The Copa America and Euro 2020 will conclude this weekend, but don't worry, dear football fans: The Gold Cup starts on Saturday night when El Salvador takes on Curaçao. So with the cream topping out in South America and Europe, ESPN asked its North American-based writers to explain what to expect from CONCACAF's continental competition.
Jeff Carlisle, Gus Alvin, Kyle Bonagura and Eric Gomez look at four groups of the 2021 Gold Cup, detailing the favorites, dark horses and players to keep their eye on.
Group A: Mexico, El Salvador, Curaçao, Trinidad and Tobago
Expectations for Favorites: Mexico is the hands-down favorite to win it all. After losing the CONCACAF Nations League final to the Americas earlier this summer, El Tri boss Gerardo Martino was inspired to present an almost full-strength team this summer despite the heavy workload, including the upcoming World Cup qualifiers and their There are Olympic sides involved for the U23. This is an unintended consequence of Martino selecting most of his top players against a somewhat weaker field.
If Mexico fails to win this tournament, Argentina's managers will clearly be in the hot seat entering qualifying for Qatar 2022, where a poor result could ruin an entire generation of talent.
Can anyone knock down a favourite? Mexico has a history of playing with the CONCACAF opposition when it is expected to win and even knock out some teams. It will be very interesting to see El Trai face a team like Curaçao, which they have faced only twice since 1982. In their meeting at the 2017 Gold Cup, the Caribbean side gave Mexico a one-goal advantage for 90 minutes before Edson lvarez made it 2–0 in injury time. Granted, that Mexican side wasn't nearly as star-studded as this iteration.
El Tri will also face the usual heavy challenges from more familiar foes in Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador, although neither side has had much luck against Mexico in recent years.
Who will be the Group MVP? All eyes will be on Hirving Lozano of Mexico to put his stamp on this tournament from the start. The Napoli winger has emerged as El Trai's most dangerous player after Raul Jimenez's prolonged absence from the national team due to an injury. Whether deployed in the False Nine role or Storm in the Wing, "Chuckie" will likely lead his squad's attack.
Who will be the breakout star of the group? After a long debate over whether he would be able to represent Mexico in first place, striker Rogelio Funes Mori made a quick impact with El Trai, scoring a goal in his debut against Nigeria in July. The Monterrey frontman has been one of Liga MX's top scorers over the past decade, and at 30 years old, he is still able to make a mark in this tournament. — Eric Gomezo
Group B: United States, Canada, Martinique, Haiti
Hopes for the Favourites: United States manager Greg Berhalter has much to say that their Gold Cup roster is not a B-team, but that many of their best players have been rested after a long club season that inevitably From this it is. And yet, USMNT remains the favorite to top Group B.
Berhalter has also made it clear that his goal is to win the tournament. Given the strength of Mexico's team, there is an opportunity that may not pass, but this group of players will be highly motivated to show that they should be included when the team re-convenes for World Cup qualifying in September. . The backline is a bit thin, but Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson have enough quality to get the job done.
Further down the pitch, Sebastian Llette is likely to lead the midfield, while Daryl Dyke has a great opportunity to make a strong case that he should be the starting striker in World Cup qualifying. For this group, a place in the final is the minimum that should be expected.
Can anyone knock down a favourite? Most definitely. Canada is an emerging soccer nation, and they fired a shot at the bow of the USMNT during the CONCACAF Nations League, beating their neighbors 2–0 during the group stage. While star forward Jonathan David was not included in the roster, Bayern Munich's Alfonso Davies, Besiktas' Cyl Larin and newly committed forward Ayo Akinola should provide plenty of skill and attacking punch. Houston midfielder Tyler Pasher is also in excellent form at the moment.
There are questions about Canada's backline, but the Reds must exit the group and are able to take the top spot. That said, Haiti has given Canada trouble in the past - it won 3-2 against the Reds in the 2019 quarter-finals - and could be upset to finish second in the group. Despite being competitive in past Gold Cup appearances, Martinique will not have enough to move forward here.
Who will be the Group MVP? It usually goes further, so Dyke and Larin are the first names that come to mind. The Haitian tandem of Ducanes Nazon and Frantzdi Pierrot - who scored seven goals between them during the preliminary round - can also dazzle.
Who will be the breakout star of the group? A lot has been predicted about American midfielder Gianluca Busio. If given time to shine, he could emerge as the latest young American player to make a name for himself. With three goals and as many assists in eight games this season, the aforementioned pusher is tearing it up in MLS: He's the one to watch, too. — Jeff Carlisle
Group C: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Suriname, Guadeloupe,
Expectations for the favourites: By default, Costa Rica will enter Group C as favourites, but they will do so despite riding an 11-match winless streak as of November 2019. In the CONCACAF Nations League last month, Ticos lost twice on penalties - to Mexico in the semifinals and to Honduras in the third-place match - before losing 4-0 to the United States eventually losing his job to manager Ronald Gonzalez.
A run for the Gold Cup semi-finals is fair, and anything beyond that will require an improvement in recent form.
Can anyone knock down a favourite? Jamaica, who have reached two of the last three Gold Cup finals and the semi-finals in 2019, can be considered favorites even ahead of Costa Rica. A recent mix of English-born players has given the Reggae Boys more team depth, although their Gold Cup roster will not feature an international debut for West Ham United forward Michael Antonio and may include Swansea City's Jamal Lowe or Watford's Andre Gray. are not included. , both debuted in March.
Who will be the Group MVP? Costa Rica forward Joel Campbell should be a constant threat, while Jamaican Shamar Nicholson, who plays for Royal Charleroi SC in Belgium, is also a formidable attacker.
Who will be the breakout star of the group? Suriname's Nigel Hasselbank, who scored one hat-trick after another in World Cup qualifying, has a good opportunity to raise his profile within CONCACAF. — Kyle Bonagura
Group D: Honduras, Panama, Grenada, Qatar
Expectations for Favourites: Ranked 67th in the FIFA rankings, Honduras will be expected to top Group D which also includes Panama, Grenada and guests Qatar. With an experienced defense led by 38-year-old Mayor Figueroa, and the always dangerous Albert Ellis in the attack, Los Cattrachos should not only win the group, but are also capable of defeating one of the big dogs in the knockout rounds, as He almost did against the United States in the Nations League semi-final.
Can anyone knock down a favourite? While Honduras is supported, Group D is the most wide-open grouping, with both Panama and Qatar as strong challengers. A battle-tested Panama includes five players who have compiled more than 90 caps, led by 2018 World Cup legends Annibal Godoy and Gabriel Torres, while Qatar, unknown to CONCACAF sides, was the surprise winner of the 2019 Asian Cup. The winner was, and will be, eager to make the most of these competitive games leading up to hosting the World Cup in 17 months' time.
Who will be the Group MVP? Alice. One of the most dynamic attackers in all of CONCACAF, "La Pantera" is fresh off a strong start season with Boavista in Portugal and will be tasked with lifting the attacking load for Honduras. The good news for Honduras is that Ellis is able to do so, as his tremendous speed and dribbling skills make him a constant threat on the counter and in one-on-one situations with defenders.
Who will be the breakout star of the group? Qatar is a mystery outfit as it has a guest appearance, but keep an eye out for young forwards Akram Afif and Almoez Ali. Afif, 24, was named Asian Footballer of the Year in 2019; He has been recognized as the Qatar Stars League Player of the Year for each of the last two seasons while playing under Xavi at Al Saad. Meanwhile, Ali, who was born in Sudan and is also just 24 years old, has scored 30 goals in 62 games for the national team, including nine MVP wins in the 2019 Asian Cup.
While both players have already spelled in Europe – Afif in Spain and Belgium, and Ali in Austria and Spain – both could make strong appearances in the Gold Cup in Summer Transfer.