Your guide for the tournament
The CONCACAF Gold Cup, the continental tournament involving North American, Central American, and Caribbean countries (like the EURO in the UEFA zone for example), kicks off Friday, with the game between Canada and French Guiana. This biennial competition takes place this year in the United States and the final is set to be played at Levi’s Stadium, in Santa Clara. RDS and TSN will broadcast in Canada all games of this tournament that will put forward many MLS players and the three Montreal players called up by the Reds: Patrice Bernier, Maxime Crépeau and Anthony Jackson-Hamel.
The Gold Cup trophy has never left North America since its inauguration, in 1991. First, because the tournament was only won by Mexico – seven times –, the United States – with five wins – and Canada – back in 2000 –, but also because the US have always hosted the competition, sharing the organization with Mexico twice and another time with Canada.
The 2017 Gold Cup champion will play a knockout game with the 2019 champion to determine who will represent CONCACAF at the 2021 FIFA Confederations Cup, in Qatar.
GROUP A
Honduras
Head coach: Jorge Luis Pinto
Last Gold Cup participation: 2015, group stage
Qualification: Champion, Copa Centroamericana 2017
Nickname: Los Catrachos
Player to watch: Alberth Elis (Houston Dynamo)
FIFA world ranking: 69
Costa Rica
Head coach: Óscar Ramírez
Last Gold Cup participation: 2015, quarterfinals
Qualification: Fourth, Copa Centroamericana 2017
Nickname: Los Ticos
Player to watch: Joel Campbell (Arsenal)
FIFA world ranking: 19
French Guiana
Head coach: Jaïr Karam et Marie-Rose Carême
Last Gold Cup participation: First time
Qualification: Third, Caribbean Cup 2017
Nickname: Les Yana Dòkòs
Player to watch: Sloan Privat (En Avant Guingamp)
FIFA world ranking: -- (France overseas department)
Canada
Head coach: Octavio Zambrano
Last Gold Cup participation: 2015, group stage
Qualification: Automatic
Nickname: The Reds, the Canucks
Player to watch: Alphonso Davies (Vancouver Whitecaps FC)
FIFA world ranking: 109
Schedule
Friday, July 7: French Guiana 2 - 4 Canada | Honduras 0 - 1 Costa Rica
Tuesday, July 11: Costa Rica 1 - 1 Canada | Honduras 0 - 0 French Guiana (forfeited 3 - 0)
Friday, July 14: Costa Rica 3 - 0 French Guiana | Canada 0 - 0 Honduras
GROUP B
United States
Head coach: Bruce Arena
Last Gold Cup participation: 2015 (fourth)
Qualification: Automatic
Nickname: USMNT, The Stars & Stripes
Player to watch: Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC)
FIFA world ranking: 23
Panama
Head coach: Hernán Darío Gómez
Last Gold Cup participation: 2015 (third)
Qualification: Finalist, Copa Centroamericana 2017
Nickname: Los Canaleros
Player to watch: Ismael Díaz (Porto B)
FIFA world ranking: 59
Martinique
Head coach: Louis Marianne
Last Gold Cup participation: 2013 (group stage)
Qualification: Third, Caribbean Cup 2017
Nickname: Les Matinino
Player to watch: Kévin Théophile-Catherine (AS Saint-Étienne)
FIFA world ranking: -- (France overseas department)
Nicaragua
Head coach: Henry Duarte
Last Gold Cup participation: 2009 (group stage)
Qualification: Winner of the knockout game v Haiti
Nickname: Los Pinoleros
Player to watch: Juan Barrera (C.S.D. Communicaciones)
FIFA world ranking: 100
Schedule
Saturday, July 8: United States 1 - 1 Panama | Martinique 2 - 0 Nicaragua
Wednesday, July 12: Panama 2 - 1 Nicaragua | United States 3 - 2 Martinique
Saturday, July 15: Panama 3 - 0 Martinique | Nicaragua 0 - 3 United States
GROUP C
Mexico
Head coach: Juan Carlos Osorio
Last Gold Cup participation: 2015 (champion)
Qualification: Automatic
Nickname: El Tri
Player to watch: Erick Torres (Houston Dynamo)
FIFA world ranking: 17
El Salvador
Head coach: Eduardo Lara
Last Gold Cup participation: 2015 (group stage)
Qualification: Third, Copa Centroamericana 2017
Nickname: Los Cuscatlecos
Player to watch: Rodolfo Zelaya (Alianza)
FIFA world ranking: 106
Curaçao
Head coach: Remko Bicentini
Last Gold Cup participation: 1973, as the Netherlands Antilles (sixth)
Qualification: Champion, Caribbean Cup 2017
Nickname: None
Player to watch: Gino van Kessel (Slavia Praha)
FIFA world ranking: 70
Jamaica
Head coach: Theodore Whitmore
Last Gold Cup participation: 2015 (finalist)
Qualification: Finalist, Caribbean Cup 2017
Nickname: Reggae Boyz
Player to watch: Darren Mattocks (Portland Timbers)
FIFA world ranking: 79
Schedule
Sunday, July 9: Curaçao 0 - 2 Jamaica | Mexico 3 - 1 El Salvador
Thursday, July 13: El Salvador 2 - 0 Curaçao | Mexico 0 - 0 Jamaica
Sunday, July 16: Jamaica 1 - 1 El Salvador | Curaçao 0 - 2 Mexico
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, July 19: Costa Rica v Panama, 6pm | United States v El Salvador, 9pm
Thursday, July 20: Canada v Jamaica, 7:30pm | Mexico v Honduras, 10:30pm
