Sporting KC defender Marcel de Jong and the Canada Men’s National Team were eliminated from the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup following Tuesday’s scoreless draw against Costa Rica. Canada finished the tournament tied for third place in Group B with a 0-1-2 record.
De Jong started and played 90 minutes in his third consecutive match of the tournament. Tuesday’s appearance was de Jong’s 36th as a member of Canada’s MNT and his 10th at a Gold Cup.
Despite finishing the tournament with two shutouts and only one goal allowed, Canada failed to advanced out of the group stage for the third consecutive Gold Cup tournament. Canada failed to score a goal in the tournament despite pin-point service from de Jong off a series of set pieces.
Canada’s breakthrough nearly came in the 68th minute, when de Jong curled a free kick to the back of Costa Rica’s six-yard box. 26-year-old striker Marcus Haber one-timed the ball past goalkeeper Esteban Alvarado, but the assistant referee whistled Haber for being offside. Haber had another golden opportunity in the 24th minute off a quick throw-in from de Jong, but Alvarado did well to block the close-range shot attempt.
De Jong will now return to Kansas City and be available for Sporting KC’s weekend match against the Montreal Impact at Sporting Park (7:30pm CT, 38 the Spot, SKCTV). Sporting KC are currently in sixth place in the Western Conference, but sit only two points back of a three-way tie for first place and have the highest points per game average (1.76) in Major League Soccer.
