FC Cincinnati midfielder Allan Cruz and Costa Rica lost 2-1 to Haiti in their final 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup group stage match Monday night, meaning they’ll face Mexico in the quarterfinals.
The upset loss was significant on multiple levels:
- Haiti finished on top of their group for the first time in Gold Cup history, and did so by outplaying a “Ticos” side expected to win Group B. With the win, Haiti play Canada on Saturday night in the Gold Cup Quarterfinals.
- Costa Rica not winning their group creates an immediate problem for them. Their next matchup is against Mexico, one of the Gold Cup favorites. Before the tournament, it was expected they’d meet in the semifinals.
- This could help FC Cincinnati, of course. If Costa Rica are eliminated by Mexico, Cruz and center back Kendall Waston would be available to return to FCC and get back to MLS action sooner. With Cincy unable to fill the 18-man game day roster last Saturday for a league match for the first time in club history, this would potentially be a great benefit to the club.
Cruz and Waston update
Cruz played the full match as a center midfielder. His role varied between him playing deeper in the midfield, as well as having a more box-to-box role. He played centrally before arriving in Cincinnati, where he’s played as a winger since the season started.
As for Waston, he was an unused sub in the match.
Up next:
Costa Rica will meet Mexico on Friday night at 9:30 p.m. ET, at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas. The match will be televised on FS1.
