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Gold Cup Player Rankings: El Tri stars take top spots after Matchday 1

Seven of the 16 nations competing in this year’s expanded competition are represented in the first Gold Cup Player Rankings

The first Matchday of Concacaf Gold Cup group stage games featured plenty of incredible individual performances, but which one was the best? 

That’s what we’re here to decide with the Gold Cup Player Rankings, which will be determined in similar fashion to our MLS Player Rankings. 

After every set of group games and every segment of the knockout round, we will list the top 10 players in the tournament. 

At first, the Gold Cup Player Rankings will be determined by a single performance, but as the competition rolls on, we’re going to reward players who have the best overall tournaments. 

In the first eight games of the tournament, six players recorded multiple goals, which is three more than we witnessed in the entire group stage of the 2017 Gold Cup.

Part of that has to deal with the increase in teams from 12 to 16, which in turn produces more mismatches in certain games. 

Because there were 30 goals scored from Sunday to Tuesday, the majority of the players listed after Matchday 1 are attackers. 

10. Roman Torres, D, Panama

Of the six clean sheets held in the first set of group games, Panama faced the toughest opponent to shut down. 

Seattle Sounders defender Roman Torres and his back line partners Harold Cummings, Michael Amir Murillo and Eric Davis held Trinidad and Tobago to zero shots on target in a 2-0 Group D win at Allianz Field. 

The shutout marked the second straight clean sheet in group play for Panama, which finished group play in 2017 with a shutout of Martinique. 

Before Tuesday night, two of Panama’s last three clean sheets in Gold Cup group play came against Martinique.

9. Paul Arriola, M, United States

The ultimate Swiss Army Knife player in the U.S. men’s national team opened the scoring in a 4-0 win over Guyana on Tuesday at Allianz Field. 

D.C. United’s Paul Arriola saved the USMNT from going into halftime tied with Guyana by striking the back of the net in 28th minute.

Arriola might not be the most talented player in the USMNT pool, but he has shown well in the opportunities he’s received, and he should continue to be a key piece for Gregg Berhalter since he can play a variety of positions. 

8. Edgar Barcenas, M, Panama

Edgar Barcenas worked his tail off to get a goal for Panama on Tuesday night. 

Barcenas, who plays for Real Oviedo in Spain, was the most active Panamanian attacker with four shots, three of which went on target. 

Barcenas finally found the back of the net in the 68th minute, when he followed up his rebound on the right side of the box to double Panama’s advantage over T&T. 

7. Allan Cruz, M, Costa Rica

FC Cincinnati’s Allan Cruz was the only player in the Costa Rica attack to earn a goal and an assist in the 4-0 rout of Nicaragua in San Jose, Costa Rica on Sunday night. 

Cruz dished out an assist to Bryan Oviedo on the defender’s seventh-minute opener, and he concluded his night with a goal off an incredible back heel from Bryan Ruiz in the 75th minute. 

The Ticos have a chance to pad their lead atop Group B on Thursday, when they head to Toyota Stadium to take on Bermuda. 

6. Dever Orgill, F, Jamaica

Dever Orgill helped give the fans in Kingston, Jamaica a night to remember by scoring a pair of goals in the Reggae Boyz’s 3-2 victory over Honduras on Monday. 

The Jamaican forward made an early mark on the tournament with a strike in the 15th minute, which produced the most electric celebration of the tournament. 

Orgill followed that up with a goal in the 41st minute that was assisted by Brian Brown. 

5. Jonathan David, F, Canada

The first brace of the tournament was recorded during a 20-minute span on Saturday night at the Rose Bowl in Canada’s 4-0 win over Martinique.

Canada’s Jonathan David opened the scoring in the tournament in the 33rd minute before adding to his haul in the 55th minute. 

The 19-year-old, who plays at Gent in Belgium, could be one of the breakout stars of the tournament if he continues to find the back of the net for Canada.

4. Frantzdy Pierrot, F, Haiti

The only come-from-behind victory earned in the opening games of the Gold Cup group stage was powered by Haiti’s Frantzdy Pierrot. 

Pierrot leveled Haiti’s game with Bermuda in the 54th minute on Sunday by getting his head on a free kick at the back post. 

Twelve minutes later, Pierrot cleaned up a rebound near the right post to finish off Haiti’s 2-1 win over Bermuda. 

3. Tyler Boyd, M, United States

Not even a month ago, most USMNT fans had no clue who Tyler Boyd was. 

Boyd made sure everyone was aware of his presence on Tuesday, as he netted a brace in the USMNT’s 4-0 win over Guyana.

Boyd scored the 1,000th goal in USMNT history in the 51st minute before he capped off the victory with a curling strike in the 81st minute. 

The pair of goals marked a continuation in form from Boyd’s loan spell at Ankaragucu in Turkey, where he scored six goals on loan from Vitoria de Guimares in Portugal.

2. Raul Jimenez, F, Mexico 

At least for one night, Mexico didn’t feel the affects of its laundry list of injury absences in attack.

Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Raul Jimenez deposited a pair of goals into the back of the net in El Tri’s 7-0 romp over Cuba at the Rose Bowl. 

The tallies recorded in the 31st and 64th minutes were Jimenez’s 18th and 19th in his international career and third and fourth overall in the Gold Cup.

1. Uriel Antuna, F, Mexico 

LA Galaxy forward Uriel Antuna took full advantage of his opportunity up top on Saturday by netting a hat trick in his El Tri debut. 

Antuna’s first-career international goal came in the second minute, when he tapped in a shot that bounced off the right post. 

Antuna went on to score in the 44th and 80th minutes in the same region where he plays his club ball in Major League Soccer. 

In total, Antuna placed all five of his shots on target and he recorded an assist on Alexis Vega’s 74th-minute strike.