The field for the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup is set.
Nicaragua became the 12th and final country to qualify for this summer’s tournament on Tuesday night, when they got a late hat trick from Juan Barrera to defeat Haiti 3-0 to win their two-legged qualification playoff 4-3 on aggregate.
Barrera scored in the 82nd, 86th and 88th minutes to put Nicaragua in the Gold Cup for just the second time ever and the first time since 2009.
They’ll be slotted into Group B with the US, Panama and Martinique. They’ll take on the US in the group stage finale in Cleveland on July 15.
The 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup will begin on Friday, July 7 when Canada takes on French Guyana at Red Bull Arena and will conclude with the tournament final on July 26 at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
With 45 players named to final Gold Cup rosters in 2015, MLS will for the first time integrate a schedule break in its calendar for the tournament’s group stage, with no MLS matches set to be played between July 7 and July 17.
The US will open Gold Cup play on July 8 against Panama in Nashville before taking on Martinique in Tampa on July 12. The full tournament schedule and list of groups can be found here.
