MIAMI, Florida – There is nothing quite like a comeback in football. It produces such a swing of emotions for the players, coaches and fans and leaves everyone with memories that last a lifetime.
The Concacaf Gold Cup is no stranger to comebacks either, making for some unforgettable moments.
Among the more notable comebacks was in the 2019 Gold Cup quarterfinal between Canada and Haiti. With a halftime score of 2-0 in favor of the Canadians, all signs pointed toward a first Gold Cup semifinal appearance for Canada since 2007.
But throughout that tournament Haiti had assumed a comeback role, rallying from 1-0 second half deficits to defeat Bermuda and Costa Rica in the group stage and each by a score of 2-1.
That experience in those adverse situations bore fruit, as goals from Duckens Nazon in the 50’, Herve Bazile in the 70’ and Wild-Donald Guerrier in the 76’ earned Haiti a memorable 3-2 victory, making it just one of two times in a Gold Cup match that a team rallied from two goals down to win.
The other two-goal comeback in Gold Cup history came when the stakes were the highest. It was the 2011 Final between long-time rivals Mexico and the United States, and a pair of early goals from Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan had the U.S. in control at 2-0. But Mexico would embark on a comeback for the ages, beginning with Pablo Barrera’s goal in the 29’ and Andres Guardado’s score in the 36’ to make it a 2-2 affair at halftime.
Mexico’s comeback momentum continued into the second half, with Barrera scoring his second of the night in the 50’ before Giovani dos Santos scored one of the greatest goals in Concacaf history in the 76’ to put the bow on top of Mexico’s 4-2 comeback victory.
While those Haiti and Mexico wins are the only two-goal comeback victories in Gold Cup history, there are several matches in which a team has rallied from a one-goal deficit in the final 10 minutes to produce a victory.
One of those instances came back in the very first Gold Cup in 1991 in the first ever Gold Cup match for both the United States and Trinidad and Tobago. The U.S. eventually won the title that year, but perhaps it may not have happened if they hadn’t scored in the 85’ and 87’ to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 victory.
The U.S. was also on the positive end of another dramatic, late comeback in the 2005 semifinals versus Honduras. The Catrachos appeared on their way to victory and a return to the Final for the first time since 1991, but the U.S. scored in the 86’ and 90+2’ to earn a 2-1 win. The U.S. would go on to defeat Panama in the Final in a penalty shootout.
