Joe Casey
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The CONCACAF Gold Cup begins on Saturday with 16 teams facing off across the United States and Canada. The USMNT will be seeking more success after last week’s triumph in the CONCACAF Nations League with wins over Mexico in the semifinals and Canada in the final.
The biennial championship of the North, Central American and Caribbean region has been dominated by Mexico and the United States, who have won 15 of the 16 editions since the tournament was relaunched in 1991, with Canada’s 2000 title the only outlier.
Gregg Berhalter has returned as coach of the USMNT, who are the defending champions after an extra-time victory over Mexico 2 years ago thanks to Miles Robinson’s late winning goal.
Qatar were invited to take part in that tournament and reached the final 4 teams, and that courtesy has been extended to the 2022 World Cup host nation again. The top 2 teams from all 4 sections will progress to the quarterfinals, with the final set for July 16 at SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles.
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CONCACAF Gold Cup Group A team previews
United States
World Ranking: 13
Best Performance: Winners (7 times)
The defending champions were comfortable winners of the recent Nations League Finals, beating their main rivals for this event Mexico and Canada without allowing a goal.
Former manager Gregg Berhalter has returned, but new recruit Folarin Balogun is one of 18 players from the Nations League roster not selected for this tournament as the hosts go with a largely MLS-based squad. Even with the much-changed lineup, the United States should be able to contend for the title.
Prospects In-form and the most likely winners.
Jamaica
World Ranking: 63
Best Performance: 2nd (2015, 2017)
A wave of players such as Michail Antonio, Ethan Pinnock and Andre Gray declaring for Jamaica looked set to start a new era in the country’s soccer history. However after initial improvement the Caribbean nation has struggled of late, failing to win any of their last 10 games.
Prospects Need to improve on recent form or an early exit could be in the cards.
Trinidad & Tobago
World Ranking: 104
Best Performance: 2nd (1973)
Trinidad & Tobago has a poor recent record in this tournament, taking 3 points from a possible 18 across group-stage exits in 2019 and 2021, but confidence has been boosted by 4 wins and 2 ties in the last 6 games.
Prospects Advancing from the group would be a good result.
Saints Kitts & Nevis
World Ranking: 139
Best Performance: First-time qualifiers (2023)
Saint Kitts & Nevis won a couple of penalty shootouts to qualify for this tournament for the first time but will find it hard to score a point in this group.
Prospects Set for an early exit.
CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B team previews
Mexico
World Ranking: 15
Best Performance: Winners (11 times)
A disappointing World Cup campaign saw Geraro Martino depart as manager. His replacement, Diego Cocca, had enjoyed a decent start until his team was beaten 3-0 by the USA last week. The Mexicans have reached the final in 6 of the last 8 editions of this tournament.
Prospects Should go close to adding to its record number of titles.
Haiti
World Ranking: 87
Best Performance: Winners (1973)
Haiti breezed through its recent Nations League campaign against Guyana, Bermuda and Montserrat, winning 5 of 6 games. However this will be a considerable jump in class on that and their group looks tough on paper. A semifinal run in 2019 looks like an anomaly.
Prospects A repeat of the group-stage exit in 2021 looks likely
Honduras
World Ranking: 80
Best Performance: Winners (1981)
This team looks nothing like the one that reached the semifinals 3 times from 2009 to 2013 and was beaten 1-0 by Qatar — who they are likely to battle it out with for 2nd place in this group — in October. A lack of goals is the teams’ big concern, with only 4 scored in their last 7 games.
Prospects Face a battle for 2nd in the group and may come up short.
Qatar
World Ranking: 61
Best Performance: Semifinals (2021)
After the excitement of the build-up to hosting the World Cup, Qatar was a disappointment in the tournament, losing all 3 games comfortably.
More disappointment followed at the Arabian Gulf Cup with a loss to Iraq in the semifinals. Qatar did reach the last 4 in this event 2 years ago, however.
Prospects Unlikely to be involved in the final matches of the tournament this time around.
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CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C team previews
Costa Rica
World Ranking: 39
Best Performance: Winners (three times)
Manager Luis Fernando Suarez has put his faith in youth for this tournament, choosing 14 players with a single-digit numbers of appearances. They looked undercooked in back-to-back losses to Panama and Guatemala and will need more than that if they are to run any of the big names close in the knockout stages.
Prospects Have made 7 quarterfinal exits in the last 10 Gold Cups, so reaching the last four would be a positive.
Panama
World Ranking: 58
Best Performance: 2nd (2005, 2013)
Panama topped its Nations League group and wasn’t disgraced in the finals, losing 2-0 to Canada and 1-0 to Mexico.
The Panamanians have made it out of the group stage in 8 of the last 9 editions of this tournament and could have an impact in the later stages under manager Thomas Christiansen.
Prospects Has potential to cause a surprise.
El Salvador
World Ranking: 75
Best Performance: Runners-up (1963, 1981)
El Salvador finished with just 10 points from a possible 42 in World Cup qualifying and has lost 4 straight games, allowing 12 goals and scoring only 1. La Selecta have posted 4 group-stage exits and 4 quarterfinal finishes in the last 8 Gold Cups and the less successful outcome looks more likely this time.
Prospects May struggle to get out of the group
Martinique
World Ranking: N/A
Best Performance: Quarterfinals (2002)
Martinique has qualified for a 4th straight Gold Cup and managed to win a game in both 2017 and 2019 despite failing to advance each time. The 2021 tournament brought 3 group losses, though, and they also failed to win in their Nations League B campaign.
Prospects Fourth place in the group seems likely.
CONCACAF Gold Cup Group D team previews
Canada
World Ranking: 47
Best Performance: Winners (1985, 2000)
Canada put in some admirable performances in defeat in a tough group at the World Cup and bounced back with 3 comfortable wins before being beaten 2-0 by the United States in the Nations League Final. The Canucks should ease through this group and will be hoping to go close.
Prospects Reached the last 4 in 2021 and that will be the minimum expectation.
Guatemala
World Ranking: 116
Best Performance: Winners (1967)
Guatemala has a disappointing recent record in this event, going winless in 2015 and 2021 and missing out in the two editions in between due to a FIFA suspension. La Bicolor did win their Nations League group, however, and have landed in the easiest group.
Prospects Could get out of the group for the first time since 2011 but unlikely to have an impact beyond that.
Cuba
World Ranking: 165
Best Performance: 4th (1971)
Cuba failed to qualify for this event last time and lost all 3 group games by an aggregate score of 17-0 in 2019. The Cubans won their Nations League group comfortably but this is a big step up in class. This is a soft group but it will need to be for them to get out of it.
Guadeloupe
World Ranking: N/A
Best Performance: Semifinals (2007)
Guadeloupe scored a coouple of solid wins in qualifying to reach the finals, but should find things much tougher now they are facing a higher level of opposition.
Prospects Three games and out seems likely.
CONCACAF Gold Cup Best Bet: United States to win (+200, Caesars)
The USMNT overcame the absence of key player Weston McKennie and Sergino Dest to beat Canada in the Nations League final, having previously posted an impressive 3-0 win over Mexico. That strength in depth will be needed again with a much-changed roster for this tournament, but with confidence flowing again after those head-to-head wins over their chief rivals, the United States should be hard to stop in the Gold Cup.
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