CONCACAF Nations League Recap
USA Win Back-to-Back Titles
Canada, Mexico and Panama Round out Semifinalists
The USA managed a historic 3-0 win over Mexico in the CONCACAF Nations League semifinal to qualify for a second straight final. There, the Stars and Stripes defeated Canada and won back-to-back titles. Meanwhile, Mexico clinched third place over Panama. We’ll look closer at the Nations League finals in our CONCACAF Nations League Recap. At the same time, we’ll review the top goalscorers and the promoted teams from the lower leagues.
Nations League Finals
After finishing first in the Group D CONCACAF Nations League standings, the USA advanced to the CONCACAF Nations League finals. The USA hosted the Nations League finals in Las Vegas, which consisted of the semifinals, third place play-off, and final. The USMNT were joined in the semis by Group A winners Mexico, Group B winners Panama, and Group C winners Canada.
Mexico went 2-2-0 in the group stage, which was seen as an underperformance for El Tri. CONCACAF Nations League recaps shouldn’t overlook Panama, who got two big wins over Costa Rica in the group stage to beat out their neighbors. As one of the CONCACAF teams on the rise, Canada went 3-1 to make a second straight semifinal. The USA, like Panama, finished 3-1-0 and were seeded as the tournament’s top team, with a +12 goal difference.
In the first semifinal, goals from Jonathan David and Alphonso Davies gave Canada a 2-0 victory over Panama. The primetime semifinal was between the USA and Mexico and the rivalry match was fiery, as always. Four players were sent off as the USA picked up an incredible 3-0 victory powered by two Christian Pulisic goals.
That set up a final between the USA and Canada and a third-place play-off between Panama and Mexico. Mexico’s Jesus Gallardo scored in the fourth minute in the play-off as El Tri hung on for a 1-0 victory. Two first-half goals vs. Canada, including one for new USMNT member Folarin Balogun, were enough for the US to win back-to-back Nations League titles.
Top Scorers
In CONCACAF Nations League A, three players finished with four goals to lead the field. All four of Jesus Ferreira’s goals for the USA came in a 5-0 win over Grenada last June. His teammate, Ricardo Pepi, also scored four goals, including a winner over El Salvador and the final goal in the 3-0 win over Mexico. Canada’s Jonathan David was the third player to score four times and he also scored 24 goals in Ligue 1 for Lille in 2022-23.
Of these three, only Ferreira is taking part at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. USA and Canada opted to give a bunch of their Europe-based players a rest ahead of the 2023-24 season.
In the Nations League B, Haiti’s Carnejy Antoine led the field with five goals as Les Grenadiers dominated Group A. His teammate, Mondy Prunier, scored four goals, along with French Guiana’s Joel Sarrucco and Cuba’s Arichel Hernandez.
Sint Maarten’s Gerwin Lake was the top scorer in the 2022-23 CONCACAF Nations League. He scored eight of Sint Maarten’s 19 goals in Nations League C. Puerto Rico’s Ricardo Rivera and Bonaire’s Ayrton Cicilia rounded out the top three with six and five goals, respectively.
Promotion and Relegation
The last-placed team in the CONCACAF Nations League A will go down to the B League for the next edition of the competition.Our CONCACAF Nations League Recap notes that Suriname, Martinique, Curacao and Grenada are the relegated squads.
In Nations League B, the group winners were Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua and Guatemala. Nicaragua got disqualified for fielding ineligible players, so Trinidad and Tobago won Group C by default. Along with Trinidad and Tobao, the other group winners will play in Nations League A next time around.
Ahead of a change in the Nations League Format, no teams from the Nations League B went down to the C League. The teams to earn promotion from the C League to the B League were Sint Maarten, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Puerto Rico.
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