Cuba at the CONCACAF Gold Cup

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is North America's major tournament in senior men's football and determines the continental champion. Until 1989, the tournament was known as CONCACAF Championship. It is currently held every two years. From 1996 to 2005, nations from other confederations have regularly joined the tournament as invitees. In earlier editions, the continental championship was held in different countries, but since the inception of the Gold Cup in 1991, the United States are constant hosts or co-hosts.

Defender Jorge Luis Clavelo represented Cuba at four CONCACAF Gold Cups, here as captain before the quarter-final against the United States in 2015.

From 1973 to 1989, the tournament doubled as the confederation's World Cup qualification. CONCACAF's representative team at the FIFA Confederations Cup was decided by a play-off between the winners of the last two tournament editions in 2015 via the CONCACAF Cup, but was then discontinued along with the Confederations Cup.

Since the inaugural tournament in 1963, the Gold Cup was held 27 times and has been won by seven different nations, most often by Mexico (12 titles).

Cuba have participated in the continental championship twelve times, but only won five out of their 40 matches, never more than one at a single tournament. Their best position was a fourth place in 1971. They rank 14th in the tournament's all-time table, but have the worst goal difference out of all 31 teams (−91).

Record at the CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup
CONCACAF Championship
Year Result Position Pld W D L GF GA
El Salvador 1963Did not enter
Guatemala 1965Withdrew
Honduras 1967Did not qualify
Costa Rica 1969Did not enter
Trinidad and Tobago 1971Fourth place4th512257
Haiti 1973Did not enter
Mexico 1977Did not qualify
Honduras 1981Final Round5th512248
1985Did not enter
1989Did not qualify
CONCACAF Gold Cup
United States 1991Withdrew
Mexico United States 1993Did not enter
United States 1996Did not qualify
United States 1998Group stage10th2002210
United States 2000Did not qualify
United States 2002Group stage11th201101
Mexico United States 2003Quarter-finals8th310228
United States 2005Group stage12th300339
United States 2007Group stage12th301239
United States 2009Withdrew
United States 2011Group stage12th3003116
United States 2013Quarter-finals8th4103613
Canada United States 2015Quarter-finals8th4103114
United States 2017Did not qualify
United States Costa Rica Jamaica 2019Group stage16th3003017
United States 2021Withdrew
Canada United States 2023Group stage15th300339
Total12/2714/3140562930121

Match overview
Tournament Round Opponent Score Venue
Trinidad and Tobago 1971Final round Costa Rica0–3Port of Spain
 Honduras3–1
 Mexico0–1
 Trinidad and Tobago2–2
 Haiti0–0
Honduras 1981Final round Mexico0–4Tegucigalpa
 Honduras0–2
 El Salvador0–0
 Haiti2–0
 Canada2–2
United States 1998Group stage United States0–3Oakland
 Costa Rica2–7
United States 2002Group stage United States0–1Pasadena
 South Korea0–0
United StatesMexico 2003Group stage Canada2–0Foxboro
 Costa Rica0–3
Quarter-finals United States0–5
United States 2005Group stage United States1–4Seattle
 Costa Rica1–3
 Canada1–2Foxboro
United States 2007Group stage Mexico1–2East Rutherford
 Panama2–2
 Honduras0–5Houston
United States 2011Group stage Costa Rica0–5Arlington
 Mexico0–5Charlotte
 El Salvador1–6Chicago
United States 2013Group stage Costa Rica0–3Portland
 United States1–4Sandy
 Belize4–0East Hartford
Quarter-finals Panama1–6Atlanta
United StatesCanada 2015Group stage Mexico0–6Chicago
 Trinidad and Tobago0–2Glendale
 Guatemala1–0Charlotte
Quarter-finals United States0–6Baltimore
United StatesCosta RicaJamaica 2019Group stage Mexico0–7Pasadena
 Martinique0–3Denver
 Canada0–7Charlotte
United StatesCanada 2023Group stage Guatemala0–1Fort Lauderdale
 Guadeloupe1–4Houston
 Canada2–4

Record by opponent
CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup matches (by team)
Opponent W D L Pld GF GA
 Belize100140
 Canada1135715
 Costa Rica0066324
 El Salvador011216
 Guadeloupe001114
 Guatemala101211
 Haiti110220
 Honduras102338
 Martinique001103
 Mexico0066125
 Panama011238
 South Korea010100
 Trinidad and Tobago011224
 United States0066223

Defections to the United States

The Gold Cups on US-American soil allowed the Cuban players to get visas for the duration of the tournament. The wet feet, dry feet policy established in 1995 essentially allowed Cuban refugees in the United States to qualify for permanent resident status. The policy and the dream of making a career as a professional footballer, at a much higher level than the Cuban top division made a defection to the United States an attractive option, which some of them took. Until the policy's cessation in 2017, the following Cuban internationals defected during the tournament:

See also

References
  1. "Cuban defectors a first for MLS". Miami Herald. 14 June 2004. Archived from the original on 14 June 2006. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  2. "Cuban soccer stars Pedro Faife and Reynier Alcantara defect to America". nydailynews.com. 11 October 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  3. "'Special edge' for Cuban defector Alonso". USAToday.com. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  4. "Charleston Battery signs Cuban striker Lester Moré". oursportscentral.com. 7 March 2008. Retrieved 21 June 2012.
  5. "Keilen García desertó de la selección de Cuba". futbol.univision.com. 8 July 2015. Archived from the original on 10 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2015.
  6. "Deserta otro jugador cubano en Chicago" (in Spanish). Univision (Miami). 10 July 2015. Archived from the original on 13 July 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2015.
  7. "2 Cuban players believed to have defected before match at BofA stadium Dario Suarez and Arichel Hernandez were both no-shows before match". Charlotte Observer. 16 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  8. "Gold Cup: Striker Ariel Martinez becomes the fourth player to defect from Cuba". 18 July 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
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