MIAMI, Florida – Sunday should provide plenty of drama as both Group A and Group B of the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup come to a close with nearly all teams still alive to reach the knockout stage.
Jamaica vs. Saint Kitts and Nevis
The day in Group A begins with Jamaica taking on Saint Kitts and Nevis at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
Jamaica have been as good as advertised in this 2023 Gold Cup, playing an attacking brand of football spearheaded by a group of players who ply their trade in the English Premier League.
Leading the way has been Demarai Gray, who became just the fourth Jamaican player to score a brace in a Gold Cup match with his two goals in the 4-1 win versus Trinidad and Tobago.
The England-born Gray, who is playing in his first matches with Jamaica after committing his international future to the Reggae Boyz, has been sensational in the team’s two matches with two assists to go along with his two goals.
Leon Bailey has been just as effective, supplying a goal and an assist against the Soca Warriors.
Jamaica will now take aim at a Saint Kitts and Nevis side that will be hoping to earn a first ever Gold Cup group stage result. The Sugar Boyz, who qualified for the group stage from the Prelims, have shown a lot of fight in their two matches thus far, despite losing both.
GK Julani Archibald has impressed with his shot-stopping in goal and he will be called upon again on Sunday to limit Jamaica.
With Saint Kitts and Nevis playing in their first ever Gold Cup, this marks the first ever Gold Cup meeting between the two nations, however there have been 10 previous encounters between the two Caribbean sides. Jamaica hold an 8W-2D-0L advantage in the series.
Jamaica currently are second in the group behind the U.S., level on four points but three goals behind on goal difference, so a wide margin of victory for the Reggae Boyz may be enough to catapult them into top spot in the table should the U.S. also hold serve against Trinidad and Tobago.
United States vs. Trinidad and Tobago
The United States squares off with Trinidad and Tobago as both teams close out their slate in Group A of the Concacaf Gold Cup.
The U.S. enters Sunday’s contest at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina undefeated in its last eight Gold Cup matches. It won all six games in the 2021 tournament and started this year’s competition with a 1-1 draw against Jamaica and a 6-0 victory over Saint Kitts and Nevis.
Trinidad and Tobago started the tournament strong with a 3-0 victory over Saint Kitts and Nevis but fell to Jamaica 4-1 Wednesday and now needs a win to move into the quarterfinals.
U.S. manager B.J. Callaghan saw a number of strong performances in the midweek win, with FW Jesus Ferreira netting the fourth hat trick in the United States’ Gold Cup history. He also has options at the back after GK Sean Johnson kept the clean sheet, days after Matt Turner, the 2022-23 Concacaf Nations League Best Goalkeeper, saved a penalty in the draw with Jamaica.
Trinidad and Tobago manager Angus Eve will hope to limit the damage the North Americans are able to cause up front and to get scoring contributions like he did in the first match from both defenders, like Alvin Jones, and FW Levi Garcia, who is looking for his debut Gold Cup goal.
Honduras vs. Haiti
A pair of teams with hopes of moving on from Concacaf Gold Cup Group B meet Sunday at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte when Honduras faces Haiti.
Both teams have fallen to group leader Mexico, with Haiti losing 3-1 on Thursday night and Honduras suffering a 4-0 reverse on June 25 at NRG Stadium. Haiti beat Qatar 2-1 that night in Houston, while Honduras drew with the guest team from AFC, 1-1.
It means Haiti could move into the quarterfinals with a point, though manager Gabriel Calderon Pellegrino will look for the victory against Honduras.
He has overseen a team dangerous on the counter-attack and efficient from set pieces with FW Duckens Nazon scoring from the penalty spot in the win over Qatar and MF Danley Jean Jacquez heading in a corner kick against Mexico.
Honduras will hope to limit those chances and build on a late goal scored by FW Alberth Elis against Qatar, which was the latest goal scored ever by Honduras in a Gold Cup match.
It was also the first goal scored since Honduras’ second group match in the 2021 Gold Cup, with Los Catrachos unable to find the back of the net against Qatar in the group stage finale, Mexico in the quarterfinals and in this year’s opener against El Tricolor.
Elis suffered an apparent left arm injury scoring the goal, putting his status for the deciding game in question. Still, Honduras manager Diego Vasquez will have confidence in his team whether or not the attacker is able to play.
Both teams will quietly be pulling for Mexico, who would eliminate Qatar from contention with a win in their contest at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California, kicking off at the same time.
Mexico vs. Qatar
Mexico and Qatar will close out Group B at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California with Mexico once again looking to finish atop their Gold Cup group for the fourth straight time.
El Tricolor have been flying since the arrival of Jaime Lozano as Head Coach, with a 4-0 win over Honduras to open the tournament, followed by a 3-1 win against Haiti on Thursday night to secure their passage to the knockout stage.
Mexico can top their group once again against a Qatar side that sits on one point going into the group finale. The AFC team looked set to take all three points from their contest with Honduras, only for a last-second Honduras goal to spoil those plans.
Still, Qatar can move through to the next round with a win against Mexico and either a draw in the Haiti-Honduras match or if a Honduras win against Haiti is by fewer than three goals.
Qatar will look to Tameem Al-Abdullah and Yusuf Abdurisag to add to their 2023 Gold Cup goal totals, while Mexico will counter with an attack that has found its stride.
Both Henry Martin and Santiago Gimenez found the back of the net against Haiti, but the star performance came from Uriel Antuna, who supplied the assist on both goals and is playing his best football under Lozano.
