Cuba upset Canada 2-0; US win again

FOXBORO: Brian McBride scored twice, and goalie Kasey Keller tied a team record with his 32nd shutout to lead the United States past Martinique 2-0 Monday in the CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Earlier, Lester More scored a goal in each half as Cuba upset Canada 2-0. The win leaves Cuba tied with Canada atop the Group D standings. Steve Ralston assisted on both United States goals, while Keller faced only a handful of shots, none in the first half, en route to matching Tony Meola’s career mark. Keller, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, collected his 31st career shutout Saturday in a 2-0 victory over El Salvador.

The victory over Martinique means the defending champion United States has won Group C of the competition and advances to the Gold Cup quarterfinals. McBride opened the scoring for the United States in the 39th minute, heading Ralston’s cross into the left corner of the net. Four minutes later, the pair teamed again, with Ralston taking a long cross on the right side of the goal and tapping it to McBride. The Columbus Crew forward slammed the ball in from about 5 metres out. The best chance for Martinique came in the 56th minute, but Keller came off his line and easily stopped the breakaway opportunity by Jose Gordon.

Canada, which defeated Costa Rica in its first match and could have advanced to the quarterfinals with a draw, needs Cuba to win or draw against Costa Rica, or Costa Rica to beat Cuba by three or more goals, to advance. After several forays into the Canadian defence, Cuba found the net in the 15th minute. Jaime Colome slid a through ball that caught More in stride in the right side in the box. More, running at full speed, knocked the ball home with a swift, right-footed kick into the corner of the goal. More struck again a minute after halftime. The forward took a short cross from Pedro Adriani Faife and slammed the ball home from a few metres out.