My Preview of the CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinals

Ahead of the Gold Cup semifinals, I looked at some of the most dangerous players for each team. Because of the low amount of games that each team plays, there are definitely some surprising outliers in these charts, but there are also some players that have justified their ranking. There’s a lot of information here, so I’m just gonna dive into a few interesting points for each team. For the United States, unsurprisingly Jesus Ferreira and Brandon Vazquez make up a lot of the team’s expected goals and assists; however, the midfield pivot of Mihailovic and Busio will be crucial to this team having success against Panama. Additionally, Cade Cowell’s recent performances on the wing will finally see him start over Zendejas, right? For Mexico, Roberto Alvarado is the most shocking player here, as he’s been a substitute for Mexico for this entire Gold Cup, but his assist against Costa Rica could potentially see him take on the starting role. I think another interesting dilemma for Mexico is whether or not Edson Alvarez will play in midfield and take on a more creative role like he did against Costa Rica. And if Alvarez lines up in midfield, he alongside Mexico’s two center backs (Reyes and Vasquez) have been dangerous on set pieces so that’s something Jamaica will have to watch out for. Jamaica has quite a few dangerous players on their team, especially in wide areas and up top. Gray and Bailey will have to be on their A game for this side to be successful against Mexico and watch out for Shamar Nicholson coming off the bench, as when he’s been on the field, he’s been extremely productive. Also, Michael Antonio ranks in the top 10 in expected assists among active players in this tournament, so his creativity could also be something to watch out for. Lastly, Panama possesses two main goalscoring threats in the final third, Jose Fajardo and Ismael Diaz, and two main creative threats, that is Yoel Barcenas and Erick Davis. While Carrasquilla provides quality in the midfield, I’m unsure whether he can be a consistent player in the final third yet, and Murrillo is likely out injured for this semifinal. Therefore, I think Panama possesses the least threat going forward, but they are still a side that should not be taken lightly, especially after their 4-0 demolition of Qatar.