2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup: Five Players to Watch
Five Players to Watch
The Gold Cup doesn’t quite have the same glitz and glamour feel as the World Cup, the Copa America, or the European Championships, but make no mistake about it, there’s going to be plenty of high-quality talent on show over the next few weeks.
Don’t forget to watch out for the following players, all of whom can deliver the goods in Canada and the US.
Jonathan David (Canada)
Is there a more deadly forward due to take part in the Gold Cup? For my money, probably not. Canada’s Jonathan David is a match winner, and he certainly has what it takes to carry his team deep into the tournament.
The man who plys his trade in France’s Ligue 1 comes into the Gold Cup off the back of another fine domestic campaign, during which he scored 23 goals in all competitions for Lille, netting no less than seven in the UEFA Champions League. That sort of pedigree will be in short supply at this tournament, that’s for sure.
The powerful, direct and speedy forward also produced ten assists for Lille in all competitions during the recently concluded season, delivering an average of 0.83 goals and assists per 90 minutes. Only three players in the entire division produced more goals and assists than Canada’s talisman.
Put it this way, if the Canadians are to thrive this summer, then Jonathan David will be central to their success, just as he was when recently producing four goals and assists in four CONCACAF Nations League games.
Danley Jean-Jacques (Haiti)
Major League Soccer fans, especially those of the Philadelphia Union persuasion will know all about Danley Jean-Jacques, who will be looking to stand out for Haiti over the next couple of weeks, and you know what? The midfielder is good enough to do just that.
The all-action competitor has so far enjoyed a promising 2025 MLS campaign for the team from Subaru Park, delivering five goals and assists in 16 appearances, averaging 0.37 goals and assists per 90 minutes. Not bad for a central midfield player.
Jean-Jacques also ranks highly in a number of areas amongst midfielders in 2025, ranking in the top 2% of MLS midfielders for interceptions, while he’s in the top 15% for assists, non-penalty goals and total shots.
Expected to be the beating heart of this Haiti team, Danley Jean-Jacques may just be the man to help his tiny nation to advance from a group that contains tournament hosts USA.
Luis Palma (Honduras)
If you’re thinking about potential standout stars at the CONCACAF Gold Cup, then your mind won’t likely wander to Honduras, at least not straight away, though Luis Palma is not a player to forget about.
Dynamic, skillful and highly capable of creating in the final third, Palma was one of the Scottish Premiership’s standout performers during the 2023/24 season, delivering 16 goals and assists in 28 appearances. Following that breakout campaign, Palma looked set for a big 2024/25 campaign. Unfortunately, due to injuries and never really settling, that didn’t pan out, with the winger/forward struggling to make the team, before ending the season on loan at Olympiacos, where he never really hit the ground running.
However, this is a player that has brilliance in his locker, and he’s shown that for his nation, recently delivering four assists in four World Cup Qualifiers. In a group with Canada, El Salvador and Curacao, the Honduras players should fancy themselves to get very competitive, and Palma could be the difference between making up the numbers and making the knockouts.
Santiago Gimenez (Mexico)
The sportsbooks clearly expect big things from the Mexicans at this Gold Cup, as is so often the case when this tournament comes around. El Tri have won two of the last three renewals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup, so it’s no surprise that they enter the competition as +170 favorites in the outright futures market.
Leading the line for the Mexicans will be a couple of similarly named players, and while Raul Jimenez brings bags of experience and will likely do well, Santiago Gimenez may just be the player to focus on when it comes to the nine-time Gold Cup winners.
Having scored for fun in the Netherlands between 2022 and early 2025, Santiago Gimenez earned a mid-season move to AC Milan, where he quickly made a positive impact at the iconic venue of San Siro, finishing the campaign with seven goals and assists in just 14 domestic appearances.
During the 2024/25 campaign, the 23-year-old also enjoyed continental success, scoring six UEFA Champions League goals in seven appearances. It’s also worth noting that of all forwards across Europe’s top five leagues, Gimenez ranks inside the top 3% for non-penalty goals in the last year. Group A goalies, look out.
Malik Tillman (USA)
We couldn’t go through five players without mentioning one of Mauricio Pochettino’s US team, and as far as I’m concerned, Malik Tillman is the guy who can stand out as the difference maker for one of the two host nations.
With the boss opting for a fairly young and inexperienced squad, there’s no Christian Pulisic at this tournament, no Weston McKennie, no Antonee Robinson and no Timothy Weah, meaning that Malik Tillman is certainly one of the senior players here, despite being a mere 23-year-old.
As one of the players playing regular domestic football in Europe, Tillman is going to be tasked with coming up with something a big special, and he’s definitely capable of that. The offense-minded midfielder comes into this tournament having enjoyed a very strong campaign in the Netherlands, where he scored and assisted 14 goals in just 26 appearances for PSV.
The former Bayern Munich youth player also showed his quality in the UEFA Champions League during the 2024/25 campaign, scoring and assisting five in just six appearances. Pochettino definitely needs some of that quality here, so don’t be surprised if Tillman plays a big role as the Stars and Stripes look to regain the Gold Cup title that they last won back in 2021.
If you're looking for more Gold Cup content, including previews, stats and recommended bets, check out our Gold Cup picks section.
