Need a footy fix with MLS on break for two weeks? Look no further.
The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup begins on Friday when the Canadian men’s national team takes on French Guiana in Harrison, New Jersey (4 p.m. PT on TSN5).
Here are your Coles Notes for the tournament.
WHAT IS IT?
The CONCACAF Gold Cup is an international competition held every two years that crowns the continental champion in the region encompassing of North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It is the CONCACAF equivalent of the Copa America, South America’s premier international competition. The winner of this year’s Gold Cup will play the winner of the next one in 2019 in a playoff to determine CONCACAF’s entrant to the next FIFA Confederations Cup (Qatar 2021).
HISTORY
The Gold Cup, under its current format, was formed in 1991. Only three nations have ever won the tournament since then: Mexico (seven times), the U.S. (five times), and Canada (in 2000). Mexico are the reigning Gold Cup champs, having beaten Jamaica in the 2015 final. Canada, meanwhile, finished 10th out of 12 teams, posting a 0W-1L-2D.
‘CAPS FOR CANADA
Left backs Sam Adekugbe and Marcel De Jong and midfielders Alphonso Davies and Russell Teibert are set to represent Canada at the upcoming tournament. The four players from Whitecaps FC are the most of any club team on Canada’s 23-man roster. De Jong will be making his fifth Gold Cup appearance – the most of anyone on the team. Teibert will be playing in his third Gold Cup, while Adekugbe and Davies are among the 14 debutants on the roster.
NEW ERA
This year’s Gold Cup represents the start of a new era for the Canadian men’s national team. It will be the first competition under new head coach Octavio Zambrano, and to a certain extent, a changing of the guard from a player standpoint. As mentioned, 14 of Canada’s 23 players have never played in a Gold Cup before. That includes promising youngsters like Adekugbe, Davies, Raheem Edwards (Toronto FC), Anthony Jackson-Hamel (Montreal Impact), and Michael Petrasso (Queens Park Rangers), but also a few more experienced faces such as Scott Arfield (Burnley FC) and Junior Hoilett (Cardiff City FC), who have both played in the English Premier League.
HOW IT WORKS
There are a total of 12 teams divided into three groups of four, with each team playing the other three in their group. The top two teams from each group, as well as the two best third-placed teams, will advance to the quarterfinals (July 19-20), followed by the semis (July 22-23), and tournament final (July 26).
SCHEDULE
See below for Canada’s group stage schedule:
- Friday, July 7 vs. French Guiana: 4 p.m. PT on TSN 5
- Tuesday, July 11 vs. Costa Rica: 4:30 p.m. PT on TSN
- Friday, July 14 vs. Honduras: 7 p.m. PT on TSN 2
Stay tuned to whitecapsfc.com and follow us on Twitter (@WhitecapsFC) for complete coverage of Canada’s matches throughout the tournament.
