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The first edition of the Concacaf W Gold Cup kicks off with the Prelims on Saturday at the Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California, in which the last three spots for the main event are up for grabs, as the winner of each match will advance to the Group Stage.
Guyana vs. Dominican Republic
The Prelims round leading to the Group Stage will start with Guyana and the Dominican Republic taking the pitch in a first-ever encounter. Both teams are no strangers to the hustle, as they won their respective groups in League B of the Road to W Gold Cup.
Guyana, with a 5W-0D-1L record and 20 goals in the RTWGC, arrives to California ready to impress fans. Otesha Charles (seven goals) and Jalade Trim, who scored a brace in the last win, are key players to watch.
The Dominican Republic also know plenty about success, as they got to the Prelims as winners of Group B of League B, with a record of 5W-0D-1L, scoring 24 goals in the six games played.
Jazmin Jackson was the team’s scoring leader (four goals), making her one of the biggest players to keep an eye on in this match. The Dominican Republic also arrive with four clean sheets thanks to the services of GK Odaliana Gomez with nine saves. It is a prepared team in the offensive and defensive line and will be ready for Guyana.
Haiti vs. Puerto Rico
Haiti versus Puerto Rico is a Concacaf classic, as these teams have played each other six times before, with Haiti having an advantage of 4W-0D-2L, only conceding five goals and scoring 12 in previous encounters.
After making history by qualifying for their first ever FIFA Women’s World Cup at Australia/New Zealand 2023, Les Grenadieres are ready for their next challenge and will be looking to clinch one of the last spots in the Group Stage.
After Haiti’s great performance at the Concacaf W Championship in 2022 in which they finished third in their group, they were runners-up of Group C of League A in the RTWGC with a record of 3W-0D-1L.
Haitian legend Nerilia Mondesir provided eight assists and six goals, while Batcheba Louis had five goals.
Puerto Rico means business when it comes to this Prelims match. With a 1W-1D-2L record, they were runners-up of Group A of League A, getting the chance to play for a spot in this tournament.
Goalkeepers Sydney Martinez and JLo Varada are two of the most important players on the roster, having 25 saves between the two and will be ready to defend their area from any danger.
El Salvador vs. Guatemala
The national teams of El Salvador and Guatemala have faced each other nine times previously, with Guatemala having the advantage with an overall record of 7W-0D-2L. The two sides have met before in Olympic qualifying and Concacaf Women’s World Cup Qualifiers.
Now, they will add a new chapter to their history, Guatemala are looking to keep the positive record going after finishing in second place of Group B of League A.
Knowing what it means to leave everything on the pitch, star players like Ana Lucia Martinez, who was the team’s top scorer (three goals) in the RTWGC, and Leslie Ramirez (one goal) are will be ready to show up and defend their crest one more time.
El Salvador will be looking to continue the momentum they had after winning Group B of League B when they won all six of their matches, with 24 goals from many different players.
Brenda Ceren led the way in scoring five goals, closely followed by Danya Gutierrez, Samaria Gomez and Danielle Fuentes with four goals each.
Playing to be part of Concacaf Women’s football history, these teams have proven they have what it takes to take on the Prelims and try to get one of the last three tickets to the Group Stage of the first W Gold Cup.
The first ever W Gold Cup is here and this is what YOU need to know! 🏆📚 pic.twitter.com/JlsrIKNT5b
— W Gold Cup (@GoldCup) February 12, 2024
