GOLD CUP PREVIEW: What can the CanMNT expect from Group B in Concacaf test?

With the Canadian Shield now over, the CanMNT can turn their attention to their big goal of this summer - winning the 2025 Gold Cup. 

Having gone 25 years since last winning this tournament, with their 2000 Gold Cup triumph sitting as the last time they’ve won a competitive trophy (even if lifting the Canadian Shield this week will have felt nice), this 2025 Gold Cup has the potential to be special for this Canadian side. 

Armed with a very strong team, this is a group hungry to win, as they know how important a victory like this could be for them with the World Cup now 12 months away. After coming up short in the Concacaf Nations League finals in March, they also know that this is their last chance to win a trophy before the World Cup, too, as these are the last competitive games they’ll play in the next year. 

Because of that, they must make the most of these matches. Even if some of their competition won’t compare to the sort of teams they recently played in the Canadian Shield, and the ones that await in the months to come, there is a lot that can be taken out of a tournament environment like this. 

Plus, Canada knows that they need to send a message to the rest of Concacaf right now. Despite arguably being the best team in the region over the past 12 months, they came up short when they had the chance to crown their status as the current top side in March, with Mexico claiming that honour with their recent Nations League win. 

This Summer is Gold! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/iCOwahxzl0

— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) June 5, 2025

Finding a way to win this Gold Cup, however, would help ease the pain of that disappointment, reaffirm Canada’s credentials in Concacaf and could only boost their confidence going forward - all of that shows just how valuable a victory could be to them. 

Before looking too far ahead, however, it’s worth noting that Canada’s journey towards glory won’t be easy. This tournament is never easy to navigate - there’s a reason why Canada haven’t even made the final since their 2000 triumph - so they must take things one game at a time, starting with the group stage, where three tough tests await them in Honduras, El Salvador and Curaçao.

Spots locked in for Group B 🔒 pic.twitter.com/xMw836Xf0y

— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) April 11, 2025

With that in mind, here’s what to expect from Canada’s group at this tournament, and how they’ll tackle these tests.  

Can Honduras return to Concacaf’s biggest stages once again?

How the times have changed. At the beginning of the 2010s, Honduras were a constant threat to go deep in this tournament, as they reached the semi-finals four times in five editions between 2005 and 2013. 

Since then, however, they’ve struggled to make a similar run, alternating group stage and quarter-final exits in the five editions they’ve played since, with the latest being a group stage exit at the 2023 tournament. 

Because of that, they’ve got eyes on a semi-final run this year, and they sit in a good position to do so, both due to their form and the group in which they find themselves, as any of these group B teams would avoid the US or Mexico until the semi-finals at the earliest. 

Honduras were made to work to get here, as they qualified via a playoff in March, defeating Bermuda 7-3 on aggregate after being eliminated from the Nations League A quarter-finals with a 4-2 aggregate loss to Mexico in November, which denied them of automatic qualification. 

Now that they’re here, however, they won’t care about how they qualified and instead focus on what’s ahead. Off to a good start to qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup, having cruised through round two of Concacaf qualifying with four wins from four, they’ll want to carry that momentum into this tournament. 

For what it’s worth, however, while they qualified for the third round of Concacaf qualifying with ease, scoring 12 goals and conceding just two, they faced much easier competition than what awaits them at the Gold Cup. Not only that, but their recent matches left a lot to be desired - after a 3-1 win vs. Cuba and 6-1 win vs. Bermuda in June of 2024, they struggled a bit more in June of this year, only beating the Cayman Islands 1-0 before grinding out a 2-0 win vs. Antigua and Barbuda. 

Yet, that’s been the story of the last few years for Honduras - they continue to show good moments in spurts, but have lacked the consistency required to return to the upper-echelon of Concacaf, as reflected in their Gold Cup struggles. Plus, that’s shown in their play elsewhere - they haven’t reached the World Cup since 2014, having qualified for both the 2010 and 2014 editions, they finished in the top four of the Concacaf Nations League just once, back in 2021 (although they’ve done well to remain in League A in each edition), and they also missed out on the chance to represent Concacaf at the 2024 Copa América. 

Looking at Honduras’s team itself, however, what should Canada expect from head coach Reinaldo Rueda’s side? When looking at the data from their Nations League clashes, which gives a better picture of how they’d fare against an opponent like Canada, the name of the game was low-event soccer for Los Catrachos. 

In the six Nations League A clashes they’ve had over the last year, they’ve averaged just 1.01 xG for, but have allowed just 1.05 xG against. Despite that, they’ve scored an impressive 1.67 goals per 90, but have allowed 1.33 goals per 90, showing that while the soccer can be low event at times, goals can flow in some games. 

That speaks to Honduras’s style of play, however. Over that span, they’ve averaged 47.95% possession and send 13.27% of their passes long, as they opt for more of a direct model in the 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2 they routinely employ, especially in bigger games. 

In that system, they’ve produced elite defensive numbers, as seen by the low xG they’ve conceded, as well as the fact that they’ve kept opponents to under 10 shots per game and an average shot distance of above 20 yards, so look for them to use their defensive solidity to ride to results this tournament. They’ll certainly need their defence to be solid, too - while they’ve heavily overperformed their xG, they don’t generate a lot of quality shots, with an average shot distance of above 21 yards, which is why they have such low xG despite taking over 11 shots per game, as they have a quantity over quality approach in the attack. 

When their style works, they can create frustrating low-event games that benefit them, such as their 2-0 win vs. Mexico in leg one of their Nations League quarter-final, or their 0-0 draw vs. Jamaica last October. On the other hand, things can get a bit crazy when things open up, as they saw in a 4-0 loss to Mexico in the second leg of that quarter-final, a 3-2 win vs. French Guiana, and a 2-1 loss to Jamaica over the past 12 months. 

Because of that, look for Honduras to lean into the low-event soccer against Canada in the opener. Given that Canada will want to press them and play aggressively, opening up the game will be at Honduras’s risk, especially for a team with seven players over 30, and 10 further players 27 or older, as they’re more of a veteran-savvy side who won’t want to run as much. 

Speaking of the squad, Honduras has a lot of familiar faces in this group, such as veterans Romell Quioto, Deiby Flores, Alexander López, Kervin Arriaga, and Anthony Lozano, but also have some younger players, including Luis Palma, Joseph Rosales and Luis Vega.

¡La H se alista para la Copa Oro! pic.twitter.com/hTR2bCZSi1

— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) June 6, 2025

In particular, the attacking group of Quioto, Lozano and Palma will look to cause problems in transition, while Flores and Arriaga will help Honduras clog up the central channels. From there, the goal will be simple - try to avoid any mistakes that will play into Canada’s press, so don’t be surprised to see Honduras go more direct, as they did vs. Mexico. 

Yet, this shows why it’ll be a good test for Canada to get this Honduras side first - it’ll set the tone for what’s to come the rest of the Gold Cup, where teams might look to take a page out of teams that have frustrated Canada and try to play them physically - although it’s worth noting that Honduras isn’t the most foul-heavy team, as they defend well without playing too dirty.

Will El Salvador take that next step this summer?

It’s a credit to El Salvador that they’ve constantly found themselves in the mix at this tournament, as this is their 10th straight participation in the Gold Cup, yet they’ve never advanced past the quarter-finals in that span, falling at that stage four times. 

Because of that, much like with Honduras, they’ll feel this is a fantastic opportunity to change that, as the draw is set up for them to make a run to the semi-finals if all goes well for them. 

Unfortunately, however, they don’t come into this tournament with the most momentum under their belt, as they scraped through the second round of Concacaf World Cup qualifying, as a final-day draw vs. Suriname got them through - had they lost that game, they would’ve been eliminated. 

After a good 2022 World Cup qualifying run, one that saw them reach the final stage for the first time since 2010, they’re hoping to qualify in 2026, as they look to reach the World Cup for the first time since 1982. They remain in the race to do so, but they’ll look to improve their performances after winning two games and drawing two others in the second round, which is far from impressive. 

The Gold Cup would be a good place for them to find that form, however. After a chaotic last few years of Nations League action, as they’ve had two stints in League B sandwiching a two-edition stint in League A, they’ll hope their recent promotion back to League A can be the start of a couple of big years for them. 

So what can Canada expect from head coach Hernán Darío Gómez’s side this tournament? The answer is that it’s hard to know, as El Salvador haven’t exactly had the most exciting run of games lately, due to their presence in League B. 

Looking at their schedule, El Salvador have played as many club teams (two, Houston Dynamo and Pachuca) as they have teams who qualified for the 2025 Gold Cup (two, Guatemala x2 and Suriname) over the past year. They did have a good friendly match vs. Peru last summer in the lead-up to the Copa América, in which they fell 1-0, but as last year has shown, even that doesn’t feel as impressive given Peru’s recent struggles. 

When seeing some of the numbers from recent games, as expected, El Salvador have mostly dominated games in League B, but have struggled to impose themselves in those bigger friendlies that they’ve played. 

Because of that, expect them to sit back in a 4-2-3-1 formation under Gómez, the experienced manager who will know Canada from facing them in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers when he was with Honduras, and try to absorb pressure before going the other way. 

From there, they’ll hope that experience and chemistry can help them, as they’ve got nine players over 30, and just three players who don’t play in the El Salvador league, which will have to be their advantage. At the same time, they also have 12 players 25 and younger, including the interesting trio of Brayan Gil, Enrico Dueñas and Harold Osorio, as they find themselves in a bit of an interesting transition moment, one headlined by the emergence of that trio (although it must be said that LAFC's Nathan Ordaz is a big absence as he represents his club at the Club World Cup, as he's a key part of this team). 

La Selecta está preparada 🇸🇻 pic.twitter.com/acBXIeMW2i

— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) June 7, 2025

Yet, this shows why this cycle is so important for El Salvador, as they’re building to become a more regular force in Concacaf going forward. A deep run in this tournament could be immensely valuable for these younger players, as the veterans will know. 

Plus, this matchup vs. Canada will give them something they haven’t gotten enough of since the 2022 World Cup qualifying cycle - a high-quality match, which they’ll hope prepares them for the next round of 2026 World Cup qualifying, where they’ll need to get used to winning these kinds of games if they want to make it to the big dance.

Is it time for Curaçao to become a top Concacaf team?

After a bit of a break, Curaçao have returned to the Gold Cup, as they make their first appearance since 2019, when they reached the quarter-finals. 

They qualified for the 2021 edition, but had to pull out due to a COVID outbreak in their squad, but then missed out on the 2023 tournament in heartbreaking fashion, as they lost to St.Kitts and Nevis in a penalty shootout in the qualification tournament, which essentially served as a playoff for those who didn’t qualify directly through Nations League. 

Because of that, it’ll mean a lot for them to return for this edition, as they felt like they were on the cusp of doing good things at this tournament after their 2019 showing, and then had that momentum halted due to bad luck in 2021 and then their own performances in 2023. 

Since then, however, they’ve remained a pretty good team in Concacaf - they haven’t maybe pierced that group of top six teams in the region, but they’re just outside that group. That’s reflected in the fact that they’ve spent three of the four Nations League campaigns in League A, only recently falling to League B for the 2024-2025 edition, although they’ve already ensured they’ll be back in League A for the next edition.

No doubt, however, is that their big goal is to reach the World Cup, something that they’re looking to do for the first time in their history, having never really come close to doing so in their history, both as Curaçao over the last decade or so, and even before that when they were the Netherlands Antilles. 

They’ve been off to a storming start to 2026 qualifying, winning their four round two matches by a combined score of 15-2, making them one of the favourites to automatically qualify in the next round.

Before then, however, they’ll look to make some noise at this Gold Cup, where they certainly have a bit of darkhorse potential, especially in a wide-open group like this one. In particular, a recent 5-1 win vs. Haiti will spur them on, as they capped off their World Cup qualifying on a high note with a commanding victory against a solid opponent. 

For what it’s worth, though, much like with El Salvador, Curaçao’s participation in League B of the Nations League has denied them the opportunity to play quality opponents in the past year and a half, which is why this tournament is so important for them. After getting used to playing big teams in League A - they were even in Canada’s group for the 2022-2023 edition, playing Canada twice in the group stage (losing 2-0 and 4-0) - they’ll be happy to get some good tests ahead of the next round of World Cup qualifying. 

Certainly, a look at the data shows why those tests will excite them - they ran through League B action, outscoring opponents 2.5-0.5 on average, which shows that it’ll be hard to analyze much in those matches from a Canadian perspective. 

At the same time, Canada will have an idea of what to expect from Curaçao, who is coached by the legendary Dutch manager, Dick Advocaat, having taken over in 2024. 

Since his arrival, his team have played a 4-2-3-1, and will look to hold onto the ball, although they might be willing to adjust that slightly given Canada’s press. Yet, at the same time, they might want to just stick to their style and play their way, which has a strong Dutch influence, with 12 players in the squad playing in the Netherlands and several others who have played in the country in the past. 

Of course, however, that’s the thing to watch with Curaçao, as they’ve continued to heavily pursue new dual nationals over the past few years, due to some changes within their country that have allowed them to do so. That’s allowed them to build up an impressive roster on paper, with their challenge being to build chemistry and to play up to that potential, something they’ve finally started to do in World Cup qualifiers. 

Given the number of Curaçao dual nationals out there, however, it shows why making the World Cup could be so important to them - one has to imagine that their squad would get a huge boost from that tournament, as it’d allow them to secure some important commitments. 

As for this team, they’ve got several players to watch, though. Much like with El Salvador, they’ve got an interesting split in their squad, with nine players over 30 and 11 players 25 or younger, although their bigger focus is on developing that younger generation. 

Curaçao’s Gold Cup roster is ready! 🇨🇼 pic.twitter.com/O2XCpIHVeD

— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) June 8, 2025

The veterans remain quite important, however, as goalkeeper Eloy Room, defenders Juriën Gaari and Sherel Floranus, midfielders (and brothers) Juninho and Leandro Bacuna, and forwards Rangelo Janga and Brandley Kuwas make up the core of the team, but they’ll hope that some of those youngsters can step up and support them - one to watch is Juventus academy midfielder, Livano Comenencia, who has snatched a starting role lately. 

At a pivotal moment for the sport in the country, this Gold Cup could be a big launching pad for what’s to come from them going forward, so look for them to make the most of this opportunity.

Canada’s outlook:

With that in mind, it gives plenty for Canada to chew on as they prepare for this tournament. 

No doubt, they’ve been given a pretty favourable draw, as they’ll be favoured to top this group, given both their current form and past results against these teams. 

After seeing the #CanMNT lift the Canadian Shield this week, what does your best starting eleven look like heading into the Gold Cup? 👀 pic.twitter.com/ADxA4K0l0N

— OneSoccer (@onesoccer) June 11, 2025

That’s a bit unfortunate, as Canada could’ve perhaps used a stiffer group stage test against Costa Rica or Jamaica, for example, who would’ve been great opponents to draw out of pot two. 

This isn’t a bad thing, though, as it’ll offer the chance for Jesse Marsch to continue what he started at the Canadian Shield, where he auditioned several players in bigger roles. In games like this, there should be plenty of opportunities for him to keep doing that, allowing him to get a look at new players while saving some of his key names for the later rounds. 

There’ll be a balancing act for him to follow, as he’ll also want to keep his top players in form, but what he did at the Canadian Shield was quite informative, as he mixed his starters in with new faces, something he’ll likely continue to do. 

Canada’s 26 are chosen 🫡 pic.twitter.com/Rp6746Exfj

— Gold Cup (@GoldCup) June 5, 2025

#CANMNT Roster Update - Concacaf Gold Cup 🍁

Sporting Kansas City’s Zorhan Bassong has been called into Men's National Team camp to replace Vancouver Whitecaps FC’s Sam Adekugbe for the upcoming 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup.

Mise à jour de la sélection du #CANMNT pour la Gold Cup de… pic.twitter.com/wSzewdfZPZ

— CANMNT (@CANMNT_Official) June 12, 2025

Otherwise, this group stage will offer Canada a great opportunity to test themselves against teams who will likely sit back and try and frustrate them off the ball, at least vs. Honduras and El Salvador (although Curaçao could very well do the same), which isn’t a bad thing. Canada needs more tests in games where teams try to disrupt their system and make them uncomfortable, as their system has otherwise worked very well, so hopefully, these games allow them to do that and help them find solutions to win those games where they need to turn to plan B and C. 

This is the beauty of this tournament for Canada, however. No doubt, the goal is for them to win it at all costs, and their approach will reflect that in every game that they play, especially later in the tournament, but they’ve also got room to keep learning about themselves and grow as a team.

A potential CanMNT starting XI - worth noting that Stephen Eustáquio will be at the Club World Cup with Porto, so would only rejoin Canada later in the tournament, hence the inclusion of Choinière in parentheses

Now, it’s up to them to make the most of that opportunity, as they get set for their last competitive matches before the World Cup, with it all kicking off next week.