MIAMI, Florida – It is nonstop action in the Concacaf region this week with the close of the group stage and start of the knockout round of the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup, the second leg matches of the final six Round One match-ups in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup, plus the deciding matches of 2024 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship Qualifying.

W Gold Cup

The group stage of the 2024 W Gold Cup wraps up this week, followed by the start of the knockout round, which is scheduled to take place over the weekend.

Group A will be decided on Monday, with first place in the group still up for grabs and to be decided in Monday’s United States-Mexico nightcap. The U.S. are currently the only team from the group already qualified for the knockout round. The day in Group A will open with Argentina facing the Dominican Republic with both sides looking to secure a full three points to try to advance to the final eight.

Tuesday will see Group B conclude, starting with a massive clash between Colombia and Puerto Rico, who each sit on three points and can secure themselves a place in the quarterfinals with a victory. The second match of the night will be a rematch from the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup between Brazil and Panama. Brazil have already punched their quarterfinal ticket, but they will be keen to complete a perfect group stage campaign, while Panama will be seeking their first win in the tournament to try to reach the next phase.

Group C finishes on Wednesday with the top two teams in the group at present, Canada and Costa Rica, starting the day. Canada are already through to the knockout round after two wins, while Costa Rica are on three points and will be targeting a result to improve their knockout round hopes. Paraguay and El Salvador will round things out with Paraguay in search of a second win, while El Salvador will be aiming for their first three points to get themselves in the knockout round mix.

Champions Cup

The remaining six match-ups in Round One of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup will finish up this week, starting with a trio of second leg matches on Tuesday. It begins with Major League Soccer (MLS) team Orlando City SC hosting Canadian Premier League side Cavalry FC following last week’s first leg in Canada where Orlando City showed their strength by coming away with a 3-0 victory away from home.

After their thrilling first leg, the Philadelphia Union welcome in Costa Rican giants Deportivo Saprissa for their return leg. Julian Carranza’s hat-trick gave Philadelphia a 3-2 victory and edge in the series. The night will then end with an all-MLS affair between the Houston Dynamo and St. Louis City SC in Houston. St. Louis City SC had a Champions Cup debut to remember, scoring in second half stoppage time for a 2-1 win at home in the first leg.

Two more games are on the docket for Wednesday, as FC Cincinnati and Jamaican side Cavalier will meet in Cincinnati. In what was the first ever Champions Cup match for both sides, FC Cincinnati were 2-0 winners in the first leg. The second match of the night pits another two Champions Cup debutants, Nashville SC and Moca FC of the Dominican Republic, in their second leg in Nashville. Nashville impressed in the first leg in the Caribbean, registering a 3-0 away victory.

Just one match is scheduled for Thursday and will see the New England Revolution host CA Independiente of Panama in their second leg in Foxborough, Massachusetts. A Tomas Chancalay goal proved enough to earn New England a 1-0 win in Panama.

Men’s Under-20 Qualifying

2024 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship Qualifying continues during the week and will conclude on Saturday. By then, it will be known which six teams will be advancing to the 2024 Concacaf Men’s Under-20 Championship this summer.

Among the matches to keep an eye on as the week continues, both Cuba and Nicaragua are off to great starts and could be on a collision course to decide the winner of Group A on Saturday.  

It could be a similar story in Group C between Guatemala and Curacao, with those two sides at the top of the group at present and scheduled to meet on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Group D could well come down to Tuesday’s affair between Trinidad and Tobago and Canada. Each team is perfect through two matches in the four-team group and Tuesday could yield the group winner.