The CONCACAF Gold Cup qualifiers are finally wrapped up, and it’s time to move on to the main event: the tournament itself. The Gold Cup in its current format has only been won by three countries — Mexico, United States, and Canada — but there’s a big opportunity for some underdog stories this year.
Fresh off of a Nations League victory, the United States is bringing a heavily rotated squad. Mexico is bringing a full strength squad, but they will head into the tournament with an interim coach following their struggles in the Nations League. Canada is somewhere in between, with a semi-rotated squad, notably missing star Alphonso Davies.
Group A: United States, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Saint Kitts and Nevis
Regardless of the rotated squad, the United States will expect to win. After all, they have home-field advantage and are the defending champions of both the Gold Cup and Nations League. The tournament is a good opportunity for striker Jesús Ferreira — after a hot start with the US, he’s fallen down the pecking order and didn’t even make the Nations League squad.
Despite being in the same group as the US, Jamaica are dark horses. Jamaica has one of the best squads in the tournament, and they could easily reach the semi-finals and potentially go further. If they do, Demarai Gray will be key. The Everton winger finally accepted a Jamaican call-up and adds a new dimension to Jamaica’s already lethal attack.
Trinidad and Tobago is looking to advance past the group stage for the first time since 2015, and they are hoping experience can help. Seven of their players 30 or older, while two of them have more than 80 caps. If they do go far, they will depend on winger Levi García. The 25-year-old just led AEK Athens to the Greek title, and will hope to replicate those feats at international level.
History is already made for Saint Kitts and Nevis, who will be at the tournament for the first time. Two penalty-kick shootouts was all it took, but they’ll have to be more efficient in 90 minutes if they want to cause some upsets. Cardiff City’s Romaine Sawyers will be the team’s main creative force.
Group B: Mexico, Haiti, Honduras, Qatar
After poor performances in the Nations League and World Cup, Mexico needs a strong performance to reassure their fanbase. They aren’t messing about, bringing a side full of talent and experience — then again, that same side flopped in the other two competitions. Ajax midfielder Edson Álvarez is undoubtedly the team’s star and will hope to lead Mexico to the final.
After reaching the semi-finals in 2019, Haiti slumped to a group stage exit in 2021. This year, they will look to improve, and to do so they have brought in some dual-nationals. Veteran Fafà Picault leads the way: he earned two US caps but has switched to Haiti, where his grandfather used to play. Despite being 32 years old, Picault still is quality and could help cause some surprises.
Between 2005 and 2013, Honduras finished in the top four of the Gold Cup an impressive four times. Since then, they have struggled. While they are hoping experience is key — their team is one of the oldest in the tournament — youngster Joseph Rosales could be an important figure. Just 22, Rosales normally plays midfield, but he has also featured on the wing and at left-back.
Qatar continues to buy its way into tournaments it doesn’t belong in (I’m talking about the Copa America, of course), making its second consecutive Gold Cup appearance. Wouldn’t it be more meaningful to let a local, deserving team like Puerto Rico play? Regardless, striker Almoez Ali scored four goals in the last tournament as Qatar finished third, and he could impress again.
Group C: Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, Martinique
After an embarrassing World Cup and an unimpressive Gold Cup in 2021, Costa Rica will look to rebound with a strong performance. They are bringing an young squad, with nine of their players being 23 or younger, despite the absences of some top prospects. Young striker Anthony Contreras could cause problems for defenders, having impressed in World Cup qualifiers.
Despite qualifying for their first ever World Cup in 2018, Panama has yet to cement itself as one of North America’s top teams. The last time they reached the Gold Cup semifinals was in 2015, as they crashed out in the group stage in 2021. However, recent performances have been better, and this could be a good tournament. Winger Ismael Díaz, currently starring in Ecuador, will be key.
Similar to Costa Rica, El Salvador is relying on youth. Eight of their squad is younger than 23, with the team trying to bring in a new generation of players. None of their squad was alive when the country last reached the semi-finals in 1985, and, while that may not change this year, they’re developing some top talent. Striker Mayer Gil, just 19, is one of these players to watch, and he will be an exciting option off the bench.
For the fourth consecutive tournament, Martinique will be at the Gold Cup — a major accomplishment for a country with a population of just 367,000. They have only made it out of the group stage once, in 2002, but that could potentially change. Martinique has a very solid squad led by striker Brighton Labeau, who has scored in two successive qualifying matches.
Group D: Canada, Guatemala, Cuba, Guadeloupe
One of the most interesting teams to watch is Canada. Their fortunes are changing thanks to an exciting generation led by Alphonso Davies. They qualified for back-to-back World Cups, reached the last Gold Cup semi-finals, and reached final of the Nations League. Canada is missing big names, but they still have quality players, including Porto’s Stephen Eustaquio.
The opposite of Canada is Guatemala — once dominant, they have only appeared in two of the last five Gold Cup tournaments. They failed to make it out of the group both times. That could change this time, though, as they have a strong group of players and an experienced manager. Derby County winger Nathaniel Méndez-Laing will make his debut for the national side this tournament, and his experience will be very helpful.
Cuba is a regular at the Gold Cup, missing just four of the tournaments since the turn of the century. However, they have won just three games during that time span, and have never won multiple games in a single tournament. If they are to change that this year, they will rely on experienced striker Luis Paradela, who has been a regular for Costa Rican side Saprissa.
For the fifth time, Guadeloupe is at the Gold Cup. This is thanks to recent recruitment of dual nationals, mainly players from France. While they are in a tricky group, they could definitely surprise some. Oostende striker Thierry Ambrose will be the key player — he caused a lot of problems for opposing defenses in qualifiers and will try to replicate that in the group stage.
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Image Courtesy Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.