A Complete Guide to the 2019 CONCACAF League

IMPORTANT: If you have not yet voted on your top 10 CONCACAF men’s national teams, please make sure to do so by tweeting me @tim_sokol, by email at tim.sokol4@gmail.com, or in the comments below. Please rank the teams 1-10. Your answers will be aggregated with everyone else to produce a list that can be compared to the now more important than ever FIFA rankings. Open to all!

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The CONCACAF Champions League is an incredible tournament filled to the brim with drama and nonsense and passion and everything there is to like about football. Thanks to the presence of Liga MX and MLS sides, it’s a well documented tournament that gets a lot of people talking year in and year out.

In contrast to the heavily scrutinized CCL, the 2nd tier CONCACAF League is more like the wild west of the confederation. Featuring 22 (formerly 16) teams from across Central America, the Caribbean, and now one from Canada, this tournament may lack the heavyweights of the region but packs all that same passion and drama that it’s older brother does. It’s also, for most English speaking fans, a complete plunge into a new world. Maybe you’ve heard of a few of these teams because they were in the CCL in years past; but the majority of the clubs in the CONCACAF League are a complete mystery to many fans.

As someone who has been writing about this tournament since the inaugural edition back in 2017 let me be the first to tell you: the CONCACAF League is extremely fun. A straight knockout bracket makes it simple and entertaining to jump into a random game with no context and just enjoy the chaos and the golazos. However, if you *want* some context, look no further, because as always I am here with a full primer on all 22 teams competing in the tournament this year. In this comprehensive guide you will find: 1) A brief explanation of the tournament’s format, schedule, and rules. 2) An overview of every team including their history, recent performances, notable players, and fun facts. 3) A quick look at the bracket and other useful resources.

Tournament Overview

Though the CONCACAF League initially had 16 teams competing over four rounds of knockout play, it has now expanded to 22 teams, adding an extra preliminary round in which 12 teams square off to join the ten that qualified directly for the Round of 16. In the past, only the winner qualified for the CCL, but now the top 6 teams, meaning all semifinalists and the best two losing quarterfinalists (based on total points accrued, followed by goal difference if necessary), will qualify for the CCL in 2020.

Each round is played as a home and away two legged series where the away goals rule serves as the tiebreaker; if the teams are level on away goals the match goes straight to penalty kicks. The exception to this is the final, which does not use away goals and will feature extra time during the 2nd leg if necessary.

The schedule for the matches is as follows:

The reigning champions are Herediano of Costa Rica, who are back to defend their title. 2017 winners Olimpia from Honduras are also among the contenders.

Meet the teams!

 

 

Forge FC

The very first representative of Canada in this competition and the first representative of the new CPL in continental history, Forge are certainly a team to keep an eye on. They are the ultimate unknown. How good is the CPL exactly? Nobody is entirely sure yet. How will they prepare for a trip to Central America? We don’t know yet.

With a roster that includes mostly uncapped Canadians, it’s hard to get too excited, but they also do have some fun players like Guyanese striker Emery Welshman and fringe Senegalese international Elimane Oumar Cissé.

Antigua GFC

Antigua are known for having an extremely plain crest and even more boring social media presence, but they’re also part of a new generation of powers in Guatemalan football that have overthrown the decades old duopoly of Municipal and Comunicaciones. Their only appearance in continental play was when they finished last in their group in the 2016-17 Champions League, having been robbed of more chances due to Guatemala’s FIFA suspension.

The Avocado Farmers are coming off a fantastic season. They finished in first place in the regular season and then handled business in the playoffs, conceding just one goal in the postseason. Knocking off a Guastatoya side that hadn’t lost a playoff series in three seasons and gave FC Dallas everything they could handle back in February is no small feat.

The loss of long time top scorer Agustin Herrera will hurt this team’s production, but the back line of Guatemalan international Christian Jimenez, Costa Rican international Jose Mena, and veteran Edwin Fuentes, who was a key part of the Malacateco team that just lost to Antigua in the finals, will prove difficult to break down.

CD Olimpia

Olimipa are Honduras’ biggest club, and they are coming into this year’s tournament with a hunger you don’t usually see from giants. After losing the Clausura final to Motagua last month, the domestic title drought grew to six seasons. They also missed the 2019 Champions League, breaking their perfect attendance record of participating in every CCL since the tournament rebranded in 2008. So needless to say, the players, the fans, and the ownership are all hungry to get back to winning.

With a first round bye, they’ll get a chance to grow into the season via some domestic matches before returning to the continental stage, where they’ll be among the favorites. Remember they just won it all two years ago. I am being 100% serious when I say that the key player for Olimpia is Jerry Bengston, who actually had one of the best years of his career last year and led the Honduran League with 24 goals. Look out for Olimpia to make a serious run at the title.

Comunicaciones

One of Guatemala’s big two, Comunicaciones have been out of the spotlight for a little while. Los Cremas haven’t won the local title since the 2015 Clausura, but have a lengthy history in continental play. Two time winners of the UNCAF Interclub Cup, the spiritual predecessor to this tournament, and the CONCACAF Champions Cup in 1978, the club will be looking to regain some of the reputation that it has lost in recent years. A deep run in this tournament would be a loud way to accomplish that.

Mexican Agustin Herrera won the golden boot in both the Apertura and Clausura last year for Antigua, and Los Cremas have scooped him up for the upcoming campaign. This is a very big move that completes the squad. Comunicaciones had the best defense in Guatemala last year, and they’ve now just added the league’s most potent goalscorer for three years running. This team has the potential to go far, and if fans can pack the national stadium like they should then Los Cremas will be a very tough out.

Marathón

Central American teams did quite well in the 2019 CCL. Both Costa Rican sides won home legs against the big boys, Guastatoya had Dallas shook, and Alianza held off eventual champions Monterrey for 175 minutes. Marathón were the exception; they were hammered 11-2 in the first round by Santos Laguna.

So of course they’ll be looking to bounce back from that, but I’m not the biggest believer. Besides Yustin Arboleda who dropped 20 goals last year, they’ve also got Carlo Costly, who is somehow still around and playing soccer at a high level. Goalkeeper Denovan Torres made the 40 man roster for the Gold Cup but didn’t make the final team. Las Esmeraldas are not bad per se, but they don’t excite me either.

CD Guastatoya

The last Guatemalan team in the field, and a side that looked unbeatable for most of 2018. During the calendar year they won two league titles and had a pretty easy time in both playoff runs. They played great against Dallas in the 2019 CCL and after a slow start in the league they finished the year smoking hot to sneak into the playoffs and back to the semifinals where Antigua finally put them down.

It may sound cliche, but over the last 18 months this teams has been so unwilling to die. Even in those series that they did ultimately end up losing, Guasta battled tooth and nail right down to the end, and they always have the vibe about them that they’re actually going to pull it off. It reminds me of Club América in the liguilla, for comparison.

In the CCL they were forced to play their home leg away from home because their stadium didn’t meet the requirements. I imagine that will be the case once again so I will throw in this fun fact now since you are unlikely to see it for yourself: there is a large waterpark just behind the club’s stadium and it’s an amazing backdrop for a game of soccer.

Belmopan Bandits

The Bandits have been the lone representative for Belize in continental play for a little while, and they held off a fierce challenge from Verdes and the San Pedro Pirates this year to qualify for the CONCACAF League once more. Belizean teams have not had the best of results against the rest of Central America, and the Bandits have yet to advance past the first round even when getting an easy draw. Unfortunately for them, Saprissa is anything but an easy draw this time around.

Now of course, it’s CONCACAF and anything can happen on your home turf. The real challenge for coach Kent Gray is figuring out how to survive the away fixture in San José. At his disposal is a handful of Belize national team members, including Ian Gaynair, who scored against the US at the 2013 Gold Cup. Perhaps the most dangerous man is Rony Flores, a Honduran journeyman striker who has one cap for Los Catratchos. His career notably spanned time in the Chinese Super League for Shenzhen.

Deportivo Saprissa

Every time I write one of these continental previews it seems like I say the same things about Saprissa. They are the biggest and most respected team in CONCACAF outside of Liga MX and MLS, and they will be perennial contenders to win this tournament for probably decades to come. Winning in the Monster’s Cave at Estadio Saprissa is a massive undertaking, and El Monstruo Morado even took care of Liga MX champions Tigres there back in February. Just qualifying for the CCL is a must, but Saprissa are looking to win it all.

They also bring the big names to the table. Check out this Central American All Stars lineup: Christian Bolaños, Johan Venegas, Randall Leal, and Marvin Angulo are all fearsome players that can control the midfield and/or score goals by themselves. At the back they may lack the brand names but the talent is still there. Alexander Robinson has been part of the setup for over a decade and 20 year old Yostin Salinas has an extremely high ceiling. It’s Saprissa, you know what it is.

CD Aguila

The reigning champions of El Salvador also earned themselves a free pass into the round of 16 when they beat Alianza on penalties back in May. Much of what I wrote about them before that final still applies here.

Historically, they’ve been continental champions one time, back in 1976. However before this past Spring they were in a title drought stretching back to 2012. In fact, they’ve only won 5 titles since 2000. Considering there are two seasons a year, that’s a pretty bare patch in history for El Salvador’s second most winningest club. A decent run here would go a long way to restore the club’s honor, but with Saprissa looming large on the horizon that seems unlikely.

As I said, the roster is virtually the same from the one that won the championship a few months ago. Benji Villalobos is a really good goalkeeper even though he is more famous for his match fixing scandal. Fredy Espinosa has been on the back line for an eternity even though he’s only 26.

This team is very strange. I realize they just won the championship and finished a respectable 2nd place in the regular season, but they also kind of are not that good. 27 goals in 22 games last year is not exactly a great figure. But they’re well organized and hardly ever concede, so it’ll be interesting how they match up with (probably) Saprissa.

Robinhood

The first Surinamese club in CONCACAF League history and one not to be confused with Robin Hood of Bermuda, who sent numerous players to the Gold Cup in June. They’re here after traversing the long and windy path of the Caribbean Club Shield, which they won, and then a playoff against the 4th place team in the Caribbean Club Championship, which they also won.

Now believe it or not, Robinhood have a large history in CONCACAF. They’re actually five time runner ups in the Champions Cup (the old Champions League). FIVE! Not a bad resume, but I don’t think that title will be coming any time soon as much of the continent has since passed them up. Nonetheless they’ll be an interesting specimen to look at this year.

Caribbean Club Shield top scorer Stefano Rijssel and attacking midfielder Roxey Fer will be creating the bulk of the chances, but a team that was ultimately not very dominant in the Shield may struggle to get anything going against the next level of competition.

AS Capoise

The Haitian season runs later than most, and thus ASC have had only a short break before this tournament gets started up. Haiti just made headlines at the Gold Cup over the summer, and I think it’s fair to say people are interested to see what their domestic league is serving up.

Capoise finished 2nd in the Ouverture (Apertura) regular season but fell in the semifinals. It’s very hard to find footage of the Haitian League online, but if the Caribbean Club Championship was any indication ASC play a swashbuckling open game, having led the tournament in goals scored and goals against. They fell behind in all three matches but managed to turn a 2-0 into a 2-2 and a 1-0 (within the opening minute!) into a 3-2 victory. Sounds like fun.

There’s one extremely noteworthy player for Capoise: Djimy Alexis. Gold Cup enthusiasts may recognize the name as the guy who scored the eventual game winner against Costa Rica to send Haiti to the top of the group. He was the club’s only player at the Gold Cup, but what an impact.

Club Atlético Independiente

The heroes of the winter. Independiente slaughtered, and I mean slaughtered, crushed, destroyed, decimated, whatever adjective you want to use, Toronto FC in the 2019 Champions League. 4-0 in Panama, 1-1 in Toronto. The golden boys of MLS were done very badly. Independiente proved it wasn’t a fluke when they beat Sporting KC in Panama in the next round, though the Blues managed to just sneak out a series win at home.

Plenty of stars emerged from that campaign. Omar Browne immediately moved to MLS and scored a game winner on his debut. Romeesh Ivey, who spent much of his time making MLS defenses look like swiss cheese, has moved on to Colombia. But despite the stars departing, the bulk of the team remains in tact and it was an entire unit that played so well in the CCL, not just the talented few individuals.

I’ve stressed it many times but I’m going to use Independiente as an example to stress it again: preparation is key to success in a CONCACAF tournament. Not tactical preparation, but all of the off the field stuff. The game outside of the game is what trips everyone up when they go to Central America. With their impressive results *away* from home, Independiente demonstrated they not only know how to make life a nightmare for visitors but also how to quickly recover from long flights, find proper nutrition, and all the other little things that effect your performance when you’re thousands of miles from home in another country.

Alianza

The Salvadoran giants just lost a tough (and not particularly exciting) final back in May, but they had a great season and as previously mentioned took Monterrey to the brink in the CCL. And as we saw in that Monterrey series, one of the things that makes Alianza so dangerous is that they basically never concede goals at home. They conceded 14 goals at home in 44 regular season games last year, and lost only once. In the four home playoff games they had, five if you include the Monterrey game, they had 4 shutouts and conceded just twice in a draw to FAS.

The club have a long history that includes a CONCACAF title in 1967 and an UNCAF title in 1997. Salvadoran football is not in the same tier today as it was back then, but Alianza and the rest of the country’s giants can still mix it up with anyone in this tournament.

After falling short in the final, some moves were made over the summer. Most importantly, Colombian Raul Peñaranda comes to join his countryman Bladimir Diaz up front after being bought from Arabe Unido in Panama. The dangerous duo of Oscar Ceren and Diaz has now become a triangle, and combined with the ever-present stingy back line, Alianza are quite a good team.

San Francisco

San Francisco had the best aggregate record in Panama during the 2018-19 cycle, but fell short of the championship both times and thus are stuck in the preliminary round. Even a 124th minute equalizer in the Clausura final could not save them. Crazy game.

When you get to the CONCACAF League it’s all giants, and San Francisco are relatively small by comparison. 9 league titles is nothing to sneeze at, but they’ve got no continental hardware and just don’t have the same aura as many other teams in the field. Perhaps bigger than Independiente, with whom they share a tiny stadium, but Independiente come in with pedigree and a reputation that San Francisco have never had.

But at the same time, Independiente are the poster child for ignoring reputation and winning anyway, so why not San Francisco next? Panamanian clubs are becoming more and more lethal with each passing year, coinciding with the rise of the country as a soccer nation overall.

Christian Zuñiga is a consistent goalscorer, while Jhamal Rodriguez just started scoring last year. Both hit the double digits mark in the Clausura. The departure of former Colombian international defender Humberto Mendoza is a big blow, but the team was good enough last year to absorb the loss. There is a lot of potential here for a deep run, but I wouldn't expect anything to come easily.

Tauro FC

Tauro are a fun team, especially during their Apertura title winning season when they scored goals whenever they wanted. They had a bit more of a balanced approach in the Clausura, but they’re still some of the bigger gunslingers in this tournament. Tauro have 14 Panamanian titles, the most ever or the second most ever depending on who you ask, but their recent claim to fame was beating FC Dallas in the 2018 CCL.

They were also semifinalists in this tournament last year, beating all the teams they were supposed to and then falling to a very strong Motagua side. If they can get there a rematch with Motagua could be waiting for them again in the semifinal, but they’ve got to take care of their own business first.

Marcos Sanchez and goalkeeper Orlando Mosquera both were part of the Panama side at the Gold Cup, and Enrico Small had 19 goals last season. It’s hard to bet against any Panamanian team based on the recent results, and Tauro are no different. Just a solid team all the way around.

Real Estelí

At this point in time there are two teams in Nicaragua that are a clear cut above the rest; Real Estelí are one of them. The 13-time champions (who also hold the CONCACAF record for most consecutive national titles, with 8) are coming off a spring season in which they lost only one game and handled their business in the playoffs as the #1 seed. Despite that pedigree back home, on the continental stage Nicaraguan clubs are pretty small time, but Real Estelí did take Aguila to penalties back in their 2017 opener, so perhaps Santa Tecla is not out of reach for El Tren.

Estelí sent five players to the Gold Cup for Nicaragua, including Manuel Rosas and Josué Quijano, a pair of veteran defenders who were a big part of the club’s unbelievable defense last season. They gave up only 25 goals in 36 games. That other dominant team I mentioned? Even they conceded 41. Douglas Caé, the Brazilian import, managed 15 goals including 12 in the spring season alone. He’s back for El Tren and will probably be called upon to scratch one or two past Santa Tecla if Estelí hope to advance. Over the summer they also acquired Nicaraguan superstar Juan Barrera who returns home from abroad. Barrera didn't have a great Gold Cup but there is little argument that he is the best Nicaraguan player on the planet right now.

Santa Tecla

Few teams punched their CONCACAF League ticket with as much drama as Santa Tecla. In front of 55,000 at the Estadio Cuscatlan during the Apertura final it was an 89th minute game winning goal that sent the club into euphoria. Though they aren’t a historical power, Santa Tecla have found themselves amongst Salvadoran royalty over the past five years and have emerged as a serious force.

Wilma Torres, who scored both goals in that epic final, led the pack with 11 goals last season. However it is captain and midfielder Gerson Mayén that is really worth watching. I’ve been singing his praises for a while and he’s head and shoulders the most important player on this team. He appeared in the Gold Cup for La Selecta, and real veterans may remember him from his time at Chivas USA back at the turn of the decade.

San Carlos

San Carlos are one of the great stories in Central American football. Last year they were newly promoted to the Costa Rican first tier, and after a solid Apertura they stunned everyone by winning the Clausura in somewhat dominant fashion. To be clear, it is very rare for the Costa Rican title to leave the possession of the big three, and for it to go to a newly promoted team is unbelievable.

How did it happen? A great coach, for one. Luis Marín arrived in January and 5 months later was a national champion. Under Marín they performed tremendously in the playoffs, dropping a 4 spot on Herediano and then taking a result at Saprissa to secure the title. This was far from the grind it out tactics used by Perez Zeledon in the final to take the title a few seasons ago.

Player wise the biggest name is the now ancient Alvaro Saborío, who scored 28 goals last year and found himself back with the national team as a result. Who knows if that season was his last hurrah or if there’s more in the tank for 2019/20. Veteran Patrick Pemberton just signed for the club and will be between the posts. I’m also a big Diego Madrigal fan; he played more minutes last year than ever before and he seems to have finally found a role that he fits into along the left side. For those unfamiliar, he has the sauce. Oh and if you thought San Carlos were a fluke, they just beat Saprissa to open their season last night.

Waterhouse

The Caribbean runner-ups and Jamaican runner ups for two years straight will be thrust into the fire against Herediano in the round of 16, but don’t think this team is going to roll over and die without a fight.

This is their first time in the tournament, but last year Portmore United, also from Jamaica, became the first Caribbean team to advance past the opening round in history. Waterhouse will carry those expectations with them and a showdown with Herediano is not a viable excuse for failure; Portmore defeated Costa Rican club and 2017 runners up Santos de Guapiles in that first round encounter a year ago.

Tremaine Stewart, who tragically has lost in the Jamaican final four years in a row and counting, led the team in scoring with 11 goals. That may sound low for a 33 game season, but it was actually second best in the league. It was an exceptionally defensive season in Jamaica, and that’s surely what Waterhouse intend to use to get by their Central American opponents in this tournament. Grind out a draw on the road and steal victory at home. In truth that’s the meat and potatoes of everyone’s gameplan, but Waterhouse exemplify it the most.

CS Herediano

Costa Rica sits at the top of Central America right now, and the Liga FPD has the best teams in the subregion. Herediano impressed in the CCL, beating MLS Champions Atlanta 3-1 at home, and it honestly could’ve been a lot worse. They choked away the series in the states. How did they get to the CCL? They won the CONCACAF League last year, and are among the favorites again to repeat.

The club has a lengthy history that includes 27 Costa Rican titles, the aforementioned CONCACAF League, and plenty of runs in the CCL in the past. They play in a relatively small but compact stadium that has never been an easy place to take points at. Just ask Atlanta, or Tigres for that matter.

In the past 12 months Herediano won the CONCACAF League and then shook up Atlanta. It’s been a great stretch of continental play. The make up of the team is not *that* different, but the departure of Jimmy Marin, surely the club’s best playmaker, will be tough to absorb. They do have Yendrick Ruiz, back after a brief stint in Bolivia. He doesn’t score the same goals he used to, but has developed nicely into a supporting forward role. Yeltsin Tejeda is a great all around midfielder and La Sele regular. The same can be said for the more attacking focused Randall Azofeifa. Keysher Fuller at right back has also just broken into the national team this year, playing regularly at the Gold Cup.

Motagua

Title or bust. That’s the mindset for Motagua right now. They were the losing finalists a year ago, and since then have reeled off two consecutive Honduran league titles. Their most recent championship over Olimpia in early June demonstrated that they are still at or near the top of the Central American food chain.

They ended last season on a 9 game unbeaten streak, and the team responsible is still here. Roberto Moreira and Kevin Lopez formed a dangerous pair of attackers with 31 goals between them, and the signing of Oscar Salas from the relegated Juticalpa gives them more depth at the top. Wilmer Crisanto is an accomplished defender that once seemed destined for big things in Argentina.

I am a big big believer in Motagua and the likely quarterfinal between them and Herediano should prove to be one of the juiciest series in the entire competition. If you only can watch one game, a Motagua home leg is a pretty great choice.

Managua FC

Nicaragua’s other team currently at the top of the heap don’t have the same history as Estelí, far from it. They’ve only got two national titles and have only been in the first division since 2010. Since their arrival though, Los Leones have rarely missed the playoffs and last year broke through as the best team in the country. They finished first overall in the aggregate table, winning the Apertura but falling in the Clausura final on away goals.

As previously mentioned, Managua’s defense was vastly inferior to Real Estelí’s, but they more than make up for it up front. Or perhaps I should say they made up for it. Edward Morillo and Lucas Oliveira were the league’s top two scorers last Clausura, with 17 and 16 apiece. Both left over the summer break, leaving this Managua team severely weakened and scrambling for someone to step up and replace their front two.

They...didn’t really sign anyone to replace them, so it’s up to one of the younger players to fill the void. 19 year old Isaac Sequeira showed a lot of promise a year ago, but it’s a big ask to replace over 50% of the team’s goals.

Conclusion

That does it for all 22 teams. I just wanted to also link to the bracket for the tournament, which will allow you to visualize and see potential future match ups for the later rounds. Print it out and hang it on your wall (I do this because I'm a big nerd), use it as a schedule, or make your own picks with your newfound knowledge. I hope you enjoyed reading and learned a thing or two! Let's all hope for a good tournament!

Gold Cup Conclusions

Mexico are the champions. Despite their weakened squad they got the job done (though they certainly didn't have an easy time in any of their knockout matches) and claimed their 8th title, putting them two ahead of the US. Anyone reading this surely watched the final, so I'm not going to go into the details, but I just wanted to give my closing thoughts on the tournament as a whole.

16 teams worked out wonderfully. Everyone held their own more or less, with only Cuba never putting up a fight. Guyana did well and earned a point in the end and could've had more on another day, and of course Bermuda were excellent. Any minor drop in quality or parity does not outweigh the advantages of having a balanced format and a chance for more teams to compete.

World Cup qualifying is going to be extremely good. Look at what we saw this tournament. Mexico, USA, Costa Rica, Panama, Jamaica, Haiti, El Salvador, Canada, Curaçao, and I'll throw in Honduras and Trinidad despite their lousy performances in the group stage. That's 11 hex hopefuls; I don't think we've ever had so many teams with a real shot at that final round. Qualifying for Qatar will be a difficult battle for everyone in this region.

This was maybe the most fun Gold Cup in history. There were a lot of classic moments in the group stage, Haiti were probably the most fun team ever, and a USA-Mexico final is always going to be an epic showdown for continental supremacy. The new teams like Bermuda were a pleasant surprise, and I think we can all agree the Nations League is about to be lit if its anything like this Gold Cup.

The word seems to be the US will be hosting the 2021 Gold Cup, which is good news for me as a fan who just wants to see Omar Browne in person, but it is unfortunate in that I think it's time for other countries to get a chance to host. Alas, we will continue to wait on that. The entire next cycle should be a blast regardless.

Regarding this blog, I have a few weeks of downtime where the region is mostly dormant, though MLS and some Caribbean leagues persist through the summer. Liga MX is back in just two weeks, along with most of Central America's domestic leagues. I am particularly excited about Jicaral in Costa Rica, who have finally earned promotion to the top flight after losing the promotional final in 2017 and 2018.

Also coming at the end of July is the 2019 CONCACAF League, with the new 22 team format in place. Expect some posts on that in the future. Until then, take care and thank you for reading! Glad to share this Gold Cup with all of you!

A Love Letter to Haiti

There are still two games left to play in the 2019 Gold Cup, but unless Jamaica manages to knock off the United States and Mexico back to back, this tournament has already been written into the history books as "The Haiti Tournament." Curaçao had great moments, Jamaica have looked very strong again (and could still win it all at the time of writing this), but Haiti were just everywhere in this cup.

From the very first game of the group stage eyes were on the Haitians who fell behind to Bermuda in the first half and looked to have their entire tournament going up in flames immediately. Les Grenadiers responded by dominating Bermuda so badly in the second half that 5-1 would have felt like a fair result, though they only actually scored twice. One of those goals came on a trick play free kick, and they attempted another that nearly resulted in a goal later on.

In the latest installment of their newfound rivalry with Nicaragua, they claimed superiority in a comfortable 2-0 victory that left nemesis Juan Barrera powerless against them. It was a big moment that officially solidified them as the better side, and that gap would only prove to increase as the tournament progressed.

In the final group game, in front of a large contingent of Haitian fans in New Jersey, they once again came back from 1-0 down to stun Costa Rica and claim all nine points in Group B, avoiding Mexico for the time being. The win was the first proof Haiti gave that they are here to compete and have moved into that Jamaica tier level of Gold Cup contender.

Now I, like many, thought Haiti was a pretty good team coming into this tournament. They were the very best team in qualifying, which unofficially meant they were the 7th best team in the region. It wasn't inconceivable coming in that they would miss out on the knockout stage to Nicaragua, but they were definitely clear favorites for that 2nd place spot. The win against Costa Rica surprised us all, some more than others, but I don't think many people outside of the Haiti camp and supporters thought they could get nine points in this group.

But what the win meant was that Mexico was avoided for the time being, and Canada was a very winnable game for Les Grenadiers. Anyone who watched them against Costa Rica knew that. When they fell behind 1-0, things looked a little shaky. When Canada doubled the lead it felt like the run had come to an end.

As we all know, Haiti responded with a legendary second half and outplayed Canada up and down the field to fire back three goals, winning the match and punching a semifinal ticket without even needing extra time to complete the comeback. The third goal will go down in CONCACAF lore as one of the greatest moments in the history of the competition.



By the time the Mexico game rolled around I was even more of a believer than I was when this tournament started. We all were. Mexico fans were confident but most didn't treat it as a free win. Haiti was going to play a damn good game. They fought hard for 90 minutes to take CONCACAF's most dominant team into extra time, where they fell victim to a very soft penalty that put them behind 1-0. That would be the score after 120 minutes, with Mikaël Cantave's thunderbolt from just beyond the 18 slamming off the crossbar in the 119th minute. If that ball went in I think I would have broken my TV in excitement.

Haiti were SO close to the final. SO close to beating Costa Rica, Canada, and Mexico back to back to back. Who knows what they would have done against Jamaica/the US but the momentum would have been undeniable. What does the future hold for this team? They'll be looking to make noise in Nations League A in a group with Costa Rica and Curaçao, and beyond that surely they've announced themselves as Hex contenders for World Cup qualifying.

We love you, Haiti. You've made this Gold Cup special and gave us a lot of unforgettable moments. You were crafty, skillful, high energy, and most importantly, fun. The world needs more teams like Les Grenadiers and we are all looking forward to what you do next.

The Four Elements of CONCACAF

We were lucky enough to get four exciting Gold Cup quarterfinals this weekend, and though some games were better than others, it's hard to deny that this was a great round of action. Saturday's double header featured two certified Gold Cup classics, and Sunday's matches delivered a lot of excitement as well. Each of these quarterfinal matches demonstrated why we love CONCACAF, and each did so in their own way. The so called Four Elements of CONCACAF were on full display.

Haiti vs Canada

It doesn't get any better than this. Canada took control of this game quickly with two goals in the opening half-hour and looked to be well on their way to the semifinals. Instead, Haiti completed their third come from behind victory of the tournament with a three goal outburst in the second half to stun the Canadians and punch their ticket to their first ever Gold Cup semifinal*. It was an incredible game from start to finish and Duckens Nazon's pixel perfect assist on the final Haitian goal was the stuff of legend.

This is the first element of CONCACAF: Emotion. Of course, soccer is emotional everywhere, but here it's just a bit different. CONCACAF is the land of the downtrodden. Much of this confederation, like Haiti, doesn't get much chance to shine in a landscape dominated by a handful of powers at the top. Titles are so far away for so many teams, and that makes them hungry. Haiti play with intelligence and skill, but they are driven by raw emotion and hunger. That is why they can continue to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, and why every win, whether it be against Bermuda or Costa Rica or Canada, means so much to the team and to the fans.

*Haiti previously won the old CONCACAF Championship in 1973.

Mexico vs Costa Rica

The heated Gold Cup rivalry continued as perennial knockout opponents Mexico and Costa Rica went to battle once again in Houston. Mexico struck first, but Costa Rica pulled it back in the second half after a penalty that was never a penalty went their way. Mexico ultimately prevailed after winning a shootout in which they missed their opening kick.

The second element of CONCACAF is chaos. This game was not good on a technical level. It was extremely open and neither side seemed to be very interested in closing down on attackers. There were wild challenges flying in from all sides. And of course, there was nobody there to punish those wild challenges, as the ref let most things go without so much as a common foul called. Costa Rica earned their penalty on a foul that was not a foul nor inside the box, but was I mad about it? Not in the slightest. Embrace the chaos.

Panama vs Jamaica

I had the honor of seeing this one in person, so of course by most accounts (including my own) this was the least interesting of the four quarterfinals, but that doesn't mean there was nothing to learn from it. Panama poured in chance after chance in the first half but could not convert, and conceded a handball in the second half to give Jamaica a penalty and the only goal of the match.

The element here is pain. The crowd was much more for Panama than it was for Jamaica, and as the match slipped away you could feel the frustration from the fans. (Unfortunately, some of that frustration at full time boiled over into fighting.) CONCACAF at every level is about pain and defeat. Why fans enjoy pain I do not know, but I know it is the truth for certain. Mexico falling at the Round of 16 every four years is painful. The US failing to even qualify is painful. Honduras crashing out of this Gold Cup, El Salvador's collapse, and of course, Panama somehow failing to at least force extra time against Jamaica after how well they played, was painful. And for Jamaica, though it has yet to be seen, one would imagine they will fall just short in their third straight Gold Cup later this week.

As I've said in the past, so much of life in this confederation is coming up short and failing to reach your goals. But that only contributes to the hunger that so many countries have, and from pain comes the constant desire to improve and achieve greatness. Panama were hurt on Sunday but they will have more chances, I can assure you of that.

USA vs Curaçao

USA was dominant early and scored in the 25th minute against Curaçao, but were unable to expand upon that lead and played the entire 2nd half on the back foot. It looked certain that an equalizer was coming, but Zach Steffen made a wonderful save to deny Leandro Bacuna in the final moments and seal the deal. It was a game that the US debatably didn't even deserve to win, and credit must be given to Curaçao for controlling the pace and flow of the match.

The final element of CONCACAF is uniqueness. The Gold Cup's official slogan is "This is Ours," and I think it actually fits the tournament really well. There is nothing like the Gold Cup. While Mexico sold 60,000 tickets on Saturday, here on Sunday the hosts had only an announced attendance of 26,000, and that's including a few thousand Panama fans who left after the first game. There is no other soccer tournament in the world that can match the vibe of heavy favorites and hosts clinging to survival against Curaçao in a more than half empty NFL stadium. That is CONCACAF.

I don't mean to suggest that 100,000 at the Azteca or a packed Estadio Cuscatlan are somehow not CONCACAF enough, or that that our nations have no fans and only bad players. Neither of those things are true (I will be the first to defend the quality of Curaçao, Haiti, and others who impressed at this tournament), but the circumstances around the Gold Cup have turned much of it into the scene from Sunday night, and I don't necessarily think that's a bad thing. It's stupid, but it's ours.

Gold Cup: Top 10 Moments of the Group Stage

With the first phase of the Gold Cup completed and the bracket for the knockout rounds officially set, it’s worth taking some time to review everything that’s unfolded so far. Certainly in the early days this tournament seemed to produce a lot of one sided matches, with Canada-Martinique and Mexico-Cuba setting the tone, but as the match days progressed we were treated to more and more exciting moments, golazos, and that sweet sweet drama. I present to you below my top 10 moments of the group stage:

10] Haiti Trick Play

Haiti’s first goal against Bermuda was a fun one; a sneaky fake argument between two potential kick takers left the Bermuda defense napping and tied the game for Haiti.

9] Guyana score first goal

Guyana were on paper the worst team in this tournament, and it certainly didn’t help that they were placed into a group with three very strong teams. They played well enough against the US but really shined against Panama, scoring their first ever Gold Cup goal in the 33rd minute to hang around with one of the regional powers. They would later draw Trinidad to pick up their first ever Gold Cup point and finish 3rd in the group.

8] USA hammer T&T

I will be the first to tell you that the storyline about the US getting revenge on the Soca Warriors is 90% fabricated and this game did not in any way ease the pain of missing the World Cup for American fans. The story here is not the United States, but the complete collapse of Trinidad. This loss marked the lowest of the low for a team that just a few years ago were World Cup hopefuls.

7] Eloy Room Snaps

Honduras lost to Curacao 1-0. Honduras had THIRTY-FIVE shots. Eloy Room did his thing in goal.

6] Honduras explode to ruin El Salvador

Honduras were eliminated after two matches and it looked like they had nothing but pride to play for against El Salvador, but after Curacao tied Jamaica Los Catratchos got a chance to play spoiler to their arch rivals, and spoil they did. 4 goals in a second half onslaught sent El Salvador packing and got Curacao into the next round.

5] Guardado goes top cheddar

Canada came to play this year, and they were in the middle of a pitched battle with Mexico when Andres Guardado decided the game was over. It took two neat dribbles and a banger to put the game out of reach.

4] Bermuda claim first win

Bermuda impressed all tournament, and showed promise against Haiti and Costa Rica. Their 2-0 victory over Nicaragua, the country’s first ever Gold Cup win, was a special moment for a country of just 60,000 people.

3] Parsemain pulls one back

Martinique were essentially eliminated heading into their final group match against regional giants Mexico, but battled hard right to the very end in a 3-2 loss. Kevin Parsemain’s free kick to even the score at 1 is the best goal of the tournament so far.

2] Haiti wins it against Costa Rica

Haiti started slow in their opening match against Bermuda, but showed what they were capable of in the 2nd half and against Nicaragua. It was not inconceivable that Haiti would win, but to turn around an early deficit against a power like Costa Rica demonstrates that Haiti are not here just to take part. They’ve won 7 competitive games in a row heading into the quarterfinal against Canada.

1] Curacao's late equalizer

Curacao were perhaps not quite as much underdogs as you may think, but nonetheless they had never won a Gold Cup match before this edition and were drawn into a difficult group. Jurien Gaari’s 93rd minute laser beam gave them life in this tournament and ultimately was enough to put them into the last 8 after Honduras won later that night. An iconic moment in Gold Cup history.

Hosting the Gold Cup Elsewhere

With this year’s tournament having games played in Central America and the Caribbean for the first time, there’s been a lot of discussion (more than usual) about the fact that the United States has essentially hosted every iteration of the Gold Cup. Everyone agrees that these group matches in Costa Rica and Jamaica are a step in the right direction, but it also must be said that they aren’t enough. No other confederation allows one country to continually host, and sure, the United States is a unique specimen in that it has a hundred Gold Cup quality stadiums and massive immigrant populations from every other nation in CONCACAF, but being an ideal host does not mean you should get a monopoly.

There are obstacles to hosting the tournament in other places, some spots more than others, but I would like to take a look at several mock-up Gold Cup plans for future tournaments and explain their viability as alternatives to letting the US continue to host every edition.

So before we get into those plans, we must discuss the two major obstacles: finances and stadiums. Money is the most important thing when it comes to this tournament. It is a major source of income for the confederation and playing it in the US at the largest possible stadiums maximizes profits. It’s worth noting that Gold Cup matches are typically played as double headers at a site where at least one of the four teams will pack the house with fans. This is very easy in the states for the US and Mexico in particular, though Central American enclaves take over stadiums in certain areas. This issue will be addressed in my example bids.

The issue of stadiums is that while the US has literally hundreds of huge and nice NFL, NCAA, and MLS stadiums, other potential hosts do not have as many. Prospective hosts Jamaica have only two stadiums with a capacity of 20,000+, for example. This too will be accounted for below.

Hosting a tournament in different places around the confederation is not just healthy for the sport, it’s about fairness as well. If you look at World Cup Qualifying, when teams like Panama, Honduras, and Costa Rica get a chance to play at home, they perform way better than they do during the Gold Cup. If the Gold Cup had rotating hosts like the other continental tournaments, I have no doubts that several Central American teams would have won a title by now, and perhaps a Caribbean side as well. We’ve seen USA and Mexico get overmatched in Central America many times before, even to lowly teams like Guatemala. The same can be said for the Caribbean, albeit to a lesser extent. Think about the performances of South Korea 2002, Russia 2018, or Chile 2015 at the Copa America, and you’ll get a quick idea of how much that home soil matters.

There’s nothing fair about the Gold Cup, and that extends beyond the home field advantage and into the format of the tournament, which is always designed to ensure the US and Mexico never have to face off until the finals, even if they finish 2nd in the group. This impossibility makes it much harder for other nations to overcome the already steep odds of playing the two biggest teams in the region at home (and Mexico is very much at home in the US). Although this format is not directly tied to hosting, I just wanted to add that it needs to be changed to create a more fair tournament and in the hypothetical bids below you should assume that the United States and Mexico can meet prior to the final. Onto the bids!

Mexico

This one really doesn’t need much of an explanation of how it would function. There are more than enough large Liga MX stadiums ready to host and there are over a hundred million fans around the country. Every Mexico game (and their paired group stage, quarterfinal, and semifinal matches) would be packed out, and locals would surely fill the seats at many of the other games. I’m confident the people of Monterrey would turn up to watch an underdog Barbados side attempt to deal with a Central American rival. Mexico are the most storied side in CONCACAF history and have hosted two World Cups by themselves before; it's a no brainer that they should host the Gold Cup soon.

Canada

Like Mexico, not much to explain here. Canada just successfully hosted a Women’s World Cup in 2015 (26,000 average attendance) and they have numerous CFL and MLS venues to choose from. Canada games would be well supported, and US and Mexican fans would travel in droves. That’s potentially three groups covered right there. Though not as much as the US, Canada has immigrant populations from most CONCACAF nations and everyone would still get some support from locals. Fan support and stadiums would not be an issue. Canada’s massive size might be, but that can easily be circumvented by scheduling little to no cross country flights until the final. Keep two groups more west and two groups more east, play the quarters and semis more towards the middle of the country in places like Winnipeg and Regina, and you’re good to go.

Costa Rica and Panama

Now we get into the more complicated stuff. Neither country on their own is perhaps quite ready to host solo, but the two neighbors combined check all the boxes. Both are in the upper echelon of teams in the region. Both possess a handful of high quality stadiums. Compared to the US, these two countries are so tiny that it’s very easy for traveling fans to go to all three of their team’s group matches. Groups A and B could be played in Costa Rica, while Groups C and D could be in Panama. With all the matches being played so close to each other, I don't think it would be a surprise if thousands of football fanatics stayed in San José or Panama City for the full two weeks of the group stage and attended nearly every match.

The hosts’ groups would fill up their match-days no problem, and the other two groups, headlined by the US and Mexico, would draw in sizable crowds as well. Quarterfinal and semifinal doubleheaders, which the hosts would very likely be in, would sell too. It doesn’t really matter which country gets the final, it would perform well either way. This system is the ideal Central American bid: it’s simple, only involves two countries, will be well attended, and gives two contenders who have more than earned some home matches a chance play in front of their own fans for once.

In San José, Costa Rica, there are two large venues: the National Stadium (which hosted games during the 2019 Gold Cup) and the Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, which needs no introduction as one of the great fortresses of the region and is a fantastic place for a soccer match. Down the road in Alajuela is the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto, which holds 18,000 and rounds out the trio of Costa Rican stadiums to be used.

In Panama City there are three capable stadiums. The Estadio Rommel Fernandez hosted the Copa Centroamericana (all 15 matches) in 2017 and held up well enough. The Estadio Rod Carew is a baseball venue but can easily be converted to support soccer. The Maracaná is tiny but very modern and high quality, and would be a perfect place to host some matches between smaller teams.

 

Central America

This is another idea to get the tournament fully onto Central American soil. Much like how Euro 2020 will be hosted across 12 countries who may or not make the final tournament, this format would split the games between Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama. Each country would need to prepare only one top condition stadium, which would be easy enough to do. The big issue with this formula is that constant travel across borders would be difficult for fans and attendances might be lower compared to having the whole tournament in a relatively small area.

With six hosts and only four groups they would likely need to be treated as regular teams and put into pots, potentially leaving one group with three hosts or another group with zero. It would take some tricky maneuvering to pull it off, but this would be a way to give games to all of Central America (besides Belize). Group matches would be played all over the six nations; Guatemala and El Salvador get two quarterfinals each, Honduras and Panama each get a semifinal, and Costa Rica gets the final. Switch those countries around if you'd like, but the spread would need to be something along those lines.

Jamaica/Trinidad & Tobago/Haiti

Caribbean nations make up the vast majority of CONCACAF's members, and the sub-region deserves a chance to host a major tournament. With so many of the islands being so small, however, it can be tough to find places suitable to host. Along with Cuba, who won't be hosting for the foreseeable future for obvious reasons, these three are the largest Caribbean powers at the moment and the most deserving of the honor. Jamaica hosted two group matches at this 2019 edition quite successfully, and has got enough facilities to host a lot more. In addition to the National Stadium, the island has two sizable cricket venues in Trelawny Stadium and Sabina Park, both of which can be configured for football.

Trinidad and Tobago have two capable stadiums, both in the major population center of Port of Spain. The Halsey Crawford Stadium is the traditional national team home ground, and Queen's Park Oval is a picturesque site for international soccer, which it has hosted in the past. Like Jamaica (and the rest of the Caribbean) the islands are an attractive destination and it wouldn't be hard to draw in traveling fans from around the region to fill the stadiums. With proper ticket pricing and when paired in double headers with the host team, locals would provide great atmosphere all by themselves.

Haiti are really optional in this bid; the other two are capable of making it work by themselves. They only have one venue available for use, the Stade Sylvio Cator, and in this plan they just host one group matchday. This is as a courtesy to the Haitians who really do deserve a home game, and also a chance to give some of the other grounds a chance to rest and stay in good shape.

What Does the Future Hold?

Now there is little doubt in my mind that the Gold Cup calendar right now reads USA 2021, USA 2023, and USA 2025, but it should be Costa Rica/Panama 2021 to give Central America a full tournament as soon as possible, then Mexico in 2023 and Canada in 2025 to give them practice for hosting the 2026 World Cup. The other ideas discussed here, especially the one involving the Caribbean, should be looked at after the World Cup ends. It would also be wise of the confederation to give the Nations League Final Four to some of these places as a chance for them to have a dress rehearsal for a larger tournament.

Why Costa Rica Wins the Gold Cup

Los Ticos have never won a Gold Cup title before (though they did win the old Concacaf Championship 3 times). They’ve only made it to the final once. The best player on the team and in the entire region, Keylor Navas, won’t be playing for them this month. And yet, they are my pick to win it all this time around. Here’s why.

The biggest factor that makes the time ripe for a Costa Rican title is that their opposition has never been weaker. Aside from Canada’s shock victory in 2000, the US and Mexico have cleaned up every trophy and are quite often the two finalists. The duopoly has held firm for 19 years. But as discussed, Mexico are missing as many as nine starters depending on who you ask, and the US are missing some key players of their own and also are just not good. Costa Rica can smell blood this year, and they have to be thinking with the current state of the Big 2 that they can win this summer.

Costa Rica are also getting a chance to host their opening match against Nicaragua. Now there was never much danger of the Ticos losing to Nicaragua or not getting out of this group, but the home field advantage stretches further than the one game where it physically exists. To be able to play and get what should be a comfortable victory in front of your home fans is a great momentum builder and extremely good for the mental fitness of this team. As the weeks of a major tournament pass on, the stress of it all can weigh heavily on a player’s mind more and more with each passing day. Costa Rica, in effect, don’t start undergoing that mental strain until a few days after everyone else, as the Nicaragua match should have the feel of a glorified send off.

Personnel wise, yes, the loss of Keylor Navas is tough. But it’s not crippling. At the World Cup, Costa Rica may need Navas’ heroics to bail them out against the best teams on the planet, but at the Gold Cup? The defense is more than capable of stifling the opposition without the help of a world class goalie. And for what its worth, Navas’ replacement Leonel Moreira is a solid player in his own right.

The strength of this side is a magical midfield, with the veteran trio of Bryan Ruiz, Christian Bolaños, and Celso Borges back to dazzle audiences once again. It’s a well oiled machine of beautiful ball movement and intelligent play. Yeltsin Tejeda can play more of a holding role behind them to great effect. Jimmy Marin can carve up most Concacaf defenses at will. The question mark is moreso who will be finishing the job. Álvaro Saborío is 37 now and well past his best. Nobody has much faith in Jonathan MacDonald. Joel Campbell didn’t have a particularly great year at León. But this core, especially with the addition of Marin, is going to create a lot of chances, and if the forwards can’t get it done then the midfield will have to score themselves. Kendall Waston is also a massive threat on corner kicks and set pieces. I'm confident that the goals will come from somewhere.

Though hardly a perfect squad, you have to remember the field is weaker than ever and Costa Rica have all the X-factors on their side. Somebody has to win, right? Are you putting your money on the team that just got smoked by Venezuela and Jamaica at home or Mexico’s B- team? I’ll take the Ticos, please.

2019 Gold Cup Group D Preview

The last group, headlined by the questionable United States team, is looking to end up being more open than we initially expected. Panama and Trinidad & Tobago will be looking to pounce on the opportunity to claim first place, and Guyana are just hoping for some good experience in their debut.

United States

The US are not in good shape right now. After warmup losses at home to Jamaica (1-0) and Venezuela (3-0), the team that once looked like favorites are now looking like they could struggle to make the final, and crashing out of the group is no longer impossible. Gregg Berhalter’s squad was completely lost all week and I can’t imagine morale is very high right now. The one positive is that they start with Guyana, which should be an easy victory to get their mind-state right.

The biggest concerns with the USMNT are at the back. The goalkeeper situation remains a mess since Tim Howard left the picture, and the defense is currently in shambles. Nick Lima and Omar Gonzalez are not enough. In the midfield you have the completely overmatched Will Trapp, but on the flip side you also have Christian Pulisic who has already shown a lot of being able to carry this team, and Tyler Adams who is nope he's gone too. Up front Jozy Altidore is *still* the only major threat, but when he’s on form he can terrorize this group. The only problem is he needs people to help get him the ball.

The expectations two weeks ago were to win the tournament; now I’m not sure. They’ve been absolutely dreadful all week, but they do have a relatively easy road to the final. Side note: I think there’s a reasonable chance that the cancelled Confederations Cup gets un-cancelled, and the US will need to get their act together before the playoff potentially comes around.

Panama

Still the fastest rising team in the region, Panama are looking to cap off their ascent with a Gold Cup title. They made their World Cup debut a year ago and came home with little to show for it, but the USA is no Belgium. Los Canaleros are the 2nd best team on this half of the bracket, and with the way the United States look right now the final is a real possibility.

The older generation of Felipe Baloy and Blas Perez have finally moved on, but Roman Torres is still here putting in work. Adolfo Machado has also been here *forever.* But I’d like to draw your attention to Omar Browne, who really made a name for himself in the CCL this year when he torched Atlanta and Sporting KC for Independiente. He’s since moved to MLS where he scored a winner on debut and looks to be fitting right in. At 25 years old he’s breaking out quite late, but he might be next up for Panama.

Trinidad & Tobago

T&T have been all over the place for the past few years. They made the hex and famously eliminated the US, and two Gold Cups ago they battled 4-4 with Mexico in an all time classic match. In between, they missed the 2017 Gold Cup entirely. They didn’t have to play any qualifiers, so it’s been a while since we’ve seen this team in a competitive setting, but they’ll be up against it with the two teams above.

The Soca Warriors under Dennis Lawrence have become a team that is worth much more than the sum of their parts. Almost this entire team plays in the local domestic league or in the American lower divisions. Defensively they’ve become a sound unit; since the victory over the US their opponents have scored 1, 2, 1, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 1, and 0 goals. Unfortunately for all the great defending the goals on the opposite end have just not been coming for T&T, who look much more like a grind it out and win on penalties team than they did four years ago when they put seven past El Tri in two games.

Guyana

Guyana are making their Gold Cup debut, but there’s not going to be much of a honeymoon period. Probably the worst team in the field, they’ll be thrown into the fire against a US team that will be hungry to hang 10 on them. That’s not to say they can’t hold their own, though. We’ve seen it plenty of times that these Caribbean teams can cause trouble; Guyana’s French neighbors did so one tournament ago.

In the qualifiers though this team was hardly dominant. They tied Barbados 1-1 (but won 3-0 on disqualification), beat Turks and Caicos 8-0, lost to French Guiana and then beat Belize 2-1. Playing at that level will NOT be enough to upset the apple cart in any meaningful way.

Unfortunately keeper and goalscoring wizard Kai McKenzie-Lyle won’t be there for the Golden Jaguars. In fact, mostly anyone you may be familiar with won’t be. They only have three players with 10+ caps, and none with more than 20, The lack of experience is definitely going to add to this side’s struggles early on. If I had to keep a close eye on one player I’d take Stephen Duke-McKenna, an 18 year old Everton product who’s looking to be part of the Bolton setup next year.

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That's all 16 teams in the field covered. The Gold Cup kicks off Saturday the 15th and I will be busy watching the games moreso than writing about them, but expect a handful of updates over the next few weeks. Thanks for reading!

2019 Gold Cup Group C Preview

Group C is an interesting one. Though it is the only group without a member of the so called Big 3 in it, it is also the deepest group in the tournament and one of the deepest in Gold Cup history. With Honduras, Jamaica, El Salvador, and Curaçao, it's possible for any combination of two teams to advance. Everyone has a chance at the knockout stage, which should make all six matches in this group extra tense and extra exciting.

Honduras

Since 2005, Honduras have mostly been perennial semifinalists, though in 2017 they lost in the quarters to Mexico. This tournament, as is the case with this entire group, could go two ways for them. Perhaps they win the group and get an easier road to the semifinals, make something happen and get a crack at the title. Or perhaps they fold in a very difficult group and crash out in the first stage. It's tough to tell for Los Catratchos, who did perform well in their first warmup match, drawing 1-1 in Paraguay. They lost the second match 7-0 to Brazil, however.

This Honduras squad is a fun mix of veterans and newcomers alike who are spread far and wide across the region. Only three of the 23 players on the squad are employed outside of Concacaf countries. Captain Maynor Figueroa is back for the millionth time at a Gold Cup, and is accompanied by some pretty decent defensive partners in Brayan Beckeles and Emilio Izaguirre. Bryan Acosta just became a DP for FC Dallas this year and will have a lot to do in the midfield. Up front the most exciting man of the bunch is Alberth Elis, who can only be described as a game changing winger. Perhaps not every night, but when he's on his A-game it feels like there's nothing you can do to stop him.

Jamaica

Jamaica have made two straight finals, upsetting USA in 2015 and Mexico in 2017. They've also just cleanly beaten the US again in a warm up match. They also also have a huge advantage in that their toughest group stage match, against Honduras, will be played at home as Jamaica won hosting rights to a single group stage matchday. They're in good form and in great position to make another deep run.

Starting from between the sticks, Andre Blake is perhaps the best goalkeeper at this tournament, and Kemar Lawrence is a great left back who can get forward on the counter in a hurry. Speed is a Jamaican national team trope of course, but this side definitely packs it all around. Shamar Nicholson, who scored a BANGER against the US in that friendly win for his first goal with the national team, might just be a breakout star at the tournament.

Jamaica have one star who stands above the rest though: Leon Bailey. The 21 year old from Bayer Leverkusen is finally going to make his Reggae Boyz debut, and the hype is very real for this kid. He could end up being a Golden Ball winner and the person that gets Jamaica over the hump and into the history books. Like Elis, he's a winger that is capable of picking apart basically any defense in this tournament and I think he'll show everyone that pretty quickly.

El Salvador

El Salvador are definitely a cut below Jamaica and Honduras, but there's no question they can compete with anyone in this group. Even though they barely qualified for this tournament, historically they've been a 2nd or 3rd place in the group type team, which usually lands them a quarterfinal spot. Of course, 3rd won't cut it anymore, and La Selecta need to come at their best to progress. They beat Haiti in their first warm up match but then strangely traveled all the way to Japan and lost 2-0, but more importantly may have put a lot of unnecessary travel fatigue in their system.

Much of this squad plays at home in the Salvadoran league, which is not the strongest, but on the plus side the back line has a lot of extra experience playing with one another. The team star Rodolfo Zelaya isn't here, which means its up to Oscar Ceren to carry the load and create for this team. The captain has the heart to do it and a lot of talent but it's a tall order to get too many goals out of this team with no Zelaya.

Ceren's brother, Darwin, will also be among the key players for La Selecta. Darwin is normally a bit more forward minded than his brother but I suspect Oscar will be asked to push up more than usual for this tournament. The goal for this team has to be the quarterfinals, which is very achievable but will not come easily. Anything beyond that would be a dream.

Curaçao

The islanders are 2022 hex hopefuls and cleaned up in qualifying, scoring 22 goals and conceding just two, both in the final match in which they were on auto-pilot. They were just crowned champions of the 2019 King's Cup, disposing of India and Vietnam to take the title. If you aren't in the know of Asian football, India are an easy victory but Vietnam are actually quite good. It's an impressive win for Curaçao and definitely a momentum builder, though like El Salvador they've had a lot of flying in the past week.

This squad is mostly known for captain and defensive stalwart Cuco Martina of Premier League fame, but they're a lot deeper than that. Leandro Bacuna plays for Coventry and had a long history in the Premier League himself with Aston Villa. However, the question mark surrounding this team is who will be doing the scoring? Of the five players registered as forwards on the roster, four of them have never scored for Curaçao. The exception, Gino van Kessel, has 8 goals in 19 caps but is hardly a goalscorer by trade.

Don't get it mistaken; this team DOES score a lot of goals, but there is just no consistent source. When it comes to crunch time there is no one player Curaçao can look to and say "Get us out of this one." I think in a group where they face three tough opponents, this will be their undoing. Somebody is going to be called upon in every single match, and I'm not sure someone will rise to the occasion all three times.

2019 Gold Cup Group B Preview

Group B will be host to the first ever Gold Cup matches in Central America, with the first round taking place in Costa Rica. It's about time Los Ticos got to host some games, as their resumé recently shows them to be more than deserving. This is a good step in the right direction, but let's hope for a semi-final here next time around.

Featuring Costa Rica, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Bermuda, this is one of the more tame groups in Gold Cup history, but that second place behind Costa Rica is very much up for grabs. Haiti and Nicaragua has become a serious rivalry in recent years, with the Central Americans knocking Les Grenadiers out of the 2017 Gold Cup playoff in dramatic fashion and Haiti getting the better of them during the qualification for this tournament. It's one of the most anticipated games of the group stage overall and with Costa Rica likely finishing first and Bermuda likely finishing last, it will mean everything when it happens.

Costa Rica

Los Ticos have achieved great successes in many areas, but the Gold Cup is the one that has eluded them to this point. It's actually insane to think that this side, which has been better than the United States for long stretches of time, has yet to take home a single Gold Cup title. They aren't helped by Concacaf's consistent seeding of Mexico #1 and USA #2. Costa Rica typically are unable to be ranked any higher than third and as such get stuck having to beat the other two regional powers back to back to win it all. But as unfair as that may be, they still have only made a single final, back in 2002, which is simply not good enough.

With a weakened Mexico on their side of the bracket, maybe this is the year. Though they're without Keylor Navas (the best in the world), the regulars of Bryan Ruiz, Kendall Waston, Christian Bolaños, and even Joel Campbell are expected to be included in the final 23. Also suiting up for Los Ticos is young star Jimmy Marin, who gained quite the reputation when he torched Atlanta in the CCL earlier this year. A home opener against a weaker Nicaragua side should give them a huge confidence and momentum boost that they'll hope to stretch deep into the tournament.

Three wins in the group is very possible, setting up a relatively easy quarterfinal against Martinique/Canada, then you get the weakened Mexico team, and then the US in the final. Though they're certainly not the favorites, that is a very attainable path for this team over the next month.

Haiti

Like Canada, Les Grenadiers are another team I have fallen in love with over the past 18 months or so. Historically a brute force and no nonsense sort of team that could defend well and make even the best really work hard for a goal, Haiti are undergoing a bit of an attacking renaissance at the moment.

Aside from the 13 goals they dropped on a very weak Sint Maarten team, they scored twice in all three of their other qualifiers, beating Saint Lucia, Nicaragua, and Cuba in the process. To be fair, they've lost two friendlies to El Salvador 1-0 in that time frame. But this team now shows up to score goals, with players like Duckens Nazon who seems to find the net in every match he plays for Haiti regardless of club form.

Haiti will be looking to replicate their success of 2015 and get back to the knockout round over rivals Nicaragua, but with Mexico likely looming in the quarterfinals it's hard to imagine the Haitians going any farther than that.

Nicaragua

Nicaragua are a fascinating team. They are historically one of Central America's weakest sides, and perhaps they still are, but one thing has changed recently. Juan Barrera has arrived. Over the past two years or so, Barrera has exploded onto the scene as the brightest star for La Azul y Blanco. Starting with his iconic hat trick in the final 10 minutes of the 2nd leg to send Haiti packing and Nicaragua through to the 2017 Gold Cup, he's never slowed down for the national team and has been playing out of his mind ever since. Like Nazon, his club form doesn't reflect this upward trend, but something magical happens when he puts on his country's shirt that just causes him to unleash havoc on defenses across the region.

The rest of the roster leaves something to be desired. A handful of players have migrated to stronger Central American leagues, but most of this roster plays for lowly local clubs. Carlos Chavarria (Nicaragua's only goalscorer at the 2017 tournament) has ended up in Iran and is a decent scoring partner for Barrera.

For a team making only their third ever Gold Cup apperance and the first where they really have a shot at the knockout rounds, it's fair to say these are the biggest matches in Nicaraguan history coming up. The next showdown with Haiti will be a thrilling new chapter in the rivalry and one I cannot wait to see.

Bermuda

Making their Gold Cup debut, Bermuda are not expected to achieve much in 2019. Facing Haiti in the opener leaves them in a position to take a tough loss in their first ever Gold Cup match if they don't show up prepared. On the flip side, being thrown straight into the fire of an extremely important game can give them a shot at a memorable upset and a start to what could be a cinderella campaign.

The Gombey Warriors come into the tournament in better form than you might expect; having won their final three qualifiers in impressive fashion. They blasted Sint Maarten 12-0 (Do you see a trend here?), edged El Salvador 1-0 at home, and then came from behind to win 3-1 at the Dominican Republic to clinch their spot and deny the DR a maiden appearance.

Most familiar to fans is probably Nahki Wells, who plays for Burnley and was scoring 10+ goals a year for Huddersfield prior to that. But Bermuda are more than a one man show, and they spread the love more than any other team in the qualifiers: 11 different players scored in all across the four matches.

I don't see Bermuda getting out of the group in their first campaign, but like Cuba they have the potential to play spoiler to either Haiti or Nicaragua and shake up the group in a big way.