The 2023 Road to W Gold Cup kicks off and 12 nations in League B have their sights set on securing a play-offs ticket that will give them the opportunity to advance to next year’s inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup.
The League B format features a dozen countries divided into three groups of four. Each team will face each other twice, home and away, with the top team in each group advancing to the Prelims against the second-place finishers from League A. Additionally, the group winners will also be promoted for the next edition of the tournament.
Here is a breakdown of the three groups in League B:
Group A
Guyana, Antigua and Barbuda, Suriname, and Dominica were the four nations drawn into Group A. All four participated at the 2022 Concacaf W Championship qualification and will look to build on the efforts in that tournament.
Cameo Hazlewood and Mariam El-Masri are two names to look for on the goal sheet for Guyana, along with defender Sydney Cummings. All three have had multiple goal games and can lead their team to victory.
Kai Jacobs is a name to watch as she can score during the run of play and from the penalty marker for Antigua and Barbuda. Ravalcheny van Ommeren can score goals in bunches for Suriname, while Dominica features a young scoring duo of Sari Finn and Starr Humphreys.
Group B
El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, and Martinique are the four teams in Group B. The close proximity of the three Central American countries in one group will give this quartet a big rivalry feel as Martinique hopes to waive the flag for the Caribbean.
Yoselyn Lopez and Mara Rodríguez are two players that can lift El Salvador with goals, while Nicaragua feature Yessenia Flores, who was the co-top scorer in the Concacaf W Championship qualification tournament with 11 goals.
Kimberly Diaz is part of Honduras’ youth movement in the women’s game. Martinique will look stamp their mark in the Concacaf region after being ineligible to participate in Olympic qualifying.
Group C
Dominican Republic, Bermuda, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados make up Group C.
Manuela Lareo will be missed by the Dominican Republic for her goals, but remains with the team as part of the coaching staff for the start of a new era. Bermuda’s future, meanwhile, is also in good hands with rising stars in LeiLanni Nesbeth and Nia Christopher.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines have a variety of players who can score, including Annesta Richards and Areka Hooper. Midfielder Soraya Toppin-Herbert will be looked as a leader for a Barbados side ambitious to leave their best mark.
