Underdogs Jamaica take on Mexico in Gold Cup final

Fresh from their invitation to play at the Copa America, Jamaica have reached the final of the Gold Cup where they will take on Mexico who have won the trophy six times.

Giles Barnes's stunning free-kick was one of the goals that sent Jamaica to their first Gold Cup final. Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports

Jamaica v Mexico isn't the Gold Cup showdown anyone would have predicted. Mexico - six-time winners of the competition - will start the final as hot favourites.

The Reggae Boyz - the nickname for Jamaica - will be the underdogs despite their 2-1 victory over defending champions the United States in the semi-final. 

They're the first Caribbean nation to reach the final and despite a famous conquest in the last four, coach Winfried Schafer insists his side doesn't boast the same pedigree as Mexico.

But Miguel Herrera will lead a depleted squad into the final at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Carlos Vela is suspended and both dos Santos brothers Jonathan and Giovani as well as skipper Andres Guardado are battling injuries.

Schafer refuses to consider their possible absence as a bonus. "There are maybe 1,000 very, very good players in Mexico," he said, adding that the match-up is the equivalent of Germany against Luxembourg.

However there is an upside. "Mexico cannot lose against us," the 65-year-old concluded.

With the pressure off, Jamaica can go for the jugular and they'll be buoyed by their perfomances at the Copa America in Chile where they played Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

After seeing Jamaica score both goals against the US from set pieces, the Mexico defender Diego Reyes said he and the rest of the back line were not taking their adversaries lightly. "We have to be very careful of all of them," he said.

"We played a good game against Costa Rica in the quarter-final," added Herrera. "And in the semi-final against Panama we did badly. But we qualified for the final. I've talked a lot with the boys, and we all realised that we play badly. We have to correct our mistakes."

If they don't the Reggae Boyz and their fans will be dancing the night away.