MIAMI, Florida – In 2021, one Caribbean team made the Concacaf Gold Cup quarterfinals. Midway through the group stage of the 2023 Gold Cup, it could be three or even four as national teams from the CFU subregion continue to flex their muscles and secure results in the continental championship.
Of the seven Caribbean teams in the 16-team group stage, just two Caribbean squads fell in their first group match -- one of those was to another Caribbean nation.
After years of football-first projects in the region led by Concacaf, including the birth of the Concacaf Nations League giving senior national teams consistent competition, the Caribbean looks like a region on the rise.
“There’s a great development of these Caribbean national teams. That’s been happening for some time,” Haiti manager Gabriel Calderon said in a press conference. “I’ve seen many technical development programs in Caribbean countries, and you’re seeing the results.
“Everything is long-term but you’re seeing a better level of competition. There are very good players, there’s good work being put in, there are good coaching staffs doing work with these teams, there’s the raw material. Soccer is very competitive, and every day it’s more equal. I’m really glad to know that it’s happening in Concacaf.”
Calderon’s Haiti squad is an example of continued growth. After a run to the semifinals in the 2019 Gold Cup, Haiti once again is in position to make the knockout rounds after finishing in the group stage in 2021.
Other teams also have put performances on the field that make the region take notice. Martinique rode a two-goal first-half to a 2-1 victory over El Salvador in the opening contest of Group C, while Guadeloupe battled to a 2-2 draw with Canada at BMO Field in Toronto.
“That Guadeloupe team, not many people will know the team, but when you look on paper at some of the quality they have in their front four, we knew they were going to test us,” Canada manager John Herman said after the stalemate. “We knew they were going to take us into some deep water as well, and the test was could (our young players) come back tactically to the identity.”
Guadeloupe’s roster is led by FW Thierry Ambrose, who scored against Canada. He is one of 16 players in manager Jocelyn Angloma’s team based outside Guadeloupe.
Jamaica also is benefiting from players who have experience outside the region. Everton FW Demarai Gray assisted the Reggae Boyz’ goal in its group-opening draw with the United States and then scored two goals of his own in a 4-1 victory against Trinidad and Tobago in the second match. Aston Villa FW Leon Bailey also scored in that game, with West Ham United FW Michail Antonio rounding out the attacking line.
But it isn’t just the teams with many of their players based abroad who are showing growth. While they’ve fallen in their first two group contests, the Sugar Boyz of Saint Kitts and Nevis are utilizing their League C win in the Concacaf Nations League to achieve something never before done, making the Gold Cup group stage and trying to motivate young people in their country of fewer than 50,000 people.
“For the nation itself, qualifying for the Gold Cup for the first time has helped our country to unify, it’s brought our country together pretty much for the first time ever through this game,” Atiba Harris, the Saint Kitts and Nevis FA President, said this week.
All the Caribbean teams in the Gold Cup are pushing toward a goal, hoping to become the first team from the subregion to lift the trophy.
Whether or not a team breaks through and wins the title this year, the results show Caribbean teams are getting closer and increasingly competing for glory in the region.
