MADRID, Spain.- The technical director of the Cuban national team soccerYunielys Castillo, announced this Thursday the list of 24 players who will be part of the Cuba team in the next edition of the 2024-2025 Concacaf Nations League.
The squad includes the return of Norwich City striker Onel Hernandez, who returns to the national team after a period of absence. Hernandez, with experience in the Premier League, is seen as a key reinforcement for the Cuban squad, which will seek to remain in the A level of the tournament. However, the squad also features some notable absences, such as Luis Paradela and Carlos Vázquez “Cavafe”, who will not be present “for personal reasons”, and William Pozo, who was excluded “by technical decision”, according to information from the official HIT. Regarding the absence of Aldair Ruiz, also with international experience, the reasons for his absence are also unknown.
In addition to Onel Hernández, among the players who play in foreign leagues there are names on the list such as: Maykel Reyes, Alejandro Delgado and Rey Ángel Rodríguez, all of them with experience in Nicaraguan football.
One point that stands out is the inclusion of young players from the U-20 team who, although they recently had a historic performance in the Concacaf championship, some of them, like Leandro Mena, still lack experience for a tournament of this magnitude.
Goalkeeper Yurdy Hodelin, winner of the Golden Glove in the competition, and young Diego Catasus, who currently plays in Italy, are part of Castillo’s bets for this campaign.
Cuba will begin its participation in the Concacaf Nations League as a visitor against Jamaica on September 6 in Kingston. This first match is shaping up to be one of the most difficult, given the level of the opponent and its home condition. Four days later, the Cuban team will return home to face Nicaragua at the Antonio Maceo Stadium in Santiago de Cuba. This match will mark the return of a competition of this caliber to Cuban soil.
The main objective of the Cuban team is to remain in League A of the Concacaf Nations League, a historic achievement for football on the island, as it is the first time that the team competes at this level for two consecutive seasons. Cuba is in Group B of League A, along with Jamaica, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago, Nicaragua and French Guiana, in a format that remains unchanged from previous editions.
The fourth edition of this competition, which will be held between September 2024 and March 2025, will include 41 teams distributed in three leagues, according to the results of the previous edition. In League A, where Cuba competes, the teams will play a group stage and quarterfinals, with the hope of advancing to the finals that will be played in November.
Last year, the Cuban national team managed to qualify for the highest level of the Concacaf Nations League and directly to the 2023 Concacaf Gold Cup. In the Gold Cup, they finished with a balance of three losses against Guatemala, Guadeloupe and Canada, in which they scored three goals and conceded nine.
List of summoned
GOALKEEPERS
- Raiko Arozarena – Las Vegas Lights (USA)
- Ismel Morgado – Rancho Santana (NIC)
- Yurdy Hodelin – Guantanamo
DEFENSES
- Alejandro Delgado – Art Jalapa (NIC)
- Yunior Yury Pérez – Malacateco (GUA)
- Dariel Morejon – Santa Ana (CRI)
- Orlando Calvo – Black Star Lemon (CRI)
- Karel Perez – Alajuelense u23 (CRI)
- Mario Peñalver – Rancho Santana (NIC)
- Leandro Mena – Santiago de Cuba
- Elvis Casanova – Villa Clara
MIDFIELDERS
- Karel Espino – Communications (GUA)
- King Angel Rodriguez – Masachapa FC (NIC)
- Dairon Reyes – Inter Miami II (USA)
- Yasnier Matos – Deportivo Marquense (GUA)
- Diego Catasus – Latina Calcio (ITA)
- Michael camejo – Havana
- Marcos Campos – Holguin
FORWARDS
- Onel Hernandez – Norwich City (ENG)
- Maykel Reyes – Managua FC (NIC)
- Daniel Diaz – Ad San Carlos (CRI)
- Reydel Sanchez – Los Llanos de Aridane Unit (ESP)
- Aniel Casanova – Villa Clara
- David de Jesus Perez – Havana
