Gold Cup 2021 begins with triple treat for fans at the DRV PNK Stadium

Haiti vs St. Vincent and the Grenadines

The 16th staging of the eagerly anticipated Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary round gets on underway on July 2nd with a triple header at the DRV PNK Stadium in Florida. Haiti will tackle St Vincent and the Grenadines in a 4:30 pm opener.

Haiti is banking heavily on the strike pair of Duckens Nazon and Frantzdy Pierrot to fire them into the group stage of the tournament. Haiti, who reached the semifinals for the first time in their nation’s history and pushed eventual champions Mexico to the limit, narrowly falling 0-1 in extra time, is expected to put that behind them and go at least a step further.

Les Grenadiers had shown a strong level of resilience in the 2019 edition and will not sit on their laurels and play dead. They earned their respect from football enthusiasts; rallying from behind three times to win, including a miraculous quarterfinal win from 0-2 down at halftime to defeat Canada 3-2, equaling the greatest comeback in Gold Cup history.

Haiti sits comfortably at the summit of the World Cup Qualifiers and did arguably well in the Concacaf Nation League Qualifiers and the Concacaf Nation League. Haiti can also launch their secret weapons from midfield, an amalgamation of speedy wing players like Derrick Etienne Jr., orchestrator Steven Saba, who can pull the strings in attack, and the versatile Kevin Lafrance, who can serve as a midfielder or defender.

Both Etienne Jr. and Saba were key components to Haiti’s semifinal run in 2019. In defense, Carles Arcus of French side Auxerre provides a steady presence, while veteran Mechack Jerome is a physical center back capable of winning any aerial duel.

St. Vincent and the Grenadines can be a tricky opponent and should not be taken lightly. After finishing second to Suriname in the 2019 Concacaf Nation League, thus earning another bite of the cherry for Gold Cup Qualifications, head coach Kendale Mercury will want to seize this opportunity in a convincing fashion.

Coach Mercury has the talismanic Marlon Simmonds and Cornelius Stewart leading the line, however, most of the creativity lies in the midfield with the trio of captain Dorren Hamlet, Brad Richards, and Diel Spring. If the “Vincy Heats” should get past Haiti, they will face the winner of Barbados versus Bermuda game on the 6th of July, for a place in the group stage with Canada, Martinique, and host USA in group B.

From minute one to the final toot of the whistle, this promises to be a feisty encounter. Will there be an upset or a walk in the park? Your guess is as good as mine.

Bermuda vs Barbados
The 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup is in our shadows now, but still in the forefront of the minds of the Bermudans as it serves as the platform for many firsts for the National Team.

The Gombey Warriors appeared in their first ever Gold Cup, scored their first ever Gold Cup goal, subsequently winning their first ever Gold Cup match. With those firsts shoved aside, the Gombey Warriors is considerably conscious of making the Gold Cup a regular thing.

In a bid to return to the group stage for the 2021 edition they will have to get past Barbados, their first hurdle in the second game of the triple header at 7:00 pm at the DRV PNK Stadium.

Kyle Lightbourne the head coach of Bermuda must be a happy man to be given the mantle and having many returnees to his set up. Kyle guided Bermuda through the tournament two years ago and is hungry to chalk something up in this year’s tournament. Nahki Wells of Championship side Bristol City’s is a prolific goal scorer, who scored two of Bermuda’s four goals in the 2019 Gold Cup. He will be expected to lead the Bermuda attack once again.

Wells continued the rich vein of form he showed in the Gold Cup and carried that into Concacaf Nations League play, scoring three goals, including a brace in Bermuda’s 2-0 win over Panama. The versatile Charleston Battery number 10, Zeiko Lewis, is expected to join forces in the attacking third or be the provider from the midfield.

Lewis and Justin Donawa featured for Bermuda two years ago in the 2019 Gold Cup and will be expected to pull the strings against Barbados. Dante Leverock earned the distinction of scoring Bermuda’s first Gold Cup goal in their opening group stage match in a 2-1 loss to Haiti.

Leverock briefly retired from international football earlier this year but later repudiated his decision and was back in Lightbourne’s team. Leverock commanding and crunching tackles is an important piece of his side’s back line.

Bermuda’s two losses in the 2019 Gold Cup were by just a single goal, and in CNL play they had several notable performances, including almost pulling out a draw against Mexico at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. With so many players back from the team that made the nation’s Gold Cup debut two years ago and that experience under their belts, Bermuda will fancy their chances of making a group stage return.

Barbados is known to produce some outstanding cricketers such as Garfield Sobers, Everton Weeks and Gordon Greenidge, but they are slowly making a mark in the football arena. Barbados was slotted into League C in the Concacaf Nation Qualifiers.

The Bajan Tridents grabbed the opportunity by the scruff of the neck and have shown constant improvement. A win over Bermuda and a win over the winner of Haiti and STVG would set up a first ever berth in the Concacaf Gold Cup group stage.

In League C of the 2019-20 CNL, Barbados fended off a strong challenge from The Cayman Islands to finish atop Group A with a 4W-0D-2L record, to clinch a spot in the Gold Cup Prelims and earn promotion to League B. The Russell Latapy coached team finished the first round of Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022, with Barbados finishing third in their group with a solid 1W-2D-1L record. The Bajan Tridents went toe-to-toe with 2018 FIFA World Cup side Panama but failed to produce the winning goal over the Canaleros. Also they were mere seconds from a full three points at the Dominican Republic.

The Bajans are suggestively trending in the right direction going into the Prelims. Two players who have the goods to make things happen are captain Rashad Jules and Hadan Holligan. Nick Blackman and Hallam Hope could also be key pieces. The 31-year-old Blackman is fresh off winning the Israel State Cup with club side Maccabi Tel-Aviv, while Hope scored five goals in 32 league games with English League One outfit Swindon Town. After strong performances in the CNL and CWCQ, the stars could be aligning in Barbados’ favor for the Gold Cup.

Trinidad and Tobago vs Montserrat

It has been a roller coaster ride for the “Soca Warriors” in recent times; making the headlines for the wrong reason, chopping, and changing coaches. One of the most popular names and capped player in Trinidad’s football history is Angus Eve. Eve took over as interim head coach from Terry Fenwick who had a sweltering time in the World Cup Qualifiers.

Experienced defender Sheldon Bateau and midfielder Levi Garcia, who have been both regular members of the team in recent years, were left out “in the cold”. On Wednesday, Eve told the media at a training session at the Ato Boldon Stadium in Couva that the players are unavailable.

Eve will be looking to field a 3-4-2-1 formation with Adrian Foncette in goal, defenders Aubrey David and Radanfah Abu Bakr, Khaleem Hyland, Joevin Jones and Kevin Molino to pull the strings in midfield, Hashim Arcia, Marcus Joseph and Isaiah Lee playing through the middle and lone striker Ryan Telfer upfront.

If successful, T&T will play the winner of the Cuba and French Guiana game for the second-round qualifier on July 6. If their fortunes should grant them success in both matches, they will be one of three additional teams to be added to the tournament, Joining the other 13 nations and would be placed in Group A along with Mexico, El Salvador and Curaçao.

“A tough nut to crack” is how most teams would describe Montserrat. A team with a clear sense of purpose and measurable objectives have become one of the great revelations in recent years, not just in Concacaf, but all of world football.

The Emerald Boys amassed a 3W-0D-1L record, the lone loss being a last-minute 1-2 defeat to El Salvador, and finished 11th in CNLQ, narrowly missing out on automatic qualification for the 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup.

That near-miss has made Montserrat only hungrier and their play in both League B of the 2019-20 CNL and Concacaf World Cup Qualifying for Qatar 2022 suggests that they could be on the verge of something special in the 2021 Gold Cup Prelims.

If they are to walk away with something positive from the prelims, they will be depending heavily on Lyle Taylor to lead the line. Taylor scored five goals in Montserrat’s four matches in CWCQ, including braces in a 2-2 draw at Antigua and Barbuda and in the 2-1 win at Grenada.

In addition to Nottingham Forest dangerman Taylor, there is Donervon Daniels at Crewe Alexandra, Maidenhead United’s James Comley and Rohan Ince and Bolton Wanderers Brondon Comley. Montserrat is the only team to have won all three games in CNLQ and still not qualify for the 2019 Gold Cup. However, Montserrat will be out to take the next step in 2021, beginning with Trinidad and Tobago in the Prelims.