Since the Gold Cup replaced the CONCACAF Championship as the region’s top soccer tournament in 1991, it has been dominated by the United States and Mexico. The United States won both the first and most recent Gold Cup and has won the event six times, while Mexico has won it seven times. The only other country to win the Gold Cup was Canada back in 2000, and the Canadians haven’t been back to the final since that point.
The 2019 Gold Cup will take place in United States, Costa Rica, and Jamaica. It will begin on Saturday, June 15, and run through the final on Sunday, July 7. All of the action can be seen on FOX, FOX Sports, and Univision.
2019 Gold Cup Odds at BookMaker.eu
Mexico +175
USA +195
Costa Rica +900
Jamaica +950
Panama +1500
Honduras +1800
Canada +2050
El Salvador +3250
Trinidad and Tobago +3350
Haiti +4000
Curacao +5000
Martinique +10500
Nicaragua +12500
Cuba +15000
Bermuda +18000
Guyana +25000
The Stars and Stripes and El Tri are the two heavy favorites to win the Gold Cup this year. These two rivals have met in three of the last six finals, and the absence of a power from South America or another region leaves them as the two logical choices to win.
Captain Andres Guardado leads Mexico once more. Guardado is one of two players on the provisional Gold Cup roster with more than 100 caps (the other one being Guillermo Ochoa), and he is the biggest name on the team. Stars like Javier Hernandez, Carlos Vela, and Hector Herrera declined to participate in this year’s event.
Raul Jimenez will be the primary attacking option after a solid year with Wolverhampton in the Premier League. He netted 13 goals with Wolves, and he could continue his breakout season at the Gold Cup.
The Americans are going to be very young and inexperienced in the back. Of the 15 defenders named to the provisional roster, only two have played more than a dozen games with the USMNT. Omar Gonzalez and Tim Ream are the veterans of the unit, while Matt Miazga and Tyler Adams are two young players to watch.
There is a lot more experience up front. Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore are both veterans with more than 100 caps on the USMNT, and they will be joined by talented players such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Cristian Roldan, and Gyasi Zardes. This could be the most prolific offense at the tournament.
Keylor Navas is out to be the hero for Costa Rica once more. The goalkeeper came up big for the team in their 2014 World Cup run, and he will be who they lean on again. Bryan Ruiz and Celso Borges are out to create chances for the Ticos in the midfield, while Joel Campbell will look to be the finisher at the top of the formation. Campbell has been loaned out numerous times during his professional career, but he has played well for the national team.
After finishing runner-up at the last two Gold Cups, Jamaica is looking to finally break through and win one. The Reggae Boyz don’t have the same experience as some of the favorites, but they will have the fortune of playing the other top team in their group (Honduras) at home. Darren Mattocks will be a big part of any Jamaica success, as well as his FC Cincinnati teammate Alvas Powell.
Panama has the misfortune of being drawn into a group with the United States, but The Canal Men are riding high after making it to the World Cup for the first time ever last year. Gabriel Torres, Roman Torres, and Armando Cooper return, but Gabriel Gomez, Blas Perez, and Luis Tejada retired after the World Cup and will be missed. For Panama to make a run, they need to find new scorers, and that is vital to their future too.
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