Since the inaugural CONCACAF Gold Cup in 1991, the Mexico national football team has won the event six times-more than any other country. With the 2015 Gold Cup, the Mexican side will look to reclaim the Gold Cup title after watching the United States win it 2013. Before Mexico can think much about a seventh CONCACAF Gold Cup title, though, they will have to get through the group stage. This year, Mexico has been drawn into the CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C-which also includes Guatemala, Trinidad and Tobago, and Cuba. Other tournament frontrunners, meanwhile-like the United States and Costa Rica-are in groups A and B, respectively.
Analyzing Group C: Who Will Progress and Who Will Go Home?Â
Just looking at Group C's teams on paper, it doesn't look like Mexico will have much trouble reaching the knockout stages of this year's CONCACAF competition. Of these four teams, only Mexico qualified for last year's FIFA World Cup, and only Mexico have won previous Gold Cup titles. Suffice it to say that the Tri-Color are the clear favorites to win Group C.
The other three soccer teams in the group could surprise fans, though. The wearers of the Trinidad and Tobago home shirt 2015 2016, for instance, have landed on the Gold Cup podium once before, back in 2000. They also nearly won the Caribbean Cup last fall, topping a ground that included Cuba, French Guiana, and Curacao to reach a tournament final with Jamaica. Trinidad ultimately lost the championship match, falling 3-4 in a penalty kick shootout after a scoreless extra-time match. However, the strong performance in that tournament certainly makes Trinidad and Tobago a team to watch.
Guatemala has also reached the Gold Cup semifinals once before-back in 1996. However, they don't have the same recent success story that Trinidad and Tobago do, and have lost or drawn most of their friendly fixtures over the past few years. Expect an early elimination for Guatemala's soccer squad.
Meanwhile, Cuba will likely land in third place on the Group C table. The Cuban squad reached the quarterfinals in 2013, thanks almost solely to a big 4-0 win over Belize. But an even bigger loss against Panama (1-6 in the quarterfinals) sent Cuba packing, and there's no reason to believe they've become much more of a football powerhouse in the past two years. If Cuba does manage to qualify for the knockout stages of this year's CONCACAF tournament, they will have to do so by being one of the better third-place teams-as they did in 2013.
To recap, our predictions for the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C put Mexico in first, Trinidad and Tobago in second, Cuba in third, and Guatemala in fourth.
The Games
Looking to catch the action of this summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup? While the tournament will officially commence on July 7th, Group C's won't get their start until two days later. The first soccer matches will take place at Chicago's Soldier Field-first between Trinidad and Guatemala, and then later in the day between Mexico and Cuba.
Three days later, on July 12th, the wearers of the Trinidad and Tobago home shirt 2015 2016 will take on Cuba, while the wearers of the Tri-Color Mexico shirt will face off against Guatemala. Those games will be played at the University of Phoenix Stadium, in Glendale, Arizona.
Group C competition will come to a close on July 15th at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. Cuba and Guatemala will likely do battle for third place, while Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago will conclude the Gold Cup group stage in what promises to be an explosive football fixture.
What will happen in Group C? Will Mexico set themselves up for another CONCACAF title? After winning twice in a row in 2009 and 2011, the Tri-Color are surely aiming to recapture the top spot on the podium this year. But Trinidad and Tobago have been in the hunt for a CONCACAF victory, and this just might be their year.
Cheer for either of these teams, by stopping by Soccer Box and picking up a new official jersey! We have the Mexico jersey, as well as the brand new Trinidad and Tobago football shirt 2015 2016.