2023 Gold Cup Group A Preview

(image via Getty Images)

The 17th edition of the Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off tonight with the United States vs Jamaica. The United States, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Saint Kitts and Nevis make up Group A for this tournament. Here is an in-depth look at each team.

United States

The defending champs enter this tournament after just winning the Concacaf Nations League this past weekend. They have now won the last three Concacaf competitions with two Nations Leagues and the last Gold Cup. They would love to see themselves as favorites for this tournament as well. Being coached again by B.J Callaghan, the United States are in a weird situation knowing Gregg Berhalter will be taking over the job again after this tournament. For this tournament they have put together a weaker team, consisting mostly of MLS and lesser-known European based players. With most of the big names left off the roster, they will likely be less dominant than some would expect. Even with the weaker roster, they are still amongst the favorites of the tournament and should be in the finals at a minimum.

Projected Lineup

Goalkeeper: Matt Turner

Right Back: Bryan Reynolds

Center Back: Miles Robinson

Center Back: Matt Miazga

Left Back: DeJuan Jones

Center Midfield: Aiden Morris

Center Midfield: James Sands

Center Midfield: Djordje Mihailovic

Winger: Jordan Morris

Winger: Alex Zendejas

Striker: Jesus Ferreira

Jamaica

The two-time finalists of this tournament are the second favorite to make it out of Group A. They come into this tournament after disappointing in their last two Concacaf tournaments. In the last Gold Cup, they went out in the first knockout round to the United States. In the Nations League they went out in the group stage, finishing two points behind Mexico. This is a Jamaica team that has been massively improving their player pool, but yet to have any meaningful results come of it. They have made it a trend now to attract out of favor England players with Jamaican heritage to their team. This roster features six current English Premier League players with Demarai Grey, Dexter Lembikisa, Ethan Pinnock, Bobby Reid, Michail Antonio, and Leon Bailey. Bailey and Antonio are the biggest of these names with both having contributed at a very high level in England. This team should easily make it out of the group and make it to at least the semifinals of this tournament.

Projected Lineup

Goalkeeper: Andre Blake

Right Back: Amari’i Bell

Center Back: Damion Lowe

Center Back: Ethan Pinnock

Left Back: Kemar Lawrence

Center Midfield: Jon Russell

Center Midfield: Daniel Johnson

Center Midfield: Bobby Reid

Winger: Leon Bailey

Winger: Demarai Grey

Striker: Michail Antonio

Trinidad and Tobago

Coming off a group stage exit in the last Gold Cup, Trinidad and Tobago will look to advance from the group stage for the first time since 2015. They come up against the United States, a matchup with some history, as Trinidad and Tobago were the team to put the final nail in the coffin to keep the United States from qualifying for the 2018 World Cup. Since that matchup these teams have played twice with the United States playing with an extra edge to them. Trinidad and Tobago have lost those two games by a score of 13-0. Their roster consists mostly of players from the lower leagues of American and Canadian soccer, players in the Trinidad and Tobago Premier Football League, and a few players from some lesser-known European teams. It would be surprising to see them beat out either the United States or Jamaica to qualify out of this group.

Projected Lineup

Gk: Nicklas Frenderup

Right Back: Shannon Gomez

Center Back: Leland Archer

Center Back: Sheldon Bateau

Left Back: Tristam Hodge

Center Midfield: Daniel Phillips

Center Midfield: Neveal Hackshaw

Center Midfield: Andre Rampersad

Winger: Ryan Telfer

Winger: Joevin Jones

Striker: Levi Garcia

Saint Kitts and Nevis

It’s hard to project what Saint Kitts and Nevis will look like as this is their first ever appearance in the Gold Cup. They did top their group in the Nations League B ahead of Aruba and Saint Martin. This is a team with not a lot of soccer history as they are more known for playing cricket. As they do play both the United States and Jamaica, this is a great chance to get some eyeballs on the team and make a name for themselves. They do have some talent on the roster playing in the lower leagues of England and in lower American leagues. The rest of their roster consists of players from the Saint Kitts and Nevis Premier Division. It' is hard to predict them to win any games in this tournament but they can be a fun underdog to root for.

Projected Lineup

Goalkeeper: Julani Archibald

Right Back: Malique Roberts

Center Back: Rico Browne

Center Back: Jameel Ible

Center Back: Gerard Williams

Left Back: Raheem Hanley

Center Midfield: Raheem Somersall

Center Midfield: Romaine Sawyers

Forward: Omari Sterling-James

Forward: Keithroy Freeman

Striker: Rowan Liburd