, but he's not receiving enough team help for Mexico to feel too hot about their chances moving forward. It'll take a major shift in their form for Mexico to be able to bounce back.
The Gold Cup would be a great opportunity for them to do just that. As the defending champions, they'll come in with some added swagger and it should be to their benefit as they look to keep their struggles behind them.
Who is This Year's Sleeper?
Dustin Bradford/Getty Images
In every year and in every tournament, a sleeper team always emerges and makes their way into the later fixtures.
This year should be no different, as teams like U.S. and Mexico may have their ultimate sights set on World Cup qualification. Meanwhile, some teams who had to qualify to make the Gold Cup will be playing with a completely different motivation level.
Perhaps Honduras could be in the hunt for a deep tournament run. They've showed up well in World Cup qualifications, proving themselves able to hang with the best North American teams out there.
Trinidad and Tobago is another squad to keep an eye on. They haven't advanced to the semifinals in the Gold Cup since 2000, but they did qualify for the 2006 World Cup, and that alone is a huge bragging right for any national team.
Costa Rica's successes in the 2014 World Cup qualifying have already been noted, and they could give the U.S. some problems in Group C.
If one thing is certain, it's that there are numerous teams that could make things really interesting by making a deep run.
CONCACAF banks Santander deal for 2013 Gold Cup
04 Jul 2013 11:14:50 AM
Sovereign Bank, a subsidiary of Santander Holdings USA, has agreed a platinum-level sponsorship deal with the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) which sees Santander become the official bank of the 2013 Gold Cup.
Sovereign Bank, a subsidiary of Santander Holdings USA, has agreed a platinum-level sponsorship deal with the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) which sees Santander become the official bank of the 2013 Gold Cup.
The deal began this week with a special soccer skills demonstration programme for over 350 inner city children in the US city of Boston. The multi-faceted agreement will also include the ‘Goals for Charity’ campaign, a programme linking goals scored at the tournament to community fund raising. The bank will donate US$500 for each goal scored at the tournament, as well as at every New England Revolution Major League Soccer game between now and October 17, up to a total of $50,000. Funds raised will be split between three Boston community organisations.
The 2013 Gold Cup will visit eight new venues and six new cities from July 7-28 as CONCACAF bids to expand the reach of the tournament in the United States. The US has staged all 11 editions of the biannual Gold Cup to date. Jorge Moran, Sovereign Bank president and chief executive officer, and Santander US country head, said: “As the world’s most popular sport, soccer is unique in its ability to unite people globally, and we’re looking forward to localising that impact through a meaningful giving campaign that directly supports the communities we serve. Sovereign and Santander will also present the Golden Boot trophy award to the top scorer at the end of the tournament.
Enrique Sanz, CONCACAF secretary general, added: “Santander’s longstanding commitment to support soccer globally with a specific focus on local community initiatives in the markets it serves makes it an ideal partner for the Gold Cup.”
Rubbish !atunation Thread! :oIo::kma:
Good Thread
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:kma:
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2013 Concacaf Gold Cup Preview
United States prohibitive favorite to claim it's first title since 2007.
By Edwin Delgado
Published: Friday, July 5, 2013
Updated: Friday, July 5, 2013 20:07
The 12th edition of the Concacaf Gold Cup is set to kick off on July 7 in Pasadena, Cal. This edition of the North and Central America, and the Caribbean championship brings a little more intrigue than in the past.
Mexico is sending an alternative squad after having participated at the Confederations Cup in Brazil. Mexico has decided to take another 23 players for the tournament as an opportunity to see other players that might come in handy in the World Cup qualifiers. Although the United States does not have a totally different squad as Mexico, they have an alternate team from the qualifiers. The most notorious absences are Tim Howard, Carlos Bocanegra, Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey, but others return such as Landon Donovan, Oguchi Onyewu and Stuart Holden.
The Gold Cup takes place every two years. In the past the tournament a year after the World Cup was the tournament that gave a berth to the Confederations Cup, but not anymore. One modification that Concacaf has done is that the winner of the 2013 and 2015 Gold Cups will face each other in a playoff to take place on a neutral site, with the winner earning a berth to represent Concacaf at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup in Russia.
Group A- Mexico, Panama, Canada, Martinique.
Venues- Pasadena, Seattle, Denver.
The road begins at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Mexico will face its toughest challenge of the group stage when they encounter Panama. Despite falling to 5th in the world cup qualifiers, Panama is a very dangerous team that is more than capable of beating Mexico’s B squad. It’s a great opportunity for the players to shine and to be considered to take part in next year’s World Cup. Mexico on their second match will face a tough Canada side in Seattle, which is very close to the Canadian border and the city of Vancouver, arguably the most passionate Canadian fan base. In this group Panama and Mexico will battle for first place, while Canada will most likely attempt to clinch a quarterfinal place as one of the two best third-placed teams and with small Martinique in the group, it opens an opportunity of scoring several goals on them to improve their chances.
Prediction: 1-Panama 2-Mexico 3- Canada
Group B- Honduras, El Salvador, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago.
Venues- Harrison, Miami, Sandy
Honduras is by far the best team in the group and should not have any problems in winning the group, however El Salvador is a team that will cause them trouble. Haiti and Trinidad disappointed with premature exits in World Cup qualifiers and are vying for some redemption in the tournament. The only thing that is certain is that watching the games in this group will be dreadful.
Prediction: 1-Honduras 2-El Salvador 3- Trinidad and Tobago
Group C- United States, Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba
Venues: Portland, Sandy, East Hartford
Costa Rica also brings a mixed squad with a couple of key players which will definitely be a big task for the U.S. to handle. Despite the close fight for the top spot in the group, both teams should have no trouble qualifying as they have debutants Belize and Cuba in the group. U.S. and Costa Rica currently lead the way in the qualifiers and should not have any trouble advancing
Prediction: 1- United States 2- Costa Rica
Everything is setup in a way to have Mexico vs. Panama, and U.S. vs. Costa Rica in the semifinals, which will be played at the Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, while the final will be played at Soldier Field in Chicago.
Gold Cup Notes:
-Mexico has won the tournament in six occasions, more than any other country. The United States has won it four times.
-Only North American teams have won the tournament, Mexico (6), USA (4) and Canada (1).
-For third consecutive time, 13 different venues will host the Gold Cup.
-In the last three editions the final has been Mexico vs. USA, the U.S. defeated Mexico in 2007, 2-1. Mexico won the next two editions 5-0 and 4-2.
-In the 2011 final, the U.S. had a 2-0 lead after 25 minutes, it only took Mexico seven minutes to tie it at two and scored twice more in the second half to win 4-2.
-Soldier Field in Chicago will host the final for the first time since 2007, when the United States defeated Mexico 2-1.
-Landon Donovan is the All-time leading scorer of the competition with 13 goals ahead of Mexico’s Luis Roberto Alves “Zague”
-In 2011 Mexico set a record by scoring 22 goals in six games and only allowing four (5-0 vs. El Salvador, 5-0 vs. Cuba, 4-1 vs. Costa Rica, 2-1 vs. Guatemala, 2-0 vs. Honduras, 4-2 United States)
Edwin Delgado may be reached at [email protected].
CONCACAF Gold Cup Is in Desperate Need of a Revamp
BY JERRAD PETERS
(WORLD FOOTBALL STAFF WRITER) ON JULY 6, 2013
Mexico celebrate after winning the Gold Cup in 2011.
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is held twice too often, interferes with World Cup qualifying and requires a total revamp in order to be taken seriously. And the 2013 instalment, which begins on Sunday when Canada take on Martinique at the Rose Bowl (Martinique is neither a country nor a FIFA member, and as such this encounter won’t even be recognized as an official match), will mostly feature a collection of B-squads assembled by national associations you get the feeling would rather be doing anything else with their summers.
Greg Fiume/Getty Images
Tim Howard, and many of CONCACAF's other top players, will not be participating at the 2013 Gold Cup.
After all, the Gold Cup only really matters every four years, before the confederation’s gruelling World Cup campaign has progressed to its second stage. But like most badly run organizations, CONCACAF is of the mind that “more is better” when, in fact, a “less is more” approach would serve to enhance the product. What we have as a result is a biennial tournament that is next to meaningless in the pre-World Cup year; a fundraising exercise for a confederation known more for envelopes stuffed with money than competitive football. All that said, there are still good teams—good players—throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean, and in the Gold Cups staged in the post-World Cup year they tend to produce some entertaining international competition.
Miguel Tovar/Getty Images
Uruguay were 2011 Copa America winners.
Still, the tournament is in need of a major overhaul, and in moving toward a more consistently eye-catching, credible event, CONCACAFwould do well to look south for a bit of help. CONMEBOL’s Copa America, while a fascinating competition, also has its shortcomings. For starters, it could certainly do with more lucrative sponsorships and a broader television audience, and then there is the format quandary caused by a 10-team organization that requires the invitation of two outside competitors to make a more palatable roster of 12.
Linking up with CONCACAF would solve both of these problems in one fell swoop. In the United States and Mexico, the region offers eager sponsors and hundreds of millions of potential viewers, and there are enough teams of quality to turn a combined tournament into a 16-team affair.
Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
Imagine the marketing potential of a combined CONCACAF-CONMEBOL event that included stars such as Neymar.
The benefits to CONCACAF would be even more obvious. By piggy-backing on South America it would be able to sell the idea of a credible competition. With only a handful of its members permitted into the combined tournament it would be required to hold a qualification phase, which would only be a good thing. Already the idea of such an event has taken root with a proposedCONCACAF-CONMEBOL competition (known as the Copa America Centenario, in recognition of CONMEBOL’s 100-year anniversary) set to take place in 2016. Here’s hoping it kicks off a trend, because the alternative is the pointless affair about to barge into our summer over the next three weeks.
USA aiming to end Mexico's Gold Cup dominance
on 06/07/2013 at 03:42, updated on 06/07/2013 at 03:51
Mexico are aiming for a record seventh CONCACAF Gold Cup title when the tournament kicks off on Sunday but Juergen Klinsmann's United States, with Landon Donovan back in their squad, believe they can stop El Tri from a third straight tournament win.
The championship for North and Central America and the Caribbean, played every two years, features 12 teams in three groups, before an eight-team knockout stage, with games played across the United States.
The tournament also marks a chance for CONCACAF to move on from the body's report into fraud involving resigned officials Jack Warner and Chuck Blazer.
"We are looking forward to an exciting tournament, we have seen in World Cup qualifying how competitive the level of play is in our region and we are looking forward to seeing the same in the Gold Cup," CONCACAF president Jeffrey Webb told Reuters.
This year's competition comes after an intense series of World Cup qualifiers in June meaning the leading teams have been forced to rest some of their key players.
The past three finals have involved the United States against Mexico and while the pair begin as favourites, there will be an unfamiliar look to both teams.
Mexico, who also played in the Confederations Cup in Brazil, have named a youthful squad featuring players exclusively drawn from their domestic competition.
The U.S. also have a weakened squad, without key European based players such as Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey, but there is plenty of experience with Donovan back in the fold along with Malaga defender Oguchi Onyewu and Bolton midfielder Stuart Holden.
His country's all-time top scorer, Donovan lost his place in Klinsmann's squad after taking a break from the game and missing key qualifiers in March, but the Gold Cup is a chance to get back in the frame for next year's World Cup in Brazil.
"For me, it is just an opportunity and I want to do well," said the 31-year-old.
"I want the team to succeed here, that part for me is the most important. If I do my best and it is not good enough, then so be it. Hopefully at the end of the month, we are lifting a trophy together," he said.
The U.S. kick off their campaign against Belize in Portland on Tuesday and also face Cuba and Costa Rica in Group C.
Mexico have a tougher start when they face Panama at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Sunday following the opening game in Group A between Canada and Martinique.
The toughest group to predict is Group B which features old rivals Honduras and El Salvador along with Trinidad and Tobago and a Haiti team that put in impressive performances in recent friendlies against Spain and Italy.
In a new element to the tournament this year, the winner will qualify to face the champion of the 2015 Gold Cup for a place in the next Confederations Cup, to be held in Russia in 2017.
Reuters
USA put six past Guatemala
Jul 6, 2013 8:00:00 AM
Jurgen Klinsmann's side completed their CONCACAF Gold Cup preparations with a convincing victory on Friday
The USA were in sparkling form on Friday as Landon Donovan's brace helped them to a 6-0 win over Guatemala.
Jurgen Klinsmann's men dominated the international friendly at the Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, scoring five times in the second period after the LA Galaxy star's first half opener.
Donovan netted a brace to go with goals from Herculez Gomez, Chris Wondolowski, Clarence Goodson and Alejandro Bedoya.
It provides the US with confidence ahead of the Gold Cup, where they are grouped with Costa Rica, Belize and Cuba.
It took Klinsmann's men 42 minutes to open the scoring, but when the goal did arrive the floodgates were firmly opened.
Gomez looked like he may have been offside at the back post, but made no mistake in finishing off Jose Torres Mezzell's free-kick.
Donovan doubled his team's advantage 10 minutes into the second half when he was brought down by Carlos Castrillo in the area.
The former Bayern Munich forward stepped up and placed his penalty down the middle as Ricardo Jerez dived to his right.
Wondolowski made it 3-0 in the 71st minute, neatly finishing into the bottom corner after Donovan's clever run set up the chance.
Donovan added another moments later before Goodson struck, scrambling home from a corner and Bedoya struck a sixth two minutes before full-time, side-footing past Jerez as the US completed a huge win.
CONCACAF Gold Cup fixtures for Sunday, July 7th 2013
by Crunch Sports Staff
Posted 7 July 2013
Pablo Barrera and Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez helped Mexico win the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup (credit: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
There are two games taking place tonight in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, with Canada and Mexico both in action.
Of the 12 teams in action at the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, Mexico are the team to beat as they look to make it three Gold Cup victories in a row. They missed out on progression from their group in the Confederations Cup and will hope to do better in this tournament.
Hosts USA will look to be a major contender too. It is a big deal for them to stage the Gold Cup and after some impressive performances in the last few months, they could make it to the latter stages.
There are ten other teams making up the three groups though and all will look to be competitive, hopefully creating an entertaining and memorable tournament.
Sunday's Gold Cup action gets underway at 22:30 BST, with Mexico taking on Martinique in the first game of the tournament.
Then at 01:30 BST, Mexico face Panama.
Sunday's CONCACAF Gold Cup fixtures:
All kick-off times 22:30 BST unless otherwise stated
Canada v Martinique
Mexico v Panama (01:30 BST)
CONCACAF Gold Cup Wrap: Mexico, Canada stunned
8 July 2013
Panama have stunned nine-time CONCACAF Gold Cup champions Mexico 2-1 on the opening day of the continental football tournament.
In a day of surprise results, Panama striker Gabriel Torres scored twice to lead his nation past Mexico, while tiny Caribbean island Martinique upset Canada 1-0.
Panama had never beaten Mexico heading into Sunday's game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, USA, but got off to a great start against the reigning champions when Torres gave them the lead in the ninth minute.
Mexico's Raul Jimenez brought down Alberto Quintero in the box and Torres converted from the spot.
In first-half stoppage time, Mexico drew level with Marco Fabian heading Israel Jimenez's cross into the net but Torres put Panama in front three minutes after the break, scoring the decisive goal when he flicked the ball home at the near post from Quintero's cross.
Mexico's best chance of an equaliser came from a corner with six minutes remaining but Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo made an impressive stop down low to deny Fabian's strong header.
The victory took Panama to the top of the standings in Group A with Martinique claiming second position.
Martinique is not even a member of FIFA but the French overseas region showed plenty of attacking intent against Canada, who are ranked 64th in the world and seventh in CONCACAF.
In the opening match of Sunday's double-header at the Rose Bowl, Martinique took 27 shots to Canada's eight but the tiny Caribbean island had to wait until the third minute of second-half stoppage time to break down the Canada defence.
Canada cleared the ball from their penalty area and it fell to substitute Fabrice Reuperne, who unleashed a volley from 25 metres, which rocketed into the top corner of the net.
Reuperne's goal secured Martinique's second ever win at the Gold Cup.
The Caribbean island with a population of just over 400,000 also defeated Trinidad and Tobago in 2002 when they reached the quarter-finals.
CONCACAF Gold Cup Wrap: Honduras ease past Haiti
9 July 2013
Honduras have stormed to the top of Group B at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2-0 victory over Haiti, who have yet to win in 2013.
Ronny Martinez and Marvin Chavez scored either side of half-time for Honduras as they ruined Haiti's return to Gold Cup competition, while in the other Group B match, El Salvador drew 2-2 with Trinidad and Tobago.
The win on Monday handed Honduras three points and top spot in Group B with El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago equal on one point, while Haiti were left bottom of the standings.
Haiti missed out on the 2011 Gold Cup, as they won just once in three qualification games held less than a year after the 2010 earthquake in the tiny Caribbean nation, but their return to the continental championships started badly and did not get any better throughout the 90 minutes.
Honduras hit the front in the fourth minute at New Jersey's Red Bull Arena thanks to Martinez's thumping strike after Haiti lost possession in their defensive half and Mario Martinez set up his namesake for the opening goal.
While Haiti had the edge in possession and took 17 shots to six, they were unable to break open Honduras' defence.
Honduras wrapped up victory in the 78th minute when Brayan Beckeles passed to Chavez, who slid the ball under Haiti goalkeeper Frandy Montrevil.
Haiti have not won since December 2012, having lost six of their seven matches this year.
In the early game at Red Bull Arena, Trinidad and Tobago came from behind to secure a draw against El Salvador.
Keon Daniel gave Trinidad and Tobago the lead in the 11th minute but El Salvador overhauled their rivals thanks to Rodolfo Zelaya's brace, including a stunning curling free-kick after 21 minutes.
But just four minutes after Zelaya gave his team the lead in the second half, Trinidad and Tobago struck back when Kenwyne Jones sprinted onto Joevin Jones' long ball to fire home the equaliser.
CONCACAF Gold Cup Wrap: Honduras snatch late win
13 July 2013
Honduras booked their spot in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals after a 1-0 win over El Salvador on Friday.
Jorge Claros struck late on at the Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, lifting Luis Fernando Suarez's men to six points in Group B.
Honduras became just the second team to seal their place in the last eight after Panama secured progression on Thursday.
It took Honduras – ranked 55th in the world and 39 places above their opponents – until the second minute of additional time to find the breakthrough.
Eder Delgado tried an ambitious volley from 30 yards and his effort fell to Claros, who had just been kept onside.
The Hibernian midfielder's first touch set up his chance and he composed himself before finishing high into the net, leaving Dagoberto Portillo helpless.
Earlier, Haiti recorded their first win of 2013 with a 2-0 victory over Trinidad and Tobago.
Jean-Eudes Maurice scored a brace for Israel Blake Cantero's men as they moved to second in the group.
The forward opened the scoring on 16 minutes, putting away a rebound after Jan-Michael Williams could only parry Jeff Louis' powerful long-range effort.
Maurice sealed the win with his second eight minutes after half-time, again capitalising on a rebound after Carlyle Mitchell's clearance fell to him.
CONCACAF Gold Cup Wrap: USA, Costa Rica progress
14 July 2013
The United States and Costa Rica both secured progression to the next stage of the CONCACAF Gold Cup with contrasting victories on Saturday.
The USA top Group C of the tournament on six points, after coming from behind to steamroll Cuba 4-1 at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.
Substitute Chris Wondolowski entered the arena after 58 minutes, and helped himself to a brace with goals in the 66th and 85th minutes - which were the cherry on top for the US after Landon Donovan and Joe Corona struck earlier.
Jose Alfonso had put the Cubans 1-0 to the good on 36 minutes, before Donovan's penalty on the stroke of half-time restored parity for the host nation.
Corona then put the Americans ahead 12 minutes after the interval, before Wondolowski put the result beyond doubt.
Costa Rica also qualified for the next stage with a game to spare thanks to a 1-0 win over Belize, seeing them level with the USA on six points.
An own goal from Belize defender Dalton Eiley four minutes into the second half in Sandy handed the Costa Ricans a ticket into the next phase.
There is still hope one of Belize and Cuba could advance to the knockout stages, with two of the three groups' best third-place finishers granted entry.
Belize and Cuba play each other in their final group game, with the winner needing both of Group B's El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago to lose to stand any chance of progression.
CONCACAF Gold Cup Wrap: Mexico into quarters
15 July 2013
Mexico are into the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals after a 3-1 win over Martinique on Sunday as Panama finished top of Group A.
Minnows Martinique surprised Canada in their opening match and pushed Panama, but they were no match for Mexico.
Marco Fabian, Luis Montes and Miguel Ponce scored for Mexico at the Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Colorado.
Kevin Parsemain had pulled a goal back for Martinique with a penalty late in the first half, but Ponce's late effort sealed the result for Jose de la Torre's men.
A draw would have been enough for Mexico, but they made the perfect start when Fabian opened the scoring on 21 minutes.
They had several chances before Kevin Olimpa could only parry a powerful Rafael Marquez strike, and Fabian was on hand to put away the rebound.
Montes doubled Mexico's lead on 34 minutes with a strike into the bottom corner before Martinique pulled one back.
Parsemain was brought down in the area by Alejandro Castro and he made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Both teams had their chances in the second half before Ponce sealed the win for Mexico, tapping in a Miguel Layun cross from the right.
In the other game, Panama and Canada played out a scoreless draw.
It ensured Panama finished top of the group, while Canada complete the tournament without a win and having failed to score.
CONCACAF Gold Cup Wrap: Mexico into quarters
15 July 2013
Mexico are into the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarter-finals after a 3-1 win over Martinique on Sunday as Panama finished top of Group A.
Minnows Martinique surprised Canada in their opening match and pushed Panama, but they were no match for Mexico.
Marco Fabian, Luis Montes and Miguel Ponce scored for Mexico at the Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Colorado.
Kevin Parsemain had pulled a goal back for Martinique with a penalty late in the first half, but Ponce's late effort sealed the result for Jose de la Torre's men.
A draw would have been enough for Mexico, but they made the perfect start when Fabian opened the scoring on 21 minutes.
They had several chances before Kevin Olimpa could only parry a powerful Rafael Marquez strike, and Fabian was on hand to put away the rebound.
Montes doubled Mexico's lead on 34 minutes with a strike into the bottom corner before Martinique pulled one back.
Parsemain was brought down in the area by Alejandro Castro and he made no mistake from the penalty spot.
Both teams had their chances in the second half before Ponce sealed the win for Mexico, tapping in a Miguel Layun cross from the right.
In the other game, Panama and Canada played out a scoreless draw.
It ensured Panama finished top of the group, while Canada complete the tournament without a win and having failed to score.
Gold Cup progression pleases Klinsmann
15 July 2013
USA coach Jurgen Klinsmann praised his side after coming from a goal down to beat Cuba 4-1 and qualify for the Gold Cup quarter-finals.
Torrential rain in Utah made the playing conditions difficult and it was the hosts who initially struggled to adapt, falling behind to Jose Ciprian Alfonso's early strike.
But goals from Landon Donovan, Joe Corona and two from Chris Wondolowski saw the four-time winners progress.
Klinsmann felt his side should have handled the weather better but was happy with the way they reacted.
"It was a bit interesting because the rain came and, suddenly, the air was really heavy." he said. "We felt it on the bench out there.
"They (Cuba) were really coming out of the locker room ready, they had good energy. And it happens sometimes, that the energy is not there anymore once you then finally start the game, but you have to work yourself into the game and I think that's what they eventually did.
"Obviously, you want to start it at a high pace right away, from the first second, get your first goal and get the whole thing rolling. But then, if you have a difficult moment, and you feel the air is a bit heavy and you can't breathe that well, you've just got to go through it."
USA's final group match sees them face second-placed Costa Rica, who have also already qualified for the last eight.
"We are very well aware of Costa Rica," Klinsmann added. "Costa Rica is the first real benchmark for us, coming now.
"Everybody knows, and has respect for Belize and Cuba, we all do. But the benchmark for us now starts with Costa Rica.
"We are looking forward to that match, we need now games where we are eye-to-eye with the opponents. We know it's going to go down to the wire, and we are looking forward to that match in Hartford."
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