Gold Cup 2015: 5 Storylines to Follow During CONCACAF Tournament
The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup begins Tuesday in Frisco, Texas, with 12 men's national teams vying for the right to be named champions of North and Central America and the Caribbean.
Defending champions and co-hosts the United States will face a potentially tricky trio of games in Group A against Honduras, Haiti and Panama. Costa Rica are the favorites in Group B, which also includes El Salvador, Jamaica and co-hosts Canada.
Mexico, despite being burdened with pressure and costly injuries, will expect to advance out of Group C ahead of Guatemala, Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago.
Here are five storylines to follow during the course of the tournament, which will run from July 7-26 in 13 cities in the U.S. and Canada.
Can the US Build on Recent Momentum?
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The United States will carry momentum into the tournament after recent road victories over European powers Germany and the Netherlands. Those wins will have given the Americans and coach Jurgen Klinsmann plenty of confidence, but because they were friendlies, nothing was at stake in either match.
Even so, the U.S. enters the tournament on a run of four straight wins and will expect to top Group A despite a potentially tricky slate of fixtures. Up first is a match against Honduras, who beat the Americans in the last World Cup qualifying cycle.
That's followed by matches against unheralded Haiti and finally Panama, who narrowly missed qualifying for the last World Cup.
Can Mexico Overcome Injuries and Pressure?
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While the U.S. will enter the Gold Cup with momentum, Mexico will have serious injury concerns at both ends of the pitch.
After flopping at the Copa America (albeit with an almost entirely different squad), the pressure was already on El Tri to take home the Gold Cup. Now with these injuries, the pressure is even greater.
The first blow came late last month as center-back Hector Moreno left El Tri's 2-2 friendly draw against Costa Rica at halftime. Two days later, the Mexican federation announced that Moreno—the same player who broke his leg during the 2014 World Cup—would miss the Gold Cup.
The injury was a rotten turn of luck for the Espanyol man, and as Tom Marshall wrote at ESPN FC, it "robs El Tri of arguably its best defender ahead of a tournament that it seems everyone is continually stressing Mexico is 'obligated' to win."
Moreno played a key role in coach Miguel Herrera's 5-3-2, and as Marshall argued, his replacement will represent a considerable dip in talent. In addition, the injury could prompt Herrera to change his formation to a 4-4-2.
The second blow came in Mexico's next friendly, a scoreless draw with Honduras. In that match, Manchester United forward Javier Hernandez suffered a fractured collarbone after a challenge with Brayan Beckeles and was subsequently ruled out of the Gold Cup as well.
Hernandez, 27, has endured a frustrating run at the club level in recent times, struggling to make an impact with United and on loan with Real Madrid. Playing well at the Gold Cup could have increased his stock, possibly resulting in a move to a new club, but now that won't happen.
Mexico, meanwhile, will now rely on Carlos Vela, Giovani Dos Santos and Oribe Peralta to lead the attack. Dos Santos has been linked with a move to the Los Angeles Galaxy recently, per Ives Galarcep of Goal.com. Vela, meanwhile, did not feature for El Tri in the 2012 Olympics or 2014 World Cup after a series of disputes with the Mexican federation.
But despite his long absence from the national team, Vela very well could take on the burden of carrying Mexico's attack during the Gold Cup.
Will Michael Bradley Thrive Wearing the Captain's Armband?
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The United States will have a new captain for the Gold Cup after midfielder Michael Bradley took possession of the armband from forward Clint Dempsey. The move came shortly after Dempsey drew a three-match suspension in Major League Soccer for an ugly incident with a referee during a U.S. Open Cup match in June.
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann announced the move last week, noting that the switch is not necessarily permanent at this time. According to USSoccer.com, Klinsmann said:
"For the time being we thought it's the best thing to give the captaincy to Michael Bradley and let Clint focus on what he's all about. Clint is about scoring goals. We need Clint Dempsey badly with the national team. We need him in a good spirit.
What happened was a mistake, but it was the first red card in his career and a lot of people went at him. I think the best thing for everyone right now is to let him concentrate really on playing and doing what he does best.
...
We need Clint in a free spirit and that's why we decided to kind of take that captaincy and move it over to Michael for the Gold Cup and then we'll see.
"
Klinsmann's decision should come as no surprise to followers of the U.S. Bradley, 27, is the son of former American coach Bob Bradley and has already served as an unofficial team leader for years. Even without Dempsey's suspension, Klinsmann might have decided that this summer was the right time to hand Bradley the armband.
With his role as the team's leader officially confirmed, Bradley will now turn his focus to the pitch, where he is primed to make a lasting impression this summer. Bradley performs at his best in a deep-lying role, which showcases his talents as a passer and organizer. Lately, that's exactly the role Klinsmann has asked Bradley to play, and that's good news for the U.S. ahead of the tournament.
If he's at his best, and if he plays in his best role, Bradley is fully capable of leading the U.S. to the title.
Can Costa Rica Build on Last Summer?
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Costa Rica shocked much of the world by advancing to the quarterfinals of the World Cup last year in Brazil. This summer, the Ticos could be ready to claim a first Gold Cup crown.
(It should be noted that Costa Rica won CONCACAF championships prior to the creation of the Gold Cup in 1991, but none since then.)
Manager Paulo Wanchope, who ascended to the top job after serving as an assistant for four years, has plenty of classy players in his squad. That list should probably start with playmaker Bryan Ruiz, who will look to pick out Joel Campbell's speedy runs in order to break down opposing defenses.
Wanchope has yet to win in three matches in charge, but the 14th-ranked Ticos should progress comfortably as group winners ahead of Jamaica (ranked 65th by FIFA), El Salvador (89th) and Canada (109th). If so, Costa Rica would play the second-placed team from Group A, likely Panama or Honduras, in the quarterfinals.
That would set up a potential showdown with the United States in the semis and, if all plays out correctly, Mexico in the final.
Tie-Ins with Other Tournaments
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This summer, the results of the Gold Cup will have implications that reach beyond the tournament itself.
As CONCACAF.com reported, the winner of this summer's tournament will enter a one-match playoff with the United States—the 2013 Gold Cup champions—for the right to represent CONCACAF in the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. That is, unless the U.S. wins the Gold Cup again this year, in which case the Americans would qualify automatically for the Confederations Cup.
In addition, MLSSoccer.com has reported that two more CONCACAF teams will join the U.S., Mexico, the 2014 Copa Centroamericana winners (Costa Rica) and the 2014 Caribbean Cup winners (Jamaica) in qualifying for the 2016 Copa America Centenario. Those final two berths will be decided in a playoff of the four highest Gold Cup finishers among the teams not listed above.
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