MIAMI.- Nicaragua has every reason to dream of gaining promotion to League A in the Concacaf Nations League if it can replicate the form that it showed during the qualifying phase.
La Azul y Blanco (The Blue and White) were among the top ten finishers in Concacaf Nations League Qualifying, earning a spot into the 2019 Gold Cup.
At the Gold Cup, Nicaragua went winless against Costa Rica, Haiti and Bermuda – all League A participants.
Manager Henry Duarte now has the task of reinstalling the confidence that drove Nicaragua to a 3-0-1 record in qualifying.
Nicaragua won 2-0 at Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, 6-0 against Anguilla, fell 0-2 to Haiti and won 1-0 at Barbados during the CNLQ phase.
Juan Barrera led the way in scoring after his five-goal campaign during qualifying that earned the Nicaraguan player a top five finish in the Golden Boot race.
Barrera scored in all three Nicaragua victories during qualifying, including a hat-trick in the win against Anguilla.
In League B, Nicaragua are drawn into Group D with Suriname, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Dominica.
Nicaragua will begin their CNL campaign at home against Saint Vincent and the Grenadines before traveling to Suriname.
In October, a home and away series with Dominica awaits before the round-robin schedule concludes in November.
