USMNT drawn into Group B with Canada and Martinique for 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup

CHICAGO – The U.S. Men’s National Team will begin its quest for a seventh confederation title as part of Group B in the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup along with Canada, Martinique and a team that will be determined through the 2021 Gold Cup Prelims.

The Gold Cup will take place from July 10-Aug. 1, with the schedule and venues expected to be announced in the near future.

Based on the Gold Cup Prelims draw, the remaining team in Group B could be one of four possibilities: Barbados, Bermuda, Haiti or St. Vincent and the Grenadines. The Prelim Round will run from July 2-6 at a venue to be determined in the United States.

The United States has lifted the Concacaf Gold Cup six times, most recently in the 2017 edition. The USMNT won the inaugural tournament in 1991 before being crowned regional champions again in 2002, 2005, 2007 and 2013. Should the USA win the 2019 competition, it would tie Mexico’s record of seven titles.

“We’re looking forward to competing in our confederation’s premier event,” U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter said. “We have a good group. The three opponents will challenge us in different ways. Our goal is to progress through the group and ultimately compete for a trophy.”

Twelve teams had previously advanced to the 16-team group stage. They include the winners and runners-up in 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League League A groups, and the winners of CNL League B groups, including Canada, Costa Rica, Curacao, El Salvador, Grenada, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Panama, Suriname and the United States.

The 12 teams will be joined in the group stage by AFC Asian Cup Champions, Qatar, who will compete as a guest as part of a major collaboration between Concacaf and the host country of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

The final three teams will come from the 2021 Gold Cup Prelims, a tournament comprised of the 12 national teams who qualified through their 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League performances, including the third placed teams from League A groups, the second placed teams from League B groups, and the winners of League C groups. Those teams are Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Montserrat, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Trinidad and Tobago.

GOLD CUP IS SECOND HALF OF TOURNAMENT ACTION NEXT SUMMER FOR USMNT

With a young group still relatively untested in official competition at the senior international level, next summer will provide a host of opportunities for the USMNT to gain valuable experience while competing for titles. The challenge kicks off with the inaugural Nations League Final Four in June, pitting the United States against Honduras and Mexico versus Costa Rica in the semifinal round. Previously scheduled to be played this past June, the tournament was postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The U.S. advanced to the Final Four after finishing first in Group A above Canada and Cuba.

This will be second Gold Cup during the tenure of USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter, who led the group to a second-place finish in the 2019 edition.

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

• The United States and Canada have met four times in the Gold Cup, with the USA holding a 3-0-1 advantage
• The most recent matchup in the Gold Cup came during the group stage of the 2011 edition, with the USMNT posting a 2-0 shutout victory on June 7 in Detroit
• The 2000 Gold Cup champion Canadians have some emerging stars, including defender 2019-20 UEFA Champions League winner Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich and 2019 Gold Cup Golden Boot winner Jonathan David.
• Martinique are back in the Gold Cup for the third consecutive time and seventh overall after a strong second-place finish in their League A group in the 2019-20 Concacaf Nations League.
• Both previous contests against the United States have come in the confederation championship, with the U.S. securing a 3-2 on July 12, 2017 en route to their sixth Gold Cup championship