CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 Team of the Tournament

Michael CummingsJul 27, 2015

The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup concluded Sunday evening in Philadelphia as Mexico defeated Jamaica 3-1 in the final to claim a record seventh title. Now we turn our gaze back over the past three weeks to select the best XI of the tournament.

To select the players, we looked at the obvious stats like goals and assists, but also at how much each player contributed to his team's overall success. As such, we gave further consideration to players whose teams advanced further in the tournament.

Keep reading for our best XI, and leave your choices in the comments below.

Goalkeeper

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Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images

First, the bad: In the semifinals, Brad Guzan committed a costly error that led to Jamaica's second goal. After collecting the ball in his area, Guzan raced to the edge of the box to throw, only to release the ball past the line.

The referee awarded a free kick, which Guzan defended poorly. Jamaica scored directly from it, and that goal turned out to be the winner.

Apart from that, however, Guzan provided the United States with a solid presence in goal. In the group stage, he repeatedly bailed out the Americans with key stops, and in the third-place match, he made 10 saves to ensure Panama didn't run away with the game.

For his efforts, Guzan won the Golden Glove Award as the tournament's top goalkeeper.

Defenders

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Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images

Center-back Roman Torres (pictured) anchored Panama's back line throughout the tournament, organizing his side and cutting out nearly every attack that came his way. His goal in the semifinal against Mexico would have been the winner if not for some dodgy officiating late in the match (including a controversial penalty called against him).

His partner in the middle is Sheldon Bateau, who managed to score twice and led Trinidad and Tobago to first place in Group C ahead of eventual champions Mexico.

Jamaica's Kemar Lawrence, a 22-year-old left-back, is an exciting, young player, as he showed repeatedly during the Reggae Boyz's run to the final. His continued presence in that role should give Jamaica a strong foundation on the left side of the pitch.

At right-back, we've opted for Mexico's Paul Aguilar, who consistently provided an attacking outlet for El Tri down his flank and served up the assist for Andres Guardado's opener in the final.

Midfielders

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Seth Wenig/Associated Press

Andres Guardado is an easy choice for our best XI. The midfielder was Mexico's—and the tournament's—best player by a mile.

The 28-year-old lines up on the left for Mexico but often drifts inward to help dictate play. He did so beautifully throughout the tournament, creating numerous chances for his teammates in both the group and knockout phase. He also finished with six goals, only one behind leader Clint Dempsey, and netted a golazo in the final with an eye-catching volley.

"I’m very happy, very happy, with what Andres has done," Mexico coach Miguel Herrera said after the final, per Goal. "Very deserving to be the player of the tournament because throughout the entire tournament he was extremely competitive, and even more, as a midfielder, to challenge for the scoring title is very good."

At Sporting News, Ives Galarcep noted:

"
On the attack, the 28-year-old scored or set up a combined eight goals, most in the tournament, and he created a total of 20 scoring chances, also the best total in the Gold Cup. Defensively, Guardado was among the tournament's leaders in recoveries (fifth most) and was tied for seventh among all players in successful tackles with 12.
"

In central midfield, Jonathan dos Santos filled the No. 8 role expertly alongside Guardado. His playmaking and all-around contributions were indispensable for El Tri on the road to the title.

Our other central-midfield berth goes to Jamaica captain Rodolph Austin, who led his side by example all the way to the final. The Reggae Boyz would not have reached that point without their strong organization, defensive stability and physical prowess, and Austin excelled in all of those areas.

On the right flank, Garath McCleary receives the nod for his consistently dangerous attacking performances for Jamaica. For now, McCleary plies his trade for Reading in the English second tier, but as ESPN FC noted earlier in the tournament, he has reportedly drawn interest from multiple Premier League clubs.

Forwards

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Frederick Breedon/Getty Images

The summer ended badly for the United States, but forward Clint Dempsey claimed an individual honor as the Gold Cup's top scorer with seven goals. The Texan was stripped of the captaincy ahead of the tournament following an ugly incident with a referee, but Dempsey responded brilliantly and was one of only a few bright spots for the Americans.

We thought long and hard about who to include as our second forward, and in the end we went with Kenwyne Jones of Trinidad and Tobago. Mexico's Oribe Peralta scored four goals to Jones' three, but Peralta only netted once after his hat trick against an overmatched Cuba side in the opener.

El Tri's Jesus "Tecatito" Corona impressed in the final, but he played solely as a substitute before then, and only scored once in the tournament.

Carlos Vela scored a pair of goals for Mexico, but he missed several chances throughout the tournament and was suspended for the final.

Jamaica had a few contenders as well, but we were unable to put one of Giles Barnes or Darren Mattocks ahead of the other.

So in the end, we went with Jones, who provided the Soca Warriors with a powerful presence in the attack and repeatedly reminded all watchers what a talent he is. The 30-year-old finished with three goals, but his overall contribution to Trinidad's attack cannot be measured only in statistics.