Mexico shines without stars against El Salvador
Mexico made a winning start to its CONCACAF Gold Cup title defence after overpowering El Salvador 3-1 in its Group C opener, while Jamaica cruised past Curacao.
The defending champion claimed its seventh Gold Cup crown in 2015 and they took a step towards another trophy thanks to first international goals from Hedgardo Marin and Orbelin Pineda, and Elias Hernandez's effort, in San Diego on Monday (AEST).
With Mexico's regular stars afforded a break after the Confederations Cup in Russia, domestic-based players – aside from Erick Torres who plays in the United States – have been given a chance to shine in the country's bid for back-to-back Gold Cups.
And they stepped up, overcoming a spirited challenge from minnows El Salvador, who cancelled out Marin's eighth-minute opener within two minutes thanks to Nelson Bonilla at Qualcomm Stadium, but Elias Hernandez put Mexico ahead again prior to half-time.
Pineda came off the bench and sealed the points in the 55th minute as Mexico extended its unbeaten run against El Salvador to seven games – dating back to 2009.
Meanwhile, Jamaica got the job done in its opener, beating Curacao 2-0 in the other Group C clash on Monday.