Gold Cup 2015

Profile of players in the Gold Cup

By Paul Burrowes

As expected most of the players taking part in the 13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, being hosted in the United States and Canada, ply their trade in the US Major League Soccer (MLS).
Twelve teams are taking part in the 2015 Gold Cup which get under way on Tuesday, July 7 in Group A when Panama take on Haiti at 6:00 pm and United States meet Honduras at 8:30 pm, both at the Toyota Stadium, in Frisco, Texas.
The Toyota Stadium is one of the 14 venues which will be used, with Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to host the final and the PPL Park in Chester, the third-place match. Both are found in the Philadelphia metropolitan area.
Forty three of the 276 players selected for the Gold Cup compete in the MLS, led by Clint Dempsey of Seattle Sounders FC and Michael Bradley of Toronto FC.
Nine Reggae Boyz currently participate in the MLS, which has made tremendous efforts to become one of the best leagues in the world.
Many of the players are active in England, nine from the Championship and six in the English Premier League, including Jamaican Wes Morgan of Leicester City and Adrian Mariappa of Crystal Palace.

Americans Brad Guzan of Aston Villa and DeAndre Yedlin of Tottenham Hotspur also play in England's top league, along with Costa Ricans Joel Campbell of Arsenal FC and Cristian Gamboa of West Bromwich Albion.
Another six players take part in Spain's La Liga, five of them Mexicans and one from Costa Rica.
For the Reggae Boyz, Rodolph Austin, Kemar Lawrence and Wes Morgan will have to perform for Jamaica to put on a good showing in the Gold Cup, with Darren Mattocks, Simon Dawkins and Michael Seaton showing their class.
Jamaica play Costa Rica on Wednesday, July 8 starting at 7:00 pm at the Stubhub Center in Carson, California.