One reason every Gold Cup team could win the tournament
From Martinique and Curacao to the U.S. and Costa Rica, one reason every Gold Cup team has a chance to win it all.
The Gold Cup, a (mostly) CONCACAF-only tournament pitting the best of North and Central America and the Caribbean every two years, takes place this summer, again hosted by the United States. Twelve teams participate: the three North American sides (USA, Canada, Mexico), five Central American teams (Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and El Salvador qualified through the 2017 Copa Centroamerica, and Nicaragua through a playoff with Haiti), and four Caribbean squads (Curacao, Martinique, French Guiana and Jamaica, through the 2017 Caribbean Cup).
Three groups of four teams, the top two from each qualify for the quarterfinals as well as two third-place finishers. The winner of the tournament advances to a playoff with the 2019 winner for a chance to compete in the 2021 Confederations Cup. Mexico won in 2015, and the U.S. in 2013.
The tournament is treated as second tier by the top countries, especially the U.S. and Mexico. El Tri competed in the 2017 Confederations Cup already this summer, so they won’t have a top XI, and the USMNT left out many lineup mainstays and stars (Christian Pulisic, Michael Bradley, Clint Dempsey, etc.) in an effort to find new contributors and test out tactical concepts.
Still, both sides will consider it a major disappointment to walk away without the trophy, considering the importance of the Confederations Cup. And some of the mid-tier nations — like Honduras, Panama and Jamaica — consider the Gold Cup an opportunity to advance in CONCACAF standing, and attempt to move into another tier of North American sides. For the minnows, as in Curacao, Martinique, French Guiana and Nicaragua, simply qualifying was a victory in itself, and a chance to compete against high-level pros in big stadiums is massive for their soccer development.
Surprises will always happen, and you can bet the games will be plenty entertaining. With that in mind, one reason every team can win:
Curacao: Possession-based soccer
Of the minnows, Curacao is possibly the least-known of them. The Dutch territory became officially known as “Curacao” only in 2010, after the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles, and have yet to participate in a Gold Cup. They are, however, FIFA members (they’re the direct successors of the Antilles, as Russia is to the Soviet Union and Serba is to Yugoslavia), and they recently managed the impressive feat of eliminating Cuba from 2018 World Cup qualifying.
According to Nathan Carr of thehomeofcaribbeanfootball.com, Curacao excel at playing a possession-oriented game. That differentiates them from other small international sides, which are more likely to sit deep and try to absorb pressure against more talented and better-resourced opponents. They play Jamaica, El Salvador (who they lost to in WCQ) and Mexico in the group stage.
French Guiana: Malouda and other French imports
Despite being located geographically in South America, French Guiana (along with neighboring Suriname) is a member of CONCACAF in terms of soccer for reasons of parity and competition. Guiana qualified for the Gold Cup via the Caribbean Cup, their first time qualifying for this tournament. Because they’re not a member of FIFA, this counts as their World Cup.
They are one of just two teams to not include a United States-based player on their preliminary roster. Instead, they mostly are populated by players playing throughout France. Many top French players (most notably, Thierry Henry) have been of Guianan descent and could have suited up for French Guiana as well as France had they chosen to do so. For this tournament, they recruited multiple players who have spent most of their life in France or have played for the French national team.
Former Chelsea starter and national teamer Florent Malouda (80 caps for France) will be in the U.S. this summer, even at 37 years of age, as he plies his trade in India. Defender Simon Falette, who was born in France and plays for Metz in Ligue 1, will be in the squad as well.
Martinique: A diverse roster
Ten years ago, in 2007, French territory Guadeloupe upset their way to the Gold Cup semifinals. They defeated Canada, drew with Haiti, and then managed to shock Honduras in the quarterfinal round on their way to the biggest Cinderella run in Gold Cup history. Mexico ended the run with a surprisingly-narrow 1-0 semifinal win, but the legend was sealed.
In 2017, another French overseas territory has an opportunity to equal their counterparts. They qualified for the Gold Cup for the third time in their history, and their diverse roster could help them surprise some people. Jordy Delem, a young Seattle Sounders full-back, is on the preliminary team along with players from such places as Israel, Kazakhstan and Finland. Sounders fans may also recognize forward Kevin Parsemain, who played well in a preseason trial with Seattle in 2014 but tore his ACL before making an MLS appearance. He played in Congo before going back to his native country.
Nicaragua: Heart, grit and the domestic league
Saying that the one reason Nicaragua can win the Gold Cup is “heart and grit” could be interpreted as lazy on my part, but I dare you to go find some information on the Nicaraguan national team and get back to me. They don’t have a very long history, they haven’t produced very many players, they don’t play very many games, and they’re more of a baseball nation than a soccer nation. At least for the above three teams, there’s The Home of Caribbean Football.
The one thing that becomes obvious when looking through Wikipedia pages and past rosters is that Nicaragua rely heavily on their domestic league to produce international players. Their preliminary roster featured only five players based outside of their home country — in Peru, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Iceland. This is not a very experienced team, so they’ll need those domestic players and some Pablo Mastroeni-type grit to advance out of the group stage.
The fact they have pulled off some impressive upsets recently means they might just fight their way as far as the semifinals.
El Salvador: Darwin Ceren and the New York Cosmos
El Salvador have become a regular fixture in these Gold Cup tournaments. This will be their sixth straight, and only three times since 1991 have they missed out on the tournament. They’ve also qualified for two World Cups in their history (the last being 1982), one more than Canada.
San Jose Earthquake defensive midfielder Darwin Ceren is their captain. They also have multiple New York Cosmos players on their preliminary roster, because apparently the Cosmos have invested heavily in Salvadoran players. So for El Salvador to get to the quarterfinals — which is entirely possible if they’re able to get a good result against Jamaica and not fall flat against Curacao — they’ll need those Cosmos guys and especially Ceren to be on their games.
Canada: Young domestic talent
Canada’s best player, Orlando City goal-scorer Cyle Larin, likely won’t participate in this tournament. That means we’ll get a good long look at some first-year players looking to secure a long-term place in this team, many of whom were brought up by MLS teams.
Replacing Larin will be, in all likelihood, Toronto FC speedster Tosaint Ricketts, but expect to see 23-year-old Montreal breakout attacker Anthony Jackson-Hamel also get some time. Jackson-Hamel’s 18-year-old teammate, Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla, seems to have played his way into the Impact’s starting XI. 16-year-old Vancouver prodigy Alphonso Davies, 21-year-old TFC wing back Raheem Edwards, young Caps midfielder Marco Bustos and Impact Homegrown David Choiniere are also names to keep an eye on.
Despite the likely absence of the superstar Larin, there’s some legitimate talent here. We don’t know if all of the players listed above will make the final squad, but you can expect to see many of them, and they could be enough to carry Canada in what is likely the Group of Death, with Honduras and Costa Rica.
Jamaica: They’ve been there before
Two years ago, Jamaica capitalized on a Jurgen Klinsmann-led USMNT team in disarray and managed to oust the U.S. in the semifinals of the 2015 Gold Cup. They had dominated the group stage, beating Canada and El Salvador and nabbing a 2-2 draw with Costa Rica, and had scooted past a feisty Haiti in the quarterfinal before using a Giles Barnes free-kick to eliminate the Americans.
The Reggae Boyz would lose to Mexico in the final, 3-1, but with a similar squad this year and a manageable group stage, who doubts their ability to do it again? A number of American-based attackers looking to make their mark are on the prelim squad — look to Red Bulls II forward Junior Flemmings, or on-loan Atlanta United striker Romario Williams — and some of the veterans (Je-Vaughn Watson, Darren Mattocks) are there a well.
Panama: A combo of CONCACAF bruisers and Central American skill
No team epitomizes “classic CONCACAF” more than Panama. They housed Blas Perez for all those years, and now they’ve got guys like Roman Torres and Gabriel Torres (no relation) to make some crazy happen. Panama threatened eventual champions Chile in the Copa America last year and finished third place in the 2015 Gold Cup, beating the U.S. in the third-place game on penalties.
They also have some players who can make the highlight reel. Former Earthquakes winger Alberto Quintero will be on the squad, and current San Jose midfielder Anibal Godoy is notorious for producing golazos. Young NYCFC mid Miguel Camargo scored in the fifth-minute of the Chile game last year. It’s the Gold Cup, and anything can happen. Panama know how to win in CONCACAF.
Honduras: Houston Dynamo speed
The Houston Dynamo are near the top of the Western Conference in MLS this season thanks primarily to the contributions of lightning-fast Honduran goal-scoring wingers Alberth Elis and Romell Quioto. Those two are among the best in the league when given the ball to run in space, and they have been just as productive for Honduras.
They’ll be starting for Los Catrachos throughout the tournament, and given Honduras’s tough group — also featuring Canada and Costa Rica — they’ll need to score goals. Sitting deep and trying to counter with distribution from another Dynamo player, Boniek Garcia, will be their M.O. as they try to assert themselves as a top CONCACAF side.
Costa Rica: A 5-4-1 filled with domestic products and MLS players
Based on Gold Cup results and talent on rosters, the U.S. and Mexico remain the best two teams in CONCACAF. But let’s not forget that Costa Rica is the home of Real Madrid’s starting goalkeeper, they advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2014 World Cup and they continue to produce European players playing for top teams, like Joel Campbell at Arsenal and Bryan Ruiz at Sporting.
Keylor Navas, of Madrid fame, will not be at the Gold Cup this year. But Campbell, Ruiz, a number of MLS players and many Saprissa and Alajuelense starters will, and that talent is placed best in their notoriously difficult-to-break down 5-4-1, which the US looked to as inspiration in their successful quest to lock down a point at the Estadio Azteca earlier in June. Costa Rica are among the favorites in this tournament.
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Mexico: It’s El Tri
Due to their near-simultaneous appearance in the Confederations Cup, Mexico won’t bring a top-tier roster to the Gold Cup. Players like Andres Guardado, Javier Hernandez, Giovani and Jonathan dos Santos, Hirving Lozano, Rafael Marquez and Hector Moreno will get a rest in July after traveling to Russia in June.
Still, it’s a potent team. Striker Alan Pulido is a notable name, and midfielder Jesus Gallardo will have a role. It’s very Liga MX-heavy, and it will rely on younger players looking to break into the squad. Knowing Mexico, they will bring tons and tons of traveling support with them, they’ll get some favorable calls from intimidated referees and they’ll outclass and outlast many CONCACAF teams. El Tri speak for themselves.
United States: An easy group, and a squad that will play well together
Mexico’s weakened roster makes the U.S. the favorite to win this year. It helps, though, to have the luxury of calling in newer experimental players to play against an easy group and then bring in some starters as reinforcements for the knockout rounds.
Nicaragua, Panama and Martinique join the U.S. in Group B, so they should have no trouble getting to the quarters. Depth options at positions where they’ve had little in past years — for example, Justin Morrow at left-back and Dax McCarty in defensive midfield — will play a lot in the group stage, allowing Bruce Arena to see more clearly the choices he has when filling out rosters. After the first three games, teams are permitted to call in six more players, and that’s when guys like Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Clint Dempsey could come in.
That’s not to say Mexico won’t do the same thing. But the U.S. have a more than capable squad with diverse attacking options and many North American-based players, setting them up for success in an unpredictable CONCACAF tournament.