Gold Cup draw sees Mexico top of group of death as USA are paired with Jamaica in group

By Paul Nicholson in Los Angeles

April 15 - Defending champions USA have been handed what looks like a comfortable draw for the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup, with the toughest challenge in stage one likely coming from the Jamaica and its contingent of English Premier League players.

Also in Group A, Nicaragua and one of the preliminary round qualifiers.

The draw was conducted live on television from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles where the Gold Cup final will be played on July 16.

In contrast, their perennial regional rivals Mexico - losing Gold Cup finalists in 2021 - will lead a "group of death" that includes Haiti, Honduras and Qatar in Group B .

USA coach Anthony Hudson went to great lengths to say 'there are no easy games, we know that'. USA will first defend their Concacaf Nations League title in the week before the Gold Cup kicks off. They will face Mexico in the semi-finals, an opponent they will meet in Mexico City this week in what is being dubbed the Continental Classico.

“The region itself is getting stronger. We just want to keep getting better,” Hudson said. “The benchmark for us is to win again.”

The United States won the 2021 Gold Cup with a team largely drawn from MLS. This time around, Hudson said he expects the squad to be a mix of MLS and overseas-based players with a core of six or seven players playing in the Nations League at a time. and the Gold Cup.

Jamaica offers the United States a real challenge if they can get back into shape with their Premier League stars under new Iceland coach Heimer Hallgrímsson.

At the head of the foreign contingent, Michail Antonio (West Ham), Leon Bailey (Aston Villa), Ethan Pinnock (Brentford) and Bobby Reid (Fulham) will have to mingle with the local players of Jamaica if they want to emulate the success from the past when they reached the final in 2015 and 2017.

“The region itself is getting stronger. We just want to keep getting better,” said current USMNT head coach Anthony Hudson (pictured right, above with Alexi Lalas). benchmark for us is to win again."

It's a point that is not lost on Mexico as they attend the Gold Cup under new coach Diego Cocca and again with the added burden of expectations from Mexican fans and their American Diaspora.

Friday's draw did Cocca a disservice in that regard. Haiti will provide a passionate and physical challenge, Honduras have shown signs of putting four lean years behind them since the 2018 Russia World Cup, while Qatar will want to prove they are a much better team than they showed at their home World Cup, and under new coach Carlos Queiroz have a seasoned tournament artist to guide them.

In the other groups, there is a battle for Central America's bragging rights in Group C with Costa Rica and Panama facing off again - Panama beat Costa Rica for the prevent making the 2023 Nations League final, but Costa Rica have edged out Panama to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. Fast-improving El Salvador will want a say in this group, after showing in the Nations League that they can compete, edging out the United States with the aim of making the last four.

Group D is led by Canada who have propelled themselves into the top tier of Concacaf nations and are looking to cement that with a trophy. In the group stage, they will face Guatemala, Cuba and one of the preliminary round qualifiers.