What to watch for at the W Gold Cup
A review of my top storylines heading into the tournament
The inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup is upon us! It is hard to capture the significance of this tournament succinctly. It has been a while since this region had a premier stand-alone women’s tournament that did not serve as a qualifier for something else. It is also bringing the best teams from the hemisphere together to compete and celebrate the beautiful game!
Here is some information on what this tournament is all about:
Qualification Process: For Concacaf, it was a long qualifying process that you can view more of here. 5 have already qualified and 3 more will officially qualify after today’s prelims. For CONMEBOL, the top 4 teams from the 2022 Copa American Femenina qualified directly.
Dates/Location: The tournament will take place from February 17-March 10 with most games being played in Southern California and a few in Houston.
How to watch: Those based in the US can watch via Paramount+ in English and ESPN+ in Spanish. Most outside the US can watch via ConcacafGO.
Format: The W Gold Cup is a 12-team tournament (8 from Concacaf and 4 from CONMEBOL). There will be three groups and the top 2 from each group will advance to the knockout stage along with the two best 3rd place teams. Teams will be reseeded for the knockout round.
Groups: Below you will see an overview of the group stage
Now that you know what this is all about and how you can watch it, here is what I am watching for!
Great prelim matchups!
I am not going to do a deep dive into the three matchups. Theo Lloyd-Hughes from Squad Depth already did that here and you should consider subscribing if you want in-depth coverage throughout the tournament and beyond!
Guyana vs Dominican Republic: Both of these teams have a lot to play for! Guyana’s lone appearance at a Concacaf championship came back in 2010 and it was a rough outing for the Lady Jags. For the Dominican Republic, they are looking to make their first appearance in a tournament like this and a win over Guyana would be a huge boost to the progress they have had in recent years.
Haiti vs Puerto Rico: Les Grenadières did not expect to find themselves in the prelims, but they finished 2nd in their qualifying group behind Costa Rica after losing to them on a late stoppage-time goal. After showing their quality in the 2023 World Cup, they’ll be looking to make a run at this tournament. While the team has a strong core, they’ll be missing their superstar, Corventina, who is still recovering from injury. Puerto Rico will look to play spoiler in a matchup nobody expects them to compete in. They have played up to their competition in the last year and I wouldn’t be shocked if they made it interesting.
El Salvador vs Guatemala: This is a matchup between two Central American teams who have been looking to make the jump that Costa Rica and Panama have made in recent years. Guatemala might be favored here to many given their history and talent but El Salvador’s rapid progress paired with a number of their players now in Liga MX will make this a tough matchup. This is the game I am most looking forward to in the prelims!
Will the United States rebound?
There’s no getting around it, the 2023 World Cup was a disappointment for the USWNT. I am not going to sit here and harp on what could have been different or why things did not go as planned, it is a new day and a new era…almost. New manager Emma Hayes won’t technically take charge of the team until after she wraps up at Chelsea just a few months before the Olympics. Even so, she had had a say in the squad picked and the game plan that Twila Kilgore (interim manager) will use in this tournament.
When the squad was announced, there were some notable absences of regulars we are used to seeing: Alex Morgan, Andi Sullivan, Ashley Sanchez, Kelly O’Hara, Sofia Huerta, and Becky Sauerbrunn (who was added just a few days ago due to Alana Cook’s injury). Other veterans such as Crystal Dunn, Lindsey Horan, Rose Lavelle, and Lynn Williams were named in the team…so it is not a total turnover of the squad. Younger stars with a few caps like Mia Fishel, Jaedyn Shaw, and Olivia Moultire will also get their chance to shine in tournament play.
When asked about all of these changes and the plans for the squad going forward, Kilgore said:
“Not only is there a trophy on the line, but this is a great opportunity to capitalize on meaningful match opportunities and experience the short turnarounds between games, which is a rhythm that closely mirrors the Olympic format. We are going to take our next steps together as we continue to evolve our style of play and provide opportunities for players to grow into possible future roles and partnerships.”
While the 4-team SheBelieves Cup will be played in April, this Concacaf W Gold Cup is going to be the proving ground for this new-look USWNT ahead of the Olympics. Sure, we might see a few of those veterans not named in this squad added to that roster, but only 18 players (and some alternates) can go to that tournament. I would consider this current squad to be the bulk of who Emma Hayes will take to Paris.
Given that, this tournament is the perfect opportunity for the US to build chemistry and confidence ahead of the summer. I expect the US to play very well here and likely make a run to the final. They will face familiar foes from Concacaf and also get a chance to play other great teams from CONMEBOL. I hope that regardless of the outcome, fans and pundits can rally around this team to support them. Many are watching for them to slip up so they can have more fodder, but I think this team will show new energy & style and perhaps lift a trophy on home soil!
Can Colombia continue its rise?
After winning their group and advancing to the quarterfinals at the 2023 World Cup, Colombia announced to the world that they have arrived and aren’t planning to stop their ascent! While Mayra Ramirez, one of their stars who recently broke the British transfer record, will not be with the team, their depth of talent should still carry them far in this tournament.
If Haiti qualifies from the prelims, their group is certainly the “group of death” as it would be made up of 4 teams from the 2023 World Cup. Despite that, I would favor them to top this group or to at least finish second. This team has shown their ability to get results in must-win and high-pressure games. In addition to the US, I think Colombia has a claim as one of the tournament favorites.
I’m also looking forward to seeing Linda Caicedo back in action. While already a household name to many, she announced herself on the world stage with this goal against Germany at the World Cup.
This could be HER tournament! She is in good form at Real Madrid at the moment (2g/4a through 14 games) and she always seems to produce magic when wearing the Colombian shirt. If she can lead the team on a deep run at this tournament, it would provide a huge boost of confidence heading into Paris this summer!
Which Concacaf team will take their next step?
The other Concacaf teams we haven’t mentioned (Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Panama) are all looking for something in this tournament. For Canada, they will be searching for team identity after their disappointing showing at the 2023 World Cup and the retirement of Christine Sinclair. This is still a team with a wealth of talent and experience that could win the whole tournament if they play at their best. Their group is very manageable and I would expect them to top it. With the Olympics looming, this will be a huge test to see if they are in a position to defend their gold medal.
La Tri hit what some consider an all-time low in the Concacaf W Championship they hosted back in 2022. They lost all three games and finished last in their group which meant they didn’t advance to the knockout stage and they didn’t qualify for the 2023 World Cup (not even the inter-confederation playoff). It would have been easy to write this team off, but since that failure, they have looked great! A year ago, they hosted and won the 2023 Revelations Cup featuring 3 World Cup teams: Colombia, Nigeria, and Costa Rica. They also proceeded to win two other tournaments (CAC and Pan-American Games). The team did not lose a single game in 2023! This tournament will be a chance to measure how much progress they have made.
Las Ticas burst onto the world stage at the 2015 World Cup as they narrowly missed out on advancing from their group. Since then, it has been hard to break through to the next level. Their 2023 World Cup was not as impressive as their appearance in 2015 and their longtime manager, Amelia Valverde, has been replaced by former Dominican Republic manager Beni Rubido. This squad still has a lot of talent led by defender Daniela Cruz, midfielder Rocky Rodriguez, forwards Melissa Herrera and María Paula Salas, and their bright spot from the 2023 World Cup, keeper Daniela Solera. With the players they have, perhaps the manager change is what they need to take the next step. Qualifying for the knockout stage should be a minimum standard for this team.
Las Canaleras find themselves in what could be the “group of death” but they won’t back down from the challenge. In their debut World Cup last summer, we saw a team with heart and determination. The progress this team has made in the last few years under Ignacio Quintana cannot be understated. While they aren’t in the best run of form, they have the potential to make some noise in their group. To have a shot at advancing to the knockout stage, they will need to create more goal-scoring opportunities than they have recently. If that does happen, I imagine it will flow through superstar Marta Cox who scored what I believe was the goal of the 2023 World Cup!
Brasil without Marta
While Marta Cox will be playing, there is one Marta who will be notably absent…THE Marta! While the 2023 World Cup was her 6th and final tournament with the team, she has not retired from the sport. Many think she will play her final tournament for Brasil at the 2024 Olympics. Despite those hopes, she was not named to the squad for this tournament…but I wouldn’t read too much into that because if she wants to play at the Olympics, she is going to be there! Who would tell the GOAT no?
We have already seen a glimpse of what this team is without Marta regularly on the field in recent years (she started 1 game at the 2023 World Cup and came off the bench in the other 2)…but not having her in the team is a different story. This will be an opportunity for other veterans and leaders in the group (Debinha, Bia, and Rafaelle) to step up and lead the team.
After a disappointing group stage exit at the World Cup, new manager, Arthur Elias will be tasked with bringing this team back to a level they are accustomed to. In the friendlies they have played to start his tenure, the team has looked inconsistent. If they want to send Marta out on a high note at the 2024 Olympics, they need to prove they can beat teams in this tournament!
Where is Jamaica?
Unfortunately, seeing The Reggae Girlz back on the pitch is something we can’t watch for in this tournament. If you haven’t been following the team since the 2023 World Cup (in which they made a historic run to the knockout round), you are probably shocked that they did not qualify for this tournament. The history of mistreatment towards The Reggae Girlz from the Jamaican Football Federation (JFF) is long and many thought that things could be different after the 2023 World Cup run. Their manager at that tournament, Lorne Donaldson, was not very optimistic that things would improve despite the success. He reiterated these feelings ahead of the Olympic playoff against Canada. After those games, his contract was not renewed.
After this coaching change, which players found out about via social media, and full payments from the JFF for the 2023 World Cup not being received, a majority of the players have refused to play for the team until that is resolved. Unfortunately, drastic measures like this are what it usually takes to demand fair treatment from federations. For the JFF’s part, they suspended players who were refusing these call-ups. The interim manager had to scramble to put a team together (only 6 of the 23 players had caps before their games). This inevitably led to poor results and the team missed out on qualifying for this tournament.
Since failure to qualify, the JFF has stated that they have paid all remaining balances in full but this has been disputed by multiple players. Just last month, Cedella Marley (who has been a global ambassador for the team and essentially helped keep them afloat financially) resigned from her role and openly criticized the federation for their repeated mistreatment. New leadership of the JFF may be on the horizon in the form of Raymond Anderson who recently said, “This squad, a beacon of hope and pride for our nation, has been let down. In just three months, the JFF has managed to undo what took Cedella Marley and everyone involved a decade to build.”
Unfortunately, the plight of The Reggae Girlz is all too common in the women’s game. There is so much potential in the Jamaican team and they have a real chance to win trophies with this generation. I hope we can see improvements, but until those changes are made, we will not see stars like Bunny Shaw, Drew Spence, and the Swaby sisters representing the team.
I hope everyone enjoys the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup! It is going to be a great display and celebration of the teams, players, and fanbases from Comcacaf and CONMEBOL. Seeing these two confederations deepen their partnership will continue to benefit the game in the Americas for years to come!