The 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup kicks off next Saturday night when Mexico faces the Dominican Republic at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, the opening game of the 16-team tournament that concludes on Sunday, July 6 at Houston’s NRG Stadium.

The biennial tournament has become a showcase for top countries and emerging talent. In this edition, 12 players representing six countries and nine clubs from the USL Championship and League One will get their opportunity to star.

Here’s more on the players you can follow over the upcoming month of action.

Jearl Margaritha (Phoenix Rising FC) – Curaçao

Jearl Margaritha has only played 1,192 minutes in the USL Championship since his arrival at Phoenix Rising FC, but the winger has been an impact player in that time with his ability  to take on opposing defenders and a sharp eye for goal that’s seen him notch five goals, three assists and 17 chances created in 18 appearances across the regular season and playoffs.

A native of the Netherlands, Margaritha is a handful for opposing full backs. He’s averaged 3.02 completed dribbles per 90 minutes for Rising, using his speed and technical quality to great effect. That’s come to the fore for Curaçao as it qualified for the Gold Cup through the Concacaf Nations League last fall, where he bagged a four-goal game against Saint-Martin and had three assists otherwise to help the country win its group and secure promotion to League A for the next edition of the tournament, and on Tuesday night notched a goal and assist in the side’s 5-1 victory against Haiti in World Cup Qualifying.

Noah Dollenmayer (El Paso Locomotive FC) – Dominican Republic

This time last year, the idea Noah Dollenmayer would be heading to the Gold Cup might have seemed far-fetched. That was before the native of Thousand Oaks, Calif., who qualifies to compete for the Dominican Republic through family heritage, put together a quietly impressive campaign for El Paso Locomotive after the arrival of Head Coach Wilmer Cabrera.

At 6-foot-5, the 25-year-old is your prototypical power center back. A season ago he won 28 tackles at an 84.9 percent success rate and notched a +4.28 Goals Added rating per American Soccer Analysis. Overall, he boasts a 66 percent aerial duel success rate for Locomotive over 42 appearances in his career, with 80 headed clearances out of 162 in his career.

His play saw him earn his first call-up to the Dominican Republic in March, and he marked the occasion with a goal in two appearances in friendlies against Puerto Rico, while bagging his second goal for the country on Tuesday night against Dominica in World Cup Qualifying. This will be a big step up in competition, but it’s also a major opportunity for Dollenmayer to show what he’s capable of.

Edison Azcona (Las Vegas Lights FC) – Dominican Republic

In making the move to Las Vegas Lights soon after the club’s acquisition by current owner – and fellow Dominican – José Bautista, there was a lot of expectation for Edison Azcona going into the 2024 campaign. That hasn’t quite been realized as of yet – he’s recorded one goal and two assists in 29 appearances across all competitions – but the 21-year-old has remained part of the national team set-up as he works to fulfill his potential.

Azcona was certainly bright in USL League One over two seasons at Inter Miami CF II previously, recording six goals and four assists as a teenager in just over 2,100 minutes. He was also part of the first Dominican Republic side to reach the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2023 while making 13 appearances for the senior national team so far in his career. Azcona may not be a starter at this Gold Cup, but he could be used as a spark off the bench with four assists in his international career so far.

Damián Rivera (Phoenix Rising FC) – Guatemala

It’s been a winding road for Damián Rivera at the international level. Initially, he competed for the United States U-17s while part of the New England Revolution organization, and then for Costa Rica’s U-23s in 2023 for Olympic Qualifying that spring. This past April, however, he filed a one-time switch to represent Guatemala and could make his debut for the country at this Gold Cup.

For the 22-year-old native of Rhode Island, it’s a big opportunity, but the eye-catching performances he put in for the Tampa Bay Rowdies last season certainly saw Rivera raise his stock. He logged six goals and three assists in 1,051 minutes for the Rowdies, earning a +5.64 Goals Added mark. Five of those goals came as a substitute, tied for the most in the Championship a season ago, and that could be where he can make the biggest impact for Los Chapines this month.

Rubio Rubín (Charleston Battery) – Guatemala

The journey of Rubio Rubín has been a fascinating one, from making his debut for the United States Men’s National Team as an 18-year-old – part of the wave of young players that got their opportunities after the side missed qualification for the 2018 FIFA World Cup – to now becoming a mainstay in the Guatemala lineup as he enters his second Gold Cup for the country this summer.

Recently signed by the Charleston Battery, the 29-year-old has recorded one assist in four games in the Championship leading up to the tournament, but it was his prior time in the league at San Diego Loyal SC in 2020 that was effectively the reset button on his career. Scoring five goals in four games, including a memorable hat trick against Phoenix Rising FC, Rubín used that springboard to join Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer and make the one-time switch to Los Chapines, for whom he’s now scored 11 goals in 31 appearances. Rubín should be a starter this Gold Cup as the side looks to spring a surprise in Group C with Panama, Jamaica and Guadeloupe.

Garven Metusala (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC) – Haiti

One of the additions to the defending USL Championship title-holders this offseason, Garven Metusala will play his second Gold Cup this summer having previously suited up for Les Grenadiers at the 2023 tournament, starting in all three of the side’s group contests. A native of Quebec, the 25-year-old has been a steady presence since his arrival in Colorado Springs, making nine appearances and logging 768 minutes in the regular season while winning 29 duels at a 59.2 percent success rate and recording 38 clearances.

Formerly a two-time winner of the Canadian Premier League at Forge FC in 2022 and 2023, Metusala last appeared for Haiti last October in its Concacaf Nations League B campaign that saw it win six out of six games to win promotion back to League A and its berth at the Gold Cup. Now back in consistent action, it will be interesting to see if he can break into Haiti’s defensive rotation in a group that also includes the United States, Trinidad and Tobago and Saudi Arabia.

Duke Lacroix (Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC) – Haiti

By the time Duke Lacroix made his debut for Haiti as a 30-year-old last June in 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifying, he’d already made more than 200 professional appearances in the USL Championship and the North American Soccer League, competing for six different clubs before becoming one of the key pieces in the Switchbacks’ ascent to the top of the Championship last fall.

A sure-footed defender, Lacroix boasts a tackle success rate of 65.8 percent across his 213 appearances in the Championship overall while his consistency has seen him average 81.9 minutes per appearance in his career in the league. He’s also bagged 10 goals, 18 assists and 141 chances created in the attacking end of the field.

It should be no surprise, then, that since his first opportunity with Haiti – which the New Jersey native qualifies to play for through family heritage – Lacroix has seized the chance with both hands. In six appearances he’s recorded a pair of goals while slotting in at left back in the country’s back line. Now he’ll get his first chance to compete at the Gold Cup.

Romario Williams (Indy Eleven) – Jamaica

Since making his debut in the Championship a decade ago, Romario Williams has become one of the league’s most consistent scorers. Now, eight years after he helped Jamaica reach the Final of the 2017 Gold Cup, scoring a pair of goals while competing for the Charleston Battery that season, the 30-year-old is back in the squad for the Reggae Boyz after overcoming an early-season surgery to find the net in his most recent outing for Indy Eleven.

Williams’ 62 goals in the Championship’s regular season put him just outside the top 15 in league history, but his strike rate of a goal every 157.9 minutes ranks him seventh among the 19 players to have recorded at least 60 goals in the league. With two 15-goal campaigns to his credit – with the Battery in 2017 and then two seasons ago for Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC – he’s also won MLS Cup and the U.S. Open Cup in his career, both as part of Atlanta United.

He's also bagged four goals in 23 appearances overall for Jamaica, and while Williams may not be the headline act in a strong squad for Head Coach Steve McClaren, his persistence and consistency could be valuable for a side looking to contend with an eye on qualifying for next year's World Cup.

Jahmali Waite (El Paso Locomotive FC) – Jamaica

It’s a tricky task, serving as the back-up to one of the top goalkeepers in the region, but when Jahmali Waite has been called on for Jamaica over 15 appearances at the senior international level, there have been some major moments in which he’s risen to the occasion.

Returning for his third major tournament in as many years, the 26-year-old served as starter due to the absence of Andre Blake at the 2024 Copa America and almost pulled off a shutout in the tournament opener, only to settle for an eight-save display against El Tri.

Those sorts of acrobatics were familiar to fans in the USL Championship, where Waite has been a fixture over the past four seasons, first at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and currently at El Paso Locomotive. With 24 shutouts in 83 appearances, Waite is coming off a 2024 campaign in which he set career-highs with 89 saves and a save percentage of 70.4 percent. If needed, the Philadelphia native will be ready.

Natty James (Portland Hearts of Pine) – Trinidad and Tobago

Just as in his early days with Portland Hearts of Pine this season in USL League One, 20-year-old Natty James has been handled carefully by the Trinidad and Tobago National Teams since his debut two years ago. In the minutes he has logged, though, James has proven a difference-maker and potential star for the Soca Warriors.

A native of Arima, James has logged five goals and four assists in 491 minutes for Trinidad and Tobago, scoring late game-winners against Curacao and Guatemala in the Concacaf Nations League that saw him burst onto the scene in Concacaf and more recently bagging a goal and assist in the side’s 6-2 win against St. Kitts and Nevis. That’s an average of a goal contribution every 54.6 minutes, and while that number will rise as James gets more opportunities in the starting lineup, the potential he has is clear.

That’s what saw Portland Hearts of Pine bring him aboard for its inaugural season in League One, where James has one goal and two assists in five appearances. Those two assists came on May 31 in the USL Jägermeister Cup contest against Detroit City, arguably an ideal send-off ahead of James’ first Gold Cup.

Noah Powder (Westchester SC) – Trinidad and Tobago

Over the past decade, Noah Powder has gone from the youngest player on the New York Red Bulls II team that won the USL Championship in 2016 to a midfield talent that has come into his own at the club level and for Trinidad and Tobago. The 26-year-old has made 28 appearances for the Soca Warriors in his career, including appearing in all three games at the 2021 Gold Cup, while now helping lead Westchester SC in its inaugural season in USL League One.

A two-time Championship title-winner – Powder also did so with Real Monarchs SLC in 2019 – the New Jersey native has recorded seven goals and eight assists in 43 games in USL League One since his first appearance 2023. A winner of the USL Jägermeister Cup last year, Powder will be one of the more experienced heads in the Soca Warriors squad as they look to shock the tournament.

Denzil Smith (AV ALTA FC) – Trinidad and Tobago

Since arriving as the first goalkeeper signed by AV ALTA FC for its inaugural season in League One, Denzil Smith has been competing in a tandem with Carlos Avilez. As he arrives at the Gold Cup for the first time, however, he could be the starter for a Soca Warriors side currently sitting at No. 100 in FIFA’s rankings to spring a surprise against the higher-ranked United States (16), Saudi Arabia (58), and Haiti (83).

The 25-year-old has performed well for Antelope Valley. In four league appearances he’s notched 19 saves on a save percentage of 79.2 percent, earning one shutout and a -0.87 Goals Prevented mark. He also starred in the side’s upset of Orange County SC in the U.S. Open Cup, coming on as a substitute late in stoppage time and delivering a key save in the penalty shootout as AV advanced past the USL Championship side. Smith might need to deliver similar heroics if the Soca Warriors are to get out of the group stage for the first time since 2015.