Cuba
How they qualified
They qualified for the 2019 Gold Cup with three wins and one defeat in CONCACAF Nations League qualification, only losing 2-1 to 1st placed Haiti after three wins without conceding, including an 11-0 win against Turks and Caicos Islands in Matchday 1.
Tournament record
Their tournament record is a very patchy one, having won just three matches in the eight Gold Cups they have qualified for and suffering some very heavy defeats along the way, with their 2011 tournament a major low point after 5-0 defeats against Costa Rica and Mexico and 6-1 against El Salvador. They have also been severely blown-out in all three Quarter-finals they have played in and have suffered from player defections during the tournament, with four leaving during the 2015 tournament.
Star men
They go into the Gold Cup in a difficult group with former winners Canada and Mexico and their Caribbean rivals Martinique and will look to their youthful strike force of Luis Paradela (pictured) and Maikel Reyes. Paradela plays his club football in Guatemala and already has an impressive tally of five goals in six games for Cuba.
Manager
Their coach Raul Mederos has been in charge since the team exited 2018 World Cup qualification and has worked to build a stronger national side. The team missed out on qualification for the 2017 Gold Cup, but Mederos has been given time by the Cuban Federation to build a competitive side.
What can we expect?
Cuba are a team that have the potential to deliver on the big stage, having won the Caribbean Cup in 2012 and being in the top four from 1999 to 2014, and they have qualified for all but two of the Gold Cups in the last 20 years.
Success for Cuba would be to get a win in Group A, although this will be a tough ask with three teams with higher CONCACAF rankings than them in the group. They start against Mexico in the Pasadena Rose Bowl, a tough test for any team, so their forward progress could be determined by how they do against the tournament favourites.
Schedule
15 June – Cuba v Mexico
Venue: Rose Bowl, Pasadena
19 June– Cuba v Martinique
Venue: Broncos Mile High Stadium, Denver
23 June – Canada v Cuba
Venue: Bank of America Stadium, Los Angeles
SQUAD
Nelson Johnston 25-02-1990 Santiago de Cuba
Elier Pozo 28-01-1995 Pinar del Rio
Sandy Sánchez 24-05-1994 Jarabacoa FC
DEFENDERS
Karel Espino 27-10-2001 Artemisa
Yasmani López 11-10-1987 FC Ciego de Avila
Lionis Martínez 03-02-1989 Santiago de Cuba
Dariel Morejón 21-12-1998 FC Villa Clara
Yosel Piedra 27-03-1994 Universidad SC
Erick Rizo 07-03-1991 Santiago de Cuba
MIDFIELDERS
Rolando Abreu 15-05-1992 Santiago de Cuba
Aníbal Álvarez 25-05-1995 FC Ciego de Avila
Andy Baquero 17-08-1994 Delfines
Roberney Caballero 02-11-1995 FC Villa Clara
Aricheell Hernández 20-09-1993 CAI
Jorge Kindelan 12-04-1986 Santiago de Cuba
Daniel Luis 11-05-1994 Delfines
Luismel Morris 14-12-1997 FC Camaguey
Luis Paradela 21-01-1997 Universidad SC
Reynaldo Pérez 22-01-1994 Delfines
Alejandro Portal 21-10-1995FC Mayabeque
Jean Rodríguez 7-05-1999 FC Pinar del Rio
Yordan Santa Cruz 07-10-1993 Jarabacoa FC
STRIKERS
Maykel Reyes 04-03-1993 Pinar del Rio