Concacaf week headlined by cup finals, RTWGC finales

MIAMI, Florida – The second legs of the Central American Cup and Caribbean Cup finals, plus the final matches of the Road to W Gold Cup, headline this week’s action in the Concacaf region.

Central American Cup

On Tuesday the 2023 Concacaf Central American Cup will conclude with the second leg of the Final between Alajuelense of Costa Rica and Nicaragua’s Real Esteli at the Estadio Alejandro Morera Soto in Alajuela, Costa Rica.

For Alajuelense, it is all there for the taking, as the Ticos hold a 3-0 advantage on aggregate after their impressive 3-0 first leg triumph in Nicaragua.

Alajuelense scored three goals in an 18-minute span to give themselves a healthy cushion going into Tuesday night’s second leg and a chance to secure their first Concacaf title since the 2020 Concacaf League.

Real Esteli showed plenty of heart and fight throughout the first 90 minutes and will be seeking an early score on Tuesday night to try to swing the momentum in their favor.

Not only are top honors in the Central American region at stake, but also a place in the Round of 16 of the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup.

Caribbean Cup

The 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Cup will also come to a close this week, as Jamaican club Cavalier host Robinhood of Suriname in the second leg of the Final at the National Stadium in Kingston.

Robinhood’s journey becomes more remarkable by the week. The 2023 Concacaf Caribbean Shield winners are now 90 minutes away from winning the Caribbean Cup after their 1-0 first leg victory thanks to a second half strike from Dimitrio Andro.

Perhaps more impressive was the fact that the Robinhood defense managed to put the clamps on the tournament’s top scoring team (16 goals) and kept top scorer Shaniel Thomas (8 goals) largely quiet throughout the first leg.

Cavalier will look to turn the tables on Wednesday in the second leg, as the winner of this series will reign as kings of the Caribbean and also cement a place in the 2024 Concacaf Champions Cup Round of 16.

The Third-Place series between Moca of the Dominican Republic and Harbour View of Jamaica ends on Tuesday night in the Dominican Republic.

Moca hold a 2-1 lead on aggregate after their win last week in the first leg in Jamaica. The winner of this series will qualify to Round One of the 2024 Champions Cup. It would be the first ever Champions Cup qualification for either side.

Road To W Gold Cup

The pivotal final matches of the 2024 Road To W Gold Cup are set for Monday and Tuesday.

In League A, Mexico have won Group A, but a berth in the Prelims is still undecided with Trinidad and Tobago needing a four-goal win versus Mexico on Tuesday to pass Puerto Rico in the table.

In Group C of League A, it all comes down to Haiti and Costa Rica for the top two spots. Costa Rica must defeat Saint Kitts and Nevis on Monday by 14 goals to leapfrog Haiti in the standings for a first-place finish and a spot in the 2024 Concacaf W Gold Cup group stage. If they don’t, Costa Rica will progress to the Prelims and Haiti will advance to the group stage.

Group C of League B will feature a winner-take-all affair for first-place and a trip to the W Gold Cup Prelims between Bermuda and Dominican Republic in the Dominican Republic on Tuesday.

Those two sides met back on matchday one in Bermuda where the home side pocketed a 2-0 victory.

League C also has its share of drama, beginning in Group B where Cuba and Saint Lucia will battle for a first-place finish in the group in Cuba.

Saint Lucia require a win to win the group, while Cuba can get the job done with either a win or a draw. Cuba won their first match-up 2-1 with a second half stoppage time winner in Saint Lucia.