Mexico, Jamaica drawn together in Gold Cup

San Francisco (AFP) – Jamaica will get the chance to avenge their 2015 Gold Cup final defeat to Mexico after being drawn Tuesday in the same group as the holders for this year’s edition.

The Jamaicans were surprise finalists at the last tournament, upsetting the United States 2-1 in the semi-finals before eventually losing 3-1 to Mexico in the final.

The Reggae Boyz will get the opportunity to atone for that loss however when they face Mexico in Group C in Denver on July 13.

The tie promises to be one of the highlights of the first round of the 12-team tournament for sides from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

The tournament will kick off in New Jersey on July 7 before wrapping up with the final at the Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California on July 26.

Curacao and El Salvador are the other teams in Group C. 

Hosts the United States are drawn in Group B alongside Panama, Martinique and either Haiti or Nicaragua.

The Americans, who have won the title five times, will be heavily favored to progress from the group and are seeded to meet Mexico in the final.

“We don’t take any of our opponents for granted,” US coach Bruce Arena said in a statement. 

“We open with a challenging game against Panama, and Martinique has the ability to surprise teams with the quality of their players.”

Group A pits 2014 World Cup quarter-finalists Costa Rica against Honduras, French Guiana and Canada.