Seton Hall
Gold Cup preview
Date: June 14, 2019By: Jose Balderrama
2019’s Gold Cup begins tonight with a matchup between Canada and Martinique, while the second game beginning immediately after that between Mexico and Cuba. As always, there are two versions of the tournament between each World Cup, as CONCACAF teams have battled to earn a spot in the Confederations Cup.
This time around will be different, as it has recently been announced that the Confederations Cup will now be replaced by the FIFA Club World Cup in 2021 and for the foreseeable future. Although it has not been confirmed as to how the field will be filled out for this competition, we do know it will include 24 teams coming from the six continental confederations.
It is probable that CONCACAF will be sending more than one participant to the competition. This gives all the teams competing a reason for hope knowing that they might have a chance to do something special without having to beat CONCACAF giants Mexico and the United States.
Now, let’s look at this year’s competition and all the storylines that come with it. As is always the case, the favorites for the tournament are Mexico and the U.S., but there are other hopefuls as well. Perhaps the teams most likely to give the giants a run for their money are Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Panama can contend to upset the apple card of the tournament.
I don’t think I can remember a year with more uncertainties for Mexico and the U.S. than this year. The U.S. has been playing very poorly as of late, having lost both of their exhibition games in the last two weeks. They lost 1-0 to Jamaica and 3-0 to Venezuela, none of these teams are at the level of the U.S.
The 23-player list is comprised of a mixture of veterans and youngsters, but there are 13 players who are making their Gold Cup debut. This inexperience might prove to be a problem throughout the competition. But the team will have the experience of the likes of Michael Bradley, Jozy Altidore and Omar Gonzalez to lean on. They are also with a new head coach in Gregg Berhalter, who they hope can lead the team to a 2022 World Cup qualification after the disaster in 2017.
Mexico is also facing a few challenges coming into the tournament. They have a new head coach in Gerardo “Tata” Martino, although they have won all four of the games he has coached in. The team has looked good in all four of those games, scoring at least three goals in each game. One might ask what the challenges are if they are playing so well, and as it often is in sports, the answer is injuries.
As the team will be missing perhaps its most dangerous player in Hirving “El Chuky” Lozano. They will also be without Jesus Corona and now possibly without Hector Moreno. They will be missing some of their other best players for a variety of reasons as well. These players being Chicharito Hernandez, Carlos Vela, and Hector Herrera. Luckily, they will have their anchor and captain, Andres Guardado, to inject a calming attitude to the young squad they will be putting out on the field.
Despite the different storylines and different challenges that these two powerhouses will be facing, they are still the favorites in the competition. I believe these two teams will make the final behind the playmaking of players like Christian Pulisic and Raul Jimenez, and although I like the 23 man roster of the U.S. better than the Mexican side, I do believe El Tri will come out on top in the Gold Cup of 2019.
Jose Balderrama can be reached at jose.balderramaornelas@student.shu.edu.
