In 2017, the Denver Post profiled Tony Cowell, the Coors Field stadium engineer who -- inspired by an uncomfortable pair of leather hunting boots -- conceived of a humidor that would bring Coors Field's extraordinary offensive environment to heel.

"People were disparaging Coors Field, and that really bothered me," Cowell said in that profile. "Look, I knew that baseball here wasn't really normal big league baseball. I wanted to do something about that."

The humidor worked. According to Baseball Reference, Coors Field's Three-Year Park Factor -- a measure of how much offense a park allows, relative to other parks -- was 125 from 1999 to 2001, or 25 percent more conducive to scoring than other parks. From 2002 to 2004, that park factor dropped to 115, and it kept sinking. From 2006 to 2008, offense was just 7 percent higher than average. We all generally accept that the humidor has, as Cowell put it, "normalize[d] things a little bit."

This week, the Los Angeles Dodgers -- with one of the greatest starting rotations in baseball history -- visited Colorado. Walker Buehler started the Thursday night game, coming off a 16-strikeout, no-walk, complete game against the Rockies in Los Angeles the previous Sunday. In June, Buehler had 42 strikeouts and one walk, with a 0.87 ERA in four starts. But he got rocked at Coors Field, allowing 13 hits and seven runs. Then Hyun-Jin Ryu started Friday, entering the game with a 1.27 ERA. He couldn't get an out in the fifth inning before he was replaced, having allowed seven runs. Four innings at altitude made his ERA jump almost 50 percent.

It took 18 seasons after Cowell's miracle cure for altitude, but Coors Field has fought back. Its Park Factor has been steadily rising, and this year it has reached a new post-humidor extreme. Nothing in that park is normal anymore. To put baseball in Colorado in perspective, here are 18 facts about Coors Field this year. Some of these have bright-red "Small Sample!" flags, but they're all a wonder to say aloud:

1. At Baseball-Reference, Coors' Multi-Year Park Factor (which includes this year and last) is 120, the highest it has been since the humidor was installed. ESPN publishes a simpler, single-season Park Factor, and according to that measure, Coors Field this year has the highest park factor for scoring since at least 2001, the final pre-humidor season.

2. Through Friday night, Charlie Blackmon was hitting .468/.518/.984 at home and .236/.272/.382 on the road. His tOPS+ -- which compares a player's OPS in one split to his performance overall, with 100 representing average -- was 190, the second highest in major league history for a player with at least 100 home plate appearances. More on him later.

3. The Rockies have scored at least 10 runs nine times this season and have allowed at least 10 runs 11 times. Of those 20 games, 17 were at Coors Field.

4. The Rockies hitters have a tOPS+ (which, again, is their OPS in this split relative to their OPS overall) of 135 this year. That's the second-highest team tOPS+ in Rockies history -- and in all of major league history.

5. Rockies pitchers have the third-highest tOPS+ in franchise history (and the third-highest in major league history). The two years that were more extreme for Rockies pitchers are actually different than the one year that was more extreme for Rockies hitters, so there has never been a season when both pitchers' and hitters' tOPS+ were higher than for this year's Rockies.

6. Wade Davis, the Rockies closer, is rumored to be on the brink of losing his job as the closer. Justifiably, considering he has a 6.00 ERA overall. His road ERA, though, is 0.79. His home ERA is 10.66.

7. Kyle Freeland, who finished fourth in Cy Young voting last year, is in Triple-A after a spectacular decline this season. On the road, he had a 5.04 ERA and allowed a .242/.324/.467 line. That's not great, but not typically enough to get an Opening Day starter sent to Triple-A. At home, however, he had a 9.31 ERA and a .317/.375/.618 batting line against him.

8. On balls hit in the air (line drives, fly balls and popups), Rockies hitters are hitting 105 points higher and slugging more than 230 points higher at home than on the road. Meanwhile, Rockies pitchers are allowing a batting average 109 points higher and a slugging percentage 280 points higher at home.

9. Even ground balls are far more likely to be hits in Colorado: Rockies hitters and their opponents have hit .258 at Coors on grounders this year. Rockies hitters and their opponents have hit just .211 on grounders everywhere else.

10. Pat Valaika was hitting .267/.421/.533 at home in 19 plate appearances. In 29 road plate appearances, he was hitting .000/.069/.000.

11. Rockies pitchers have a 3.90 ERA on the road, which is the fourth-lowest mark in baseball. Just to rephrase that so it is extremely obvious and extremely clear: Once the effect of the home ballpark is stripped away, the Rockies arguably have had the fourth-best pitching staff in the majors, or at least the second best in the National League. Those same pitchers have a 6.45 ERA at home, which is the second-worst home ERA since at least integration (better only than the 1999 Rockies). The Rockies are 23-16 at home and just 20-23 on the road.

12. Rockies pitchers have struck out fewer batters at home, but it's not a huge difference; and they've also walked slightly fewer batters at home. Indeed, almost all of the difference for their pitchers is on batted balls -- and what happens to those batted balls. Their FIP -- which focuses only on strikeouts, walks and home runs, and estimates what ERA should be -- is 5.13 at home road and 4.44 on the road, a much smaller gap than in ERA. By xFIP, which focuses only on strikeouts, walks and fly ball (rather than home run) rates, there's virtually no difference: 4.57 at home and 4.36 on the road.

If Rockies pitchers were giving up way more hard contact, that would be easily explained, but they actually have allowed a lower exit velocity at home, and according to Statcast's xwOBA (.346 at home, .337 on the road), they've allowed similar quality of contact. Quality of contact is more complicated than that, but all of this together suggests that Rockies pitchers aren't pitching worse at home, but that the same batted balls are doing far, far, far more damage in Colorado.

13. But to go back to Blackmon: Blackmon, remember, is the best hitter in baseball at home and has been pretty mediocre on the road. (The extremeness of Coors Field doesn't just help hitters; it seems to hurt those same hitters when they go on the road.) For him, every thing is better at Coors. He has an exit velocity 5 mph higher at home. His xwOBA is .446 at home and .292 on the road. (His actual wOBA is .594 at home. Barry Bonds' best-ever wOBA was .544.) Blackmon has struck out 50 percent more often on the road, and he has walked only a quarter as often. He chases pitches out of the strike zone more often on the road, and he makes contact less often on the road.

14. On breaking balls, Blackmon is slugging .471 on the road, but 1.121 at home.

15. On fastballs, he is slugging .296 on the road, 1.123 at home.

16. The median ballpark allows a .359 wOBA on fastballs, and 15 ballparks are within 10 points of that. Coors Field has allowed a .415 wOBA on fastballs, 23 points higher than the next stadium.

17. Left-handed pitchers at Coors Field have an ERA of 8.19 this year. Batters (on either team) are hitting .343/.413/.610 against them.

18. Why? That's more complicated -- and a subject for another article (pending, perhaps, a few more months to see whether this regresses to less extreme levels, as Valaika's line surely will). The simplest hypothesis would be that when leaguewide offense is up -- as it is now, thanks to MLB's livelier ball -- it affects Coors Field most of all. But since 2001, there hasn't been any statistical correlation between Coors Field's single-year Park Factor and MLB's overall offensive environment.

That doesn't rule out a connection: Baseball is profoundly weird right now, and nearly every on-field trend ultimately can be linked to either rising strikeouts or rising home runs (or both). Coors Field also is profoundly weird right now, and the two might ultimately be linked. But altitude has been one of the most persistent forces in baseball since the Rockies' first game in 1993. Maybe altitude will always find a way.

Middle-distance man Jake Wightman back from injury to beat strong domestic 800m field at BMC Grand Prix while Sarah McDonald and Andy Butchart also enjoy good victories

Jake Wightman took the honours in the much-anticipated men’s 800m race on Saturday night at Watford, but on Britain’s hottest day of the year there were masses of PBs in 28 races, making it one of the best BMC meetings in history.

Wightman had not raced on the track since last August due to a stress fracture of the sacrum but he made a sensational comeback. Holding back from the fast pace (51.28 at the bell) he took control in the last 200m to win in 1:45.55.

Charles Da’Vall Grice finished strongly to finish second in 1:45.72 from Elliot Giles third in 1:45.80 with Spencer Thomas fourth in an one-second PB with 1:46.19 as the Brighton Phoenix athlete celebrated his European under-23 selection.

In the B race there were big breakthroughs for juniors Oliver Dustin and Joshua Lay. Dustin won in a PB 1:46.84 while Lay ran 1:47.93 in what has easily been the greatest year in British junior 800m history.

Britain currently has the fastest five juniors in Europe, led by Max Burgin, the Halifax athlete who ran 1:45.36 in Bedford the previous weekend.

Behind Dustin and Lay, Alex Botterill was third in 1:47.93 and another junior, Ben Lee, won the C race in 1:49.36. Even in the D race, two juniors excelled with Callum Dodds clocking 1:49.17 and Daniel Howells 1:49.34.

Sarah McDonald showed superb 800m speed to win the women’s A race in a PB 2:00.15 with a strong last 200m.

Alex Bell ran 2:01.36 and European indoor champion Shelayna Oskan-Clarke 2:01.47 to complete the top three.

The women’s 800m B race, meanwhile, was won by Finland’s Sara Kuivisto in 2:02.64.

The men’s 1500m saw a strong finish from Olympic 5000m sixth-placer Andrew Butchart, who won in 3:38.84 to overhaul James McMurray, who ran 3:39.02.

Under-23 runners Archie Davis (3:40.30) and George Mills (3:40.30) both had breakthrough runs.

Butchart then paced the 5000m which was won by Hillingdon’s Mohamed Mohamed in 14:07.25.

The women’s 1500m was won by Denmark’s European under-23 champion Anna Emilie Moller in 4:09.15 as Jess Judd finished strongly to take second in 4:10.74.

Judd then paced the women’s 5000m which was won by Emily Hosker-Thornhill in a PB 15:46.22 as Amelia  Quirk finished second in 16:02.54.

European under-18 champion Thomas Keen won an exciting under-20 men’s 3000m that was labelled as a trial for the European Under-20 Championships in Sweden.

Eighteen athletes were in contention at 2000m but Keen kicked in a hard penultimate lap and although he weakened down the backstraight when Max Heyden kicked past he rallied in the straight to win in 8:18.41 from Heyden’s 8:18.82 as nine athletes broke 8:30.

The event saw probably the most exciting men’s 3000m steeplechase with the best depth in BMC history as nine athletes broke nine minutes and five went sub-8:50.

Chris Perry took almost 10 seconds off his PB to win with a fast last lap in 8:44.55 with Jayme Rossiter second in 8:46.81.

The women’s 3000m, mostly made up of juniors, was won by Katie Holt in 9:15.34. Behind her there was a huge breakthrough for under-20 Saskia Millard, who ran 9:20.82, a time which will surely confirm her European under-20 selection along with Eloise Walker, who ran 9:21.96 – well inside the 9:30 qualifying time for Sweden.

Ireland’s Michelle Finn was an easy winner of the women’s 3000m steeplechase in 9:51.22.

The final race of the day also saw an Irish win as under-20 Darragh McElhinney showed a good last lap kick to win the 3000m men’s A race in an Irish junior record of 8:01.48 ahead of Jonathan Davies.

The next stop on the Diamond League circuit looks like being one to remember

There have already been some excellent Diamond League meets this season, but the standard of the line-ups for Sunday’s Prefontaine Classic suggest that even better could lie in store.

With the usual Eugene venue of Hayward Field undergoing renovations for the 2021 World Championships, the event has moved 500 miles south to Stanford in California.

Caster Semenya is set to make a controversial return to the 800m following a temporary court action suspending the IAAF’s rules on gender regulation. The 800m field also includes Ajee Wilson, the American who lies second on the world rankings in 2019.

Sha’Carri Richardson, who burst on to the scene with her 10.75 world junior 100m record to win the NCAA Championships earlier this month, makes her Diamond League debut in a field featuring twice Olympic champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Marie-Josée Ta Lou, Aleia Hobbs and Kayla White.

Meanwhile, Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith looks to extend her unbeaten run over 200m this year to three meetings, facing double Olympic champion Elaine Thompson, who beat her over 100m in Rome before clocking 10.73 to win her national championships, plus Blessing Okagbare, Jenna Prandini and Dafne Schippers.

Rai Benjamin takes on Kerron Clement, Yasmani Copello and Kyron McMaster at 400m hurdles, while the men’s 400m sees Michael Norman, who ran 43.45 in April, take on Fred Kerley, who has run 43.70 and won in Shanghai, plus a returning LaShawn Merritt.

After her recent second place behind Genzebe Dibaba in Rome, Laura Muir will be aiming to continue her good form in the non-Diamond League 1500m. The Brit will meet Olympic champion Faith Kipyegon, last year’s winner Shelby Houlihan (below) and Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay, who has run sub-four this year.

Dibaba will step up to the 3000m to face a great field. Sifan Hassan, who ran her close in Rabat, is also in the line-up, along with world champion Hellen Obiri, world 10,000m record-holder Almaz Ayana and Britain’s Laura Weightman.

The Bowerman Mile has a stellar line-up which includes indoor world record-holder Yomif Kejelcha, world 1500m champion Elijah Manangoi and two-time defending Diamond League champion Timothy Cheruiyot. Double European champion Jakob Ingebrigtsen, Olympic 1500m champion Matt Centrowitz and world indoor 1500m champion Samuel Tefera are also on the start lists.

In the rarely run two miles, Diamond League 5000m champion Selemon Barega defends his title, while world record-holder Beatrice Chepkoech and world champion Emma Coburn headline the women’s 3000m steeplechase.

Britain’s European champion Zharnel Hughes takes on world No.1 Christian Coleman and world champion Justin Gatlin in the 100m, with all eight men in the field having sub-10 second PBs.

The men’s shot put features the top four in the world this year, led by Ryan Crouser, while world and Olympic champion Omar McLeod heads the 110m hurdles line-up.

Russian high jump queen Mariya Lasitskene faces Yuliya Levchenko of Ukraine, while Renaud Lavillenie, Armand Duplantis and Sam Kendricks head a formidable pole vault line-up.

WILMETTE, Ill. — In this month’s edition of the Business of Speed, we examine the financial and operational performance of the largest public companies in the motorsports sector.

International Speedway Corp. (ISCA)

For 2018, International Speedway Corp. posted revenue of $673.2 million, an increase of .5 percent from the previous year. The company continued its revenue growth for the fourth straight year.

Broadcasting revenue was the largest driver of the motorsports and event-related income category. Admissions, food and beverage remained under pressure as ticket sales remained under pressure as attendance was stagnant at many events..

ISCA’s operating income was $97.4 million, or 14.5 percent of revenue. This is a slight decrease from 2017, due to rises in NASCAR event (sanctioning fees) and motorsports event-related expenses. The company recognized a benefit from the tax act, which raised its net income.

Overall, management placed emphasis on its disciplined approach to financial management, long-term broadcast partnerships and commitment to consumer-focused sales and marketing initiatives that provide good value to fans.

Speedway Motorsports Inc. (TRK)

Speedway Motorsports showed a revenue increase of $3.5 million to $461.9 million in 2018. The addition of a second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the reconfiguration of the ROVAL at Charlotte Motor Speedway were positive contributors to the bottom line. NASCAR broadcasting revenue was 47 percent of total revenue and exceeded admission revenue by almost 2.7 times.

The impact of changing demographics, evolving media content consumption and the lingering effects of lower consumer and corporate spending will continue to challenge the company going forward.

Dover Motorsports (DVD)

For 2018, Dover Motorsports had $47 million in revenue and an operating income of $7.2 million. The slight increase was from higher broadcasting revenue, partially offset by lower admissions revenue.  The company recognized a gain from the sale of land at Nashville Superspeedway, which closed in 2011.

The NASCAR broadcast contract is worth $32.9 million annually and the company’s annual purse and sanction fees are about $17.8 million.

Formula One (FWONK)

Liberty Media’s Formula One revenue was $1.83 billion, a 2 percent increase from the prior year. There were 21 races, one more than the previous year.

Formula One generates revenue in four different categories: race promotion fees — (33.8%); broadcasting fees — (33.1%); advertising and sponsorship fees — (14.6%); and other revenue (18.4%).

Formula One’s operating expenses were $1.27 billion or 70 percent of revenue.

Expenses included team payments of $913 million, which was an increase of $5 million compared to 2017.

Other expense increases were due to logistics and travel expenses, higher costs associated with providing the chassis and component parts to F2 and GP3 teams, digital media development and spending on fan engagement.

Executives noted that Formula One audience figures increased across television and digital platforms for the second year in a row. Social media followers and average attendance per race weekend also increased.

The announcement of the intentions of International Speedway Corp. and Speedway Motorsports to go private were unprecedented.

As a result, speculation began that NASCAR could acquire both entities. Times have definitely changed since the contention of antitrust violations over track and race date changes 15 years ago.

The industry continues to seek growth opportunities with sports betting, esports and additional fan engagement initiatives.

JOLIET, Ill. – Joey Logano raced to the pole position for the Camping World 300 during NASCAR Xfinity Series qualifying on Saturday afternoon at Chicagoland Speedway.

Logano, the lone Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series regular in this week’s field, toured the 1.5-mile D-shaped oval in 30.413 seconds (177.556 mph) with his No. 12 Snap-On Ford Mustang for Team Penske.

The reigning Cup Series champion notched his 36th career Xfinity Series pole and is seeking his third career Xfinity win at Chicagoland. He previously won at the track in 2009 and 2013.

“I was actually a little surprised at that,” noted Logano. “I didn’t think it was that good of a lap, in all honesty. I was pretty sideways, but I guess everyone else was, too. It’s awesome to bring this No. 12 team to a pole, because we don’t run with them every week, so sometimes there’s little things that we have to figure out when we get to the race track that full-time teams have as old hat.

“We were pretty far off when we unloaded, but we keep getting closer, and I think we might have a car that can win this thing,” he added. “It’s good for one lap; hopefully it’s good for the rest of them.”

Cole Custer will join Logano on the front row after a lap of 30.424 seconds (177.491 mph) with the No. 00 Haas Automation Ford Mustang.

Ross Chastain and Justin Allgaier will share the second row of the grid in a pair of Chevrolet Camaros, with Christopher Bell slotting in fifth as the fastest Toyota driver.

Bell’s teammate Brandon Jones qualified sixth, followed by Austin Cindric, Riley Herbst, defending series champion Tyler Reddick and Noah Gragson.

With 41 cars on the grounds for 38 starting spots, Josh Bilicki, Joe Nemechek and Morgan Shepherd failed to qualify for Saturday’s race.

The Camping World 300 is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. ET start time, with live coverage on NBCSN, the Motor Racing Network and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio, channel 90.

To view the full starting lineup, advance to the next page.

VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Terry Pegula assesses the disappointment of eight-plus years of owning the Buffalo Sabres and says it's time his team started winning.

He cited new coach Ralph Krueger and a talented core of young players, led by captain Jack Eichel, as reasons to be optimistic during an interview with The Associated Press.

Though saying he follows a philosophy of never being content with where he is in life, Pegula, 68, stressed he is an optimist by nature and refuses to give in to frustration.

Acknowledging that mistakes were made, Pegula said he doesn't take the Sabres' "poor results" personally and believes "everything's pointing up."

Little has gone right for Pegula, who also owns the NFL's Buffalo Bills, since purchasing the Sabres in February 2011. The team has finished last in the overall standings three times in six years and have a franchise-worst eight-year playoff drought -- the NHL's longest active streak.

We are down to the final eight teams in the Gold Cup. Central American stalwarts Honduras and El Salvador have gone home, while surprises abound like Curacao and Haiti, plus the top teams in the region like Mexico and the United States.

Here is the lowdown on each of the four quarterfinal clashes:

HAITI vs. CANADA

WHERE: NRG Stadium, Houston WHEN: Saturday 7:00 PM ET

THE STORY SO FAR: For the first time in its history, Haiti finished atop their Gold Cup group and head into the knockout round after posting a perfect record in the group stage. As the youngest team in the tournament -- average age 24.33 -- Haiti have been a revelation and completely overwhelmed Costa Rica in the group finale to lock down first place.

Canada have also turned heads with their play. Never before had Canada even reached double digits in goals in a Gold Cup -- not even in their 2000 Gold Cup conquest and 2007 semifinal finish -- so to already have scored 12 goals is a sign of the budding attack force that Canada is growing. The forward line of Lucas Cavallini and Jonathan David have combined for nine goals.

HAITI WILL ADVANCE IF: They stay defensively sound and take advantage of their chances in front of goal. Canada will test them like no other team so far in this tournament, so discipline in the back will be crucial. Up front Haiti cannot afford to spoil the scoring chances it has created. The Canada back line had some nervy moments with Martinique and gave up three to Mexico. Haiti must make them pay.

CANADA WILL ADVANCE IF: The defense does not get stretched by Haiti's devastating counterattack and David and Cavallini keep their scorching-hot scoring boots on. Doneil Henry and Derek Cornelius are showing some chemistry as the center backs, while Milan Borjan is an unsung hero in goal and Sam Piette is calm as the holding midfielder. The versatility of the Canadian wingers also gives good versatility to head coach John Herdman's attack.

KEY MAN, HAITI: Steeven Saba

Saba is a workhorse in midfield for Les Grenadiers. He is efficient with his passing and seems to control any midfield in which he plays by winning every 50-50 ball. He can tilt the game in Haiti's favor.

KEY MAN, CANADA: Alphonso Davies

Davies has lurked in the shadows of this tournament while others have grabbed the spotlight. But now in the knockout round, this is the time for Davies to be a difference maker. He is capable of beating any defender in the Gold Cup 1v1. It's his moment.

PREDICTION: Haiti 1-2 Canada.This is the most even of all the quarterfinals, but Canada boast just a tad more quality and have the best player on the field in Davies. They should have enough to edge the Haitians.

MEXICO vs. COSTA RICA

WHERE: NRG Stadium, Houston WHEN: Saturday 9:30 PM ET

THE STORY SO FAR: Mexico marched to a perfect group stage record in the Gold Cup for the first time since 2011. That Gold Cup-winning side from eight years ago boasted all of Mexico's top players. This one does not, yet even without the likes of Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, Carlos Vela and Hirving Lozano, the Mexico attack has poured in 13 goals and allowed just three against Cuba, Canada and Martinique. They are flying under Gerardo "Tata" Martino.

Costa Rica have failed to convince thus far, but still had enough to take home second place in the group. Benefitting from an opening match at home, they throttled Nicaragua, but looked off in a narrow win over Bermuda and then were put to the sword in the second half by an impressive Haiti side.

MEXICO WILL ADVANCE IF: Mexico have scored at least three goals in every match during Martino's tenure, and there's no reason why that can't continue. Andres Guardado and Jonathan dos Santos pull the strings in midfield, while up top Uriel Antuna has been a revelation with four goals, and Raul Jimenez -- called Mexico's "most important striker" by Martino -- is arguably the best No. 9 in the tournament. There's little reason to think Los Ticos can toe-to-toe with the Mexico attack.

COSTA RICA WILL ADVANCE IF: It will be imperative for Costa Rica to slow the game down. Having a chippy, physical contest will benefit head coach Gustavo Matosas' men and could frustrate El Tri. The former Leon and Club America boss knows a thing or two about Mexican football, so he could use all his old tactics to keep Costa Rica in it and then try to steal a late winner.

KEY MAN, MEXICO: Raul Jimenez

This contest sets up perfectly for Jimenez, who was excellent against Martinique with a goal and an assist and now is poised to torment the Tico defense on Saturday night. Hold up play, set pieces, aerial game, Jimenez will be Mexico's main man.

KEY MAN, COSTA RICA: Leonel Moreira

This one is going to be mainly one-way traffic, so the Costa Rica goalkeeper Leonel Moreira will have to do his best Keylor Navas impression and keep the Mexican attack at bay as much as possible.

PREDICTION: Mexico 3-0 Costa Rica. Mexico's goalscoring ways continue against an old, slow and out-of-sorts Costa Rica that won't be able to stop the attack for an entire 90 minutes.

JAMAICA vs. PANAMA

WHERE: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia WHEN: Sunday 5:30 PM ET

THE STORY SO FAR: In the most even group of all, Jamaica kept their cool the best, using a home opener in Kingston to earn three points against Honduras before relying on their defense to secure back-to-back draws against El Salvador and Curacao. Defense has carried the day for the Reggae Boyz.

A year after reaching their World Cup apex, Panama have started to instill some new blood with the return of Julio Dely Valdes as manager, and the Canaleros had no problems handling Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana before falling narrowly to the U.S. Panama are adopting the look of a team that will be a tough out, no matter the opponent.

JAMAICA WILL ADVANCE IF: Their dangermen Leon Bailey and Shamar Nicholson must win their one-on-one battles against the Panama defense. Bailey was a ballyhooed addition to the Jamaica squad before the tournament, but he has not broken out yet. If Bailey raises his level, Jamaica should take it.

PANAMA WILL ADVANCE IF: Panama can be a threat to Jamaica on dead balls. Jamaica are the most likely team to control the tempo, so it will be up to Panama to make good from those set pieces, and the likes of Edgar Barcenas can do just that.

KEY MAN, JAMAICA: Dever Orgill

Orgill had a brace in the first match and with much of the attention expected to be on Bailey and Nicholson, Orgill could once again be the beneficiary. He'll need to show the same cutting edge against Panama as he did against Honduras.

KEY MAN, PANAMA: Edgar Barcenas

The Panama No. 10 has to be the man that makes it happen for the Canaleros, whether via the counterattack or on set pieces. He is arguably Dely Valdes' most creative player and has the ice-in-his-veins edge of a striker when a chance needs to be finished.

PREDICTION: Jamaica 1-0 Panama, Another close affair in which chances will be few and far between, but Jamaica have the goods to see this one through. Damion Lowe and Kemar Lawrence are so good in defense and will keep Panama under wraps to allow the attack to score one.

UNITED STATES vs. CURACAO

WHERE: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia WHEN: Sunday 7:00 PM ET

THE STORY SO FAR: The U.S. endured a horrific run-up to the tournament with dreadful losses to Jamaica and Venezuela, but things have improved since the start of the tournament, as the U.S. is yet to give up a goal through three matches against Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago and Panama. Granted, it's not like they have been pushed, but it has to be a positive for a team looking to win back some fans.

Curacao hands down have been the surprise of the tournament. After a narrow, hard-fought 1-0 loss to El Salvador, they stunned Honduras 1-0 and then struck late to earn a draw with Jamaica. Whether it ends on Sunday or not, this has already been a wildly successful Gold Cup for Curacao.

UNITED STATES WILL ADVANCE IF: They strike early. Curacao have not faced the talent that the U.S. possesses up top and there is no reason to think that Christian Pulisic and Tyler Boyd won't do damage. Those two can open things up for the U.S.

CURACAO WILL ADVANCE IF: Goalkeeper Eloy Room shows the same form he had against Honduras when he saved a billion shots and if they can break down a still susceptible U.S. back line with a second half counter attack, Curacao can send more shockwaves through the region.

KEY MAN, UNITED STATES: Tyler Boyd

This match is set up for him to wreak havoc with his movement and speed against a Curacao defense that has holes. If Boyd gets an early goal, it could become a monster night for the national team's new arrival.

KEY MAN, CURACAO: Leandro Bacuna

Curacao will need a veteran with plenty of big-game experience to help manage the game and the former Premier League man fits the bill. Slowing down the game, drawing fouls and then striking on a counterattack is how Bacuna can make the U.S. uncomfortable and possibly pull off one of the greatest Gold Cup upsets ever.

PREDICTION: United States 2-0 Curacao. It won't be easy and there will be some anxious moments for the hosts, but the U.S. will eventually find a way past a valiant Curacao with a couple second half goals, as the U.S.'s depth and rested legs will win out in the final half hour.

Big picture

Three weeks ago, you might have well looked at June 30 and locked it down as a clash for the top two spots. India are right up there, one of the top two spots very much in their sight, but England have run into trouble.

Back-to-back losses to Sri Lanka and Australia have left England looking frantically for their wallet while the world is at their party, the one they promised to make a grand, big-scoring spectacle. Asking someone else to pay would be too embarrassing, even though Pakistan and Bangladesh would gladly do the needful. They need to find it - their mojo, really - soon, which means beating India and New Zealand in what is potentially a week that will be a real test of their 'new' England claims.

England might gamble on the not-yet-100% Jason Roy and Jofra Archer. There is the risk of losing them later in the tournament, but Eoin Morgan has clarified that they would be fielded only if the risk is short-term, and not long-term. Roy has missed three games because of a hamstring injury, while Archer has been slightly down on pace because of a side strain. The paceman was present at training briefly on Saturday, perhaps because the team management didn't want to exert him.

As for India, they may be unbeaten, but their batting, after Virat Kohli at No. 3, looks slightly unsettled. Vijay Shankar is under pressure to keep his place, but Kohli believes "he is close to playing a defining knock". Perhaps a sign that Vijay will get at least another game. Considering India play Bangladesh on the bounce, the coaching staff also spent considerable time with Rishabh Pant and Dinesh Karthik, the back-up batsmen, in the nets in the lead-up to the England game.

Then there is the question of team balance. Mohammed Shami's rip-roaring form means he should be a shoo-in, which Kohli said without quite saying at the pre-match press conference. This leaves their lower order without the insurance of Bhuvneshwar Kumar at No. 8, leaving the tail beginning at that number. It will be interesting to see if they take the aggressive route by continuing to persist with the same five-bowler theory or try and find ways to bring in Ravindra Jadeja, which may possibly need them to separate the wrist-spinning duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal, or leave out Kedar Jadhav. It's a tricky call better made now than in a knockout game.

Form guide

(Last five completed matches, most recent first)

England: LLWWW

India: WWDWW

in the spotlight

The "people are waiting for us to fail" response to Michael Vaughan (and others) on Twitter has brought attention on Jonny Bairstow. While he has received support from former captain Nasser Hussain, the only way to get out of the sticky wicket is by scoring runs. As such, Bairstow has had a decent tournament without getting to wow level. Scores of 27 and 0 in his last two outings, clubbed with the possible return of Roy after a two-week break, puts the onus on Bairstow to drive the innings against arguably the tournament's best attack.

Vijay Shankar hasn't had a shocker of a tournament as scores of 15*, 29 and 14, along with a couple of wickets against Pakistan, indicate. However, when you have Pant and Karthik waiting in the reserves, every opportunity matters. Vijay has exhibited good technique and maturity. The Kemar Roach delivery that got him may have troubled most others, while the lbw call against Afghanistan could have gone either way. All said and done, there's nothing like the backing of a solid hit and a score to present your case and with the firm backing of his captain, Vijay would be itching to do just that.

Team news

James Vince is set to make way if Roy plays.

England (possible): 1 Jason Roy, 2 Jonny Bairstow, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Moeen Ali, 8 Chris Woakes, 9 Adil Rashid, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Mark Wood

India are likely to remain unchanged, unless they want to tinker with the line-up to fit Jadeja in.

India: 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 KL Rahul, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Vijay Shankar, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Jasprit Bumrah

Pitch and conditions

New Zealand rued leaving out legspinner Ish Sodhi on what what many experts likened to a fifth-day Edgbaston track against Pakistan. However, the surface for Sunday's game is a fresh one. England's director of cricket and former spinner Ashley Giles reckons this will be the "best batting pitch of the tournament".

Strategy punt

• Since July 2015, MS Dhoni's strike rate against legspin is a poor 58.05. This tournament, that number has come down to 39.29 over the 28 deliveries he has faced against them. And against offspin this tournament, he strikes at 33.33. There couldn't have been an easier memo for England: get Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid on while Dhoni is looking to get in.

• Jadhav's economy of 5.16 against left-handers is a tad better than the corresponding numbers against right-handers. England have three left-handers in the middle order - Ben Stokes, Morgan and Moeen. As such, Jadhav hasn't been needed much, but should India find themselves challenged, he may not be a bad option for Kohli.

Stats and trivia

• The chasing side has won each of the last five completed ODIs at Edgbaston.

• The only kind of bowling Morgan averages less than 40 and strikes at less than 100 against since 2017 is left-arm fast. India don't have one this tournament.

• Since 2017, 75% of Jos Buttler's 50-plus scores have resulted in England wins. For Morgan, that number stands at 90%.

• India have taken nine wickets per match on an average, the best among the ten teams in this World Cup. Their average of 24.7 is also right up there.

• Shami has eight wickets in two games, including a hat-trick, but his record against England is poor - 12 wickets in ten games with a wicket every 37 balls, his third-worst bowling record against an opposition.

Quotes

"I sort of recall the Champions Trophy final we played here against India. It was a complete away game. We had a number of fans in the ground, but the noise the Indian fans make with horns makes it that much louder. So yes, tomorrow will feel like an away game."
Eoin Morgan knows it'll feel more like Eden Gardens than Edgbaston on Sunday

"Bhuvi [Bhuvneshwar Kumar] is recovering very fast. When he gets fit, it's going to be a bit of a headache for us to see what we're going to do, but we'll take the best call for the team at that moment, and I'm sure everyone will understand."
Virat Kohli hints at a change of heart on their second fast bowler