Grenada making a much-anticipated Gold Cup return
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Grenada making a much-anticipated Gold Cup return

Grenada making a much-anticipated Gold Cup return

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  • Grenada’s first appearance in a Gold Cup came in 2009.
  • It was 10 years ago in the 2011 edition when the Spice Boys last appeared in a Gold Cup.
  • The player leading the way was FW Jamal Charles, who scored six goals in the six matches.

MIAMI, Florida – Of the 13 teams qualified for the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup at present, 11 participated in the 2019 edition of the tournament just two years ago.

One is making their Gold Cup debut, Suriname, while another is making a long-awaited and much anticipated return to the tournament.

That, of course, is Grenada.

It was 10 years ago in the 2011 edition when the Spice Boys last appeared in a Gold Cup. It marked the end of a golden generation of footballers led by the likes of Cassim Langaigne, all-time Grenada National Team scorer Ricky Charles and brothers Anthony and Patrick Modeste.

Grenada’s first appearance in a Gold Cup came in 2009, as they qualified for the tournament thanks to a runner-up finish in the 2008 Caribbean Cup.

Although they did not score a goal nor earn a point in the tournament, it served as an important learning experience and a fourth-place finish at the 2010 Caribbean Cup resulted in a second straight Gold Cup qualification for the Spice Boys.

The tournament ended in the group stage once again for the islanders, but it did see some history with Clive Murray scoring the first ever Gold Cup goal for Grenada.

Now, a decade later a new generation of players will be looking to lift Grenada to new heights in the Gold Cup.

The Caribbean nation earned their place in the tournament after finishing atop Group A of League B with a 4W-2D-0L record in the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League.

The player leading the way was FW Jamal Charles, who scored six goals in the six matches. 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.

Considering that Grenada started 2019-20 CNL Qualifying with a 10-0 defeat at Curacao and a 2-0 loss at home to Cuba, their improvement in the last two-and-a-half years is hardly matched. 

As a team on the rise and back in the tournament for the first time in a decade, Grenada will be one to watch at the 2021 Gold Cup.