CONCACAF Nations League Ready

After Canada, Mexico, Panama, and the United States do battle in the CONCACAF Nations League the four sides will join the top sides of Central America and the Caribbean as well as Qatar for three weeks of action in the United States.

While on the surface the four sides would appear to be the front-runners for top honors in both competitions, how they respond to having to play two competitions in such a short period of time could play a role in their success or lack thereof. After playing a grueling European club season and a World Cup, the miles are certainly being added on.  In terms of whether or not the sides would use this as an opportunity to field experimental rosters to rest their World Cup veterans that appears to be a ‘no.’ Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Brendan Aaronsen, and Tim Weah are among those that have been called up for the United States while Mexico’s roster will feature Guillermo Ochoa, Diego Lainez, and Raul Jimenez. Canada will also be going for a veteran heavy lineup with Jonathan David, Alphonso Davies, and Tajon Buchanan. One player that will not be there for Canada however will be Atiba Hutchinson, who announced his retirement for football in June. Of the remaining sides in the field perhaps the biggest dark horse is Costa Rica. As opposed to their fellow World Cup sides, the Ticas will not be participating in the CONCACAF Nations League finals and thus will have a bit of rest and time to prepare. Keylor Navas hasn’t played for the side in recent friendlies but is expected to be back for this tournament. The former UEFA Champions League goalkeeper of the season is still going strong at 36 and led a young Ticas backline to two strong results at the World Cup. Up top, Joel Campbell continues to perform consistently for his country and his club side at Leon and will be called upon to provide a spark on the counter-attack. 

Jamaica are another strong candidate for making a deep run at this year’s tournament. The Reggae Boyz had a solid start to their World Cup Qualification campaign, but fell flat in the final third. The side is built around a solid spine of Goalkeeper Andre Blake (three-time MLS Goalkeeper of the Year), Michail Antonio (West Ham United), and Leon Bailey (Aston Villa). But manager Heimir Hallgrimsson has been moving on some fresh faces as well including defender Dexten Lembikisa of Wolverhampton and midfielder Omari Hutchinson of Chelsea. Perhaps the biggest wild card of the group is Qatar. The side fared very well in the 2021 edition of the tournament, making it all the way to the semifinals. But their recent results have left a lot to be desired, crashing out of the World Cup with three losses and losing to Bahrain and Iraq in the Gulf Cup. Their group pairing also does them no favors, having to face Mexico and two very dangerous attacking sides in Haiti and Honduras.  El Salvador is another very interesting side that may cause problems for some of the bigger fishes in the tournament. Head Coach Hugo Perez very nearly got the side to a World Cup playoff spot and they gave the United States a real fright in their two matches in the Nations League (a 1-0 loss and a 1-1 draw at home). Defenders Alex Roldan and Eriq Zavaleta have the side playing a rugged, hard nosed defensive style that is very hard to break down. They can grind out results which should be enough to get them to the knockout round. 

While this year’s Gold Cup comes at a very congested part of the schedule it will play a big part in sides preparation for the 2026 World Cup. With all three of their spots up for grabs and with Canada, Mexico, and the United States already qualified there is a lot to play for over the next couple of years. Every competition matters and for the players winning a tournament like the Gold Cup could go a long way to securing a roster spot come 2026.