Euro 2020 and the Copa America aren’t the only major men’s international soccer tournaments taking place this summer.
The Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off this weekend, with 15 of the best nations from across North and Central America and the Caribbean (plus invited guests Qatar) set to compete in the biennial continental competition.
The United States and Mexico have historically dominated the tournament, facing off in six finals in 15 tournaments. But Jamaica and Panama have broken up the duopoly by combining to reach the final three of the last four times, while Canada enters this year’s tournament with a legitimate chance of winning it all.
Here’s what you need to know about the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup
How does the Concacaf Gold Cup tournament work?
The 16-nation field has been divided into four round-robin groups, and the first round runs from July 10 to July 20.
The top two teams in each group advance to the quarter-finals, which begin on July 24. From there, it’s a single elimination format right up until the final on Aug. 1.
The four groups are:
Group A: Mexico, El Salvador, Curacao and Trinidad & Tobago
Group B: United States, Canada, Martinique and Haiti
Group C: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Surname and Guadeloupe
Group D: Honduras, Panama, Grenada and Qatar
Who’s hosting the tournament?
The United States is staging the competition, with games taking place in 10 different venues across nine cities.
Canada will play all of its group stage matches at Children’s Mercy Park, home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City. The Canadians open up their tournament against Martinique on July 11, before facing Haiti (July 15) and the U.S. (July 18).
Quarter-final matches will be split between State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona and AT&T Stadium in Arlington Texas. Q2 Stadium in Austin, Texas and Houston’s NRG Stadium will stage the semifinals. The final will take place at Allegiant Stadium, just outside Las Vegas.
Will fans be allowed to attend matches?
Yes! Each of the nine host cities will have spectators inside their stadiums for the matches this summer, although each venue will have different restrictions and protocols.
The good news is that all 60,000 tickets at Allegiant Stadium have been sold, so the championship final should feature an incredible fan atmosphere.
Who are some of the tournament favourites?
Mexico are the defending champions and have won the Gold Cup four out of the last five occasions, and eight times overall. Most of their players ply their trade in Mexico’s Liga MX, which is the top domestic division in the country. The rest are based in Europe and MLS.
Mexico is No. 11 in the current FIFA world rankings (the highest-ranked Concacaf nation on the list), and boasts a deep and talented team that can score goals. It says something about how good this side is that coach Tata Martino didn’t even call up veteran forward Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, the country’s all-time leading scorer, even though he’s leading MLS in scoring with 10 goals for the LA Galaxy.
The U.S. ranked No. 20 by FIFA, is enjoying a resurgence after failing to qualify for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Coach Gregg Berhalter has come in and pushed out some of the more long-serving members of the national team, including Toronto FC captain Michael Bradley, and expanded his player pool by blooding a handful of exciting youngsters, including 21-year-old forward Daryl Dike. The Americans will also have the benefit of home-field advantage throughout the tournament, and are hungry for success after losing to Mexico in the 2019 final.
Is Canada a legitimate contender?
Coach John Herdman has selected a 23-man squad highlighted by Besiktas’ Cyle Larin, who is coming off a fantastic individual season in which they played key role in helping his club win a Turkish league title and domestic cup. Two big roster omissions are Alphonso Davies and Jonathan David, who are dealing with injury problems.
There was a belief that Herdman might prioritize the final round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying by giving some of his top players the summer off and use an experimental side at the Gold Cup. Instead, he's assembled a strong squad in the hopes of not only winning the competition but also building some momentum headed into September's World Cup qualifiers.
Canada enters the Gold Cup on a six-game unbeaten run, having won all of their games this year by a combined score of 31-1, although they played mostly minnows and were never seriously tested. The competition will be a lot stiffer at the Gold Cup, and the loss of both Davies and David is notable and will hamper the Canadian attack. But this team has enough the depth and quality that it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them go on a run to the semifinals.
Who are some of the top players to watch?
Keep an eye on Mexico’s Hirving Lozano. Nicknamed “Chucky,” Lozano is a livewire of a winger and forward who plays his club soccer in Italy for Napoli where he has won plaudits for his dynamic attacking play.
Costa Rica’s Joel Campbell is a dangerous goal-scorer who has Premier League experience, having featured for Arsenal. Romell Quioto of Honduras, who plays in MLS with CF Montreal, is a game-breaker with his speed and deft ball control, as well as his ability to score highlight-reel goals
Who could be a major breakout player?
Tajon Buchanan, a 22-year-old from Brampton, Ont., could be the next Canadian prospect to make a big move to a European club. The New England Revolution forward is already being monitored by several teams from across the pond, and the belief is that he could leave MLS as soon as the 2021 season comes to an end.
Buchanan played for Canada’s under-23 team at this year’s Concacaf Olympic qualifying tournament before making his senior team debut last month in a World Cup qualifier against Aruba. He tallied two assists in that game and went on to earn three more caps in June before being named to Canada’s Gold Cup roster. Fleet of foot and with an eye towards goal, Buchanan is a tricky forward who unbalances opposing defenders with his technical skill.
John Molinaro is one of the leading soccer journalists in Canada, having covered the game for over 20 years for a number of media outlets, including Sportsnet, CBC Sports and Sun Media. He is currently the editor-in-chief of TFC Republic, a website dedicated to in-depth coverage of Toronto FC and Canadian soccer. To check out TFC Republic, CLICK HERE.
