HARRISON, New Jersey – In Central America, it doesn’t get much bigger than when Honduras and Costa Rica square off against each other.
The newest chapter of the rivalry will be written at Red Bull Arena on Friday night as they start their Group A schedules in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Despite all of its success internationally, Costa Rica has never beaten Honduras in the Gold Cup, losing in three of their four meetings.
HONDURAS v COSTA RICA
Gold Cup: Head-to-Head
1991: Honduras 2, Costa Rica 0
2005: Honduras 3, Costa Rica 2 (Quarterfinals)
2011: Costa Rica 1, Honduras 1; 2-4 pend (Quarterfinals)
2013: Honduras 1, Costa Rica 0 (Quarterfinals)
The sides have met twice already in 2017, with both matches ending in 1-1 draws: January 20, 2017 in the Copa Centroamericana (Panama City, Panama) and March 28, 2017, in the fifth round of CONCACAF qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (San Pedro Sula, Honduras).
Here are some storylines to watch:
- In January, Honduras dethroned Costa Rica as Central American champion. Can the Catarchos maintain regional bragging right?
- Honduras head Jorge Luis Pinto guided Costa Rica to the 2014 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals. Will he be able to guide his current team to similar success?
- In 2015, Costa Rica failed to win a Gold Cup game for only the second time in 12 attempts. Can the Ticos return to winning Gold Cup ways?
- Costa Rica is unbeaten in its last three Gold Cup openers. Can the streak be extended?
