Is CONCACAF Catching Up? Group A & B Come To A Close in the 2021 Gold Cup
There have been quite a few Gold Cup games since my last blog post, so let’s get a quick update on where the 2021 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament currently stands.
As of this writing, the teams moving on from Groups A & B are set and – shocker – Mexico and the United States won these groups, respectively. However, both of these CONCACAF powerhouse teams did not look convincing, nor are they “shoe-in” favorites to win or even make the Gold Cup final. Starting with the United States in Group B, with a pair of 1-0 wins against Haiti & Canada and a dominant 6-1 win over Martinique, they were able to clinch the group with 3 wins. Though their opening game against Haiti left many feeling optimistic and the win against Martinique was just plain fun, the USMNT win against Canada brought the team back down to earth. After Shaq Moore scored just 20 seconds into the game, the U.S. looked lost offensively for the following 60 minutes. Some of the U.S. stars from previous games, such as Daryl Dike and Gianluca Busio, were not as effective against what was their toughest opponent so far. At the end of the day, a win is a win: though this group has gotten results so far, there’s reason to be concerned.
USMNT Not Convincing in
Group A Finish
“After Shaq Moore scored just 20 seconds into the game, the U.S. looked lost offensively for the following 60 minutes... At the end of the day, a win is a win: though this group has gotten results so far, there’s reason to be concerned.”
A similar storyline can be laid out for Mexico, who topped Group A with 7 points. After starting the tournament with a wild 0-0 draw against Trinidad & Tobago, El Tri were able to handle a weak Guatemala side with a 3-0 win, followed by a lackluster 1-0 win over El Salvador. Though the win over El Salvador was the result they needed, El Salvador out played El Tri, just as Canada had outplayed the U.S.. Aside from poor performances and lucky results, Mexico is without their star forward Hector “Chucky” Lozano for the rest of the 2021 Gold Cup. Though Tata Martino and Mexico have brought as close to an A-Squad as they can get, these opening games have not shown well for them.
El Salvador Emerge As A Contender
“El Salvador took care of business against T&T and Guatemala before pushing Mexico to the brink… [El Salvador] are pushing themselves into the “contender” category for this Gold Cup and CONCACAF in general and will be serious players come World Cup Qualifying.”
With that said, I want to give a major shoutout to the runners up of Groups A and B; El Salvador and Canada, respectively. Both teams have shown up and gotten some major results. El Salvador took care of business against T & T and Guatemala before pushing Mexico to the brink. Canada got major results against Martinique and Haiti, then nearly got a result against the U.S. These two countries are pushing themselves into the “contender” category for this Gold Cup and CONCACAF in general and will be serious players come World Cup Qualifying.
Group C has also been decided, with Costa Rica and Jamaica moving on into the quarterfinals. However, the last batch of group games will decide who tops the group. Many people came into this Gold Cup doubting Costa Rica, myself included (as mentioned on the MLSAces Podcast two weeks ago), but they have gotten results. It hasn’t been pretty for Costa Rica, but they beat Guadeloupe 3-1 and Suriname 2-1. Unfortunately, Costa Rica will be without starting CB Francisco Calvo for their matchup with Jamaica, which is a tough blow. Though Jamaica has won both games they’ve played, they have not looked as dominant as some people predicted they would be. The 2-0 win over Suriname was big, but a rotated group only beat Guadeloupe 2-1, which was a bit shocking to me. Jamaica should be fully loaded for their matchup with Costa Rica and, in my opinion, should beat them.
Jamaica Not As Dominant as Expected
“Though Jamaica has won both games they’ve played, they have not looked as dominant as some people predicted they would be. The 2-0 win over Suriname was big, but a rotated group only beat Guadeloupe 2-1, which was a bit shocking to me.”
Group D is an interesting one as well - we have two teams fighting for the final spot. Honduras has qualified for the quarterfinals with two wins against Grenada and Panama. However, they now face Qatar in their final group stage game, a team who are looking to make it out of the group. Qatar drew Panama in a wild 3-3 game before smoking Grenada 4-0. We will see how legit Qatar is against Honduras, as Panama still has a shot to get out of the group as well. If Honduras can beat Qatar by enough goals and Panama can beat up on Grenada like everyone else has, this Panamanian side might just squeak into the quarterfinals.
What are your thoughts on the Gold Cup so far? Who’s impressed you and what team do you want more from?
