MIAMI, Florida – The provisional rosters for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup are now out, with many star-studded names filling the potential squads of teams around the region.
In looking at the Caribbean teams already qualified for the Gold Cup group stage, one of the standout names on the list for Jamaica is winger Leon Bailey.
The 23-year-old Bayer Leverkusen man played a big part in Jamaica’s semifinal finish in 2019 and now he returns to
try to lead Jamaica to their third Gold Cup Final in four tries.
Bailey also appeared in two matches with the Reggae Boyz in the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League and scored his first Jamaica goal in a 6-0 defeat of Antigua and Barbuda.
After helping Curacao reach the Second Round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022, Leandro Bacuna has been penciled into his nation’s Gold Cup provisional roster.
The 29-year-old MF, who plies his trade with Cardiff City in Wales, was a stalwart of Curacao’s Gold Cup teams in 2017 and 2019.
Bacuna has started all seven games in which Curacao have played in the Gold Cup and scored the winning goal in Curacao’s 1-0 win over Honduras, which was the first Gold Cup victory in the nation’s history.
Fresh off of scoring two goals in six WCQ matches, Bacuna arrives into the 201 Gold Cup in excellent form.
DF Jordy Delem has become an integral part of the recent success of the Seattle Sounders in MLS, including lifting MLS Cup in 2019, and that fine form has carried into his time at the international level with Martinique.
Once again Delem is back on the Gold Cup provisional roster for Les Matinino after playing three matches each in the 2017 and 2019 editions, respectively, with a goal scored in Martinique’s narrow 3-2 loss to Mexico in the 2019 group stage.
Grenada will be appearing in their first Gold Cup since 2011 and one of the names that immediately catches the eye on the Spice Boys’ provisional roster is FW Jamal Charles.
The 25-year-old scored six goals in just five matches with Grenada during the 2019-20 CNL group stage. In all four victories for Grenada in the CNL, Charles scored the winning goal, with two of those game-winning goals coming in the final 10 minutes of play.
In their Gold Cup return, the potential presence of Charles in tight, late-game situations should provide a confidence boost for Grenada.
Another young, exciting player who could play a large part in the 2021 Gold Cup is FW Gleofilo Vlijter of Suriname. It will be Suriname’s first ever Gold Cup appearance, but they have shown
in recent years that they thrive in the spotlight, in particular Vlijter.
The 21-year-old led all players in scoring in the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League, with an astounding 10 goals in just six matches. With another goal scored for Suriname in Concacaf WCQ, Vlijter could be poised to make a big impact at the Gold Cup.
