Concacaf Gold Cup preliminary action resumes on Tuesday evening when Haiti meets Puerto Rico at the National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica, with only one berth in this summer’s group stage on the line. Kick-off is scheduled for 20:00 local time (21:00 ET) and will be streamed live on Paramount+ in the United States and OneFootball across most Caribbean markets.
Form check
Haiti arrive as heavy favourites after an encouraging Nations League campaign that saw them top League B Group B with 10 points from four matches, scoring nine goals and conceding just twice. Manager Gabriel Calderón has blended Europe-based experience—Frantzdy Pierrot (Çaykur Rizespor), Duckens Nazon (Al-Orobah) and Derrick Etienne (Charlotte FC)—with domestic youth, yielding the region’s best expected-goals ratio (2.1 xG per 90) among second-tier sides.
Puerto Rico, meanwhile, booked their place in this one-off qualifier by defeating Aruba 5–4 on aggregate in March. The Boricuas’ 3-2 second-leg win in Mayagüez showcased their quick-transition style, spearheaded by 20-year-old Ricardo Rivera (Phoenix Rising) and Newcastle United academy winger Gerald Díaz. Yet defensive frailties persist: in their last six competitive outings they have conceded 11 times, shipping at least two in five of those fixtures.
Head-to-head
Tuesday’s meeting will be the fifth senior encounter since 2004. Haiti hold a perfect 4-0-0 record, outscoring Puerto Rico 13-2. Most recently, the Grenadiers cruised to a 3-0 friendly win in Fort Lauderdale last June, Pierrot opening the scoring inside nine minutes.
Team news
Haiti expect to have first-choice centre-back Ricardo Adé available after he sat out the final Nations League match through suspension, while experienced left-back Alex Christian is again preferred to 19-year-old Ethan Lallemand. Puerto Rico coach Dave Sarachan has no fresh injury concerns; midfield anchor Sidney Rivera trained fully on Sunday after a minor calf complaint.
Tactical outlook
Calderón is expected to deploy a 4-3-3 that morphs into 3-1-6 in possession, with full-back Carlens Arcus stepping into midfield to allow wingers Etienne and Bicou Bissainthe to pin opposing full-backs. That should isolate Puerto Rico’s ball-playing centre-backs, who have struggled when pressed: 28 % of their turnovers in the March playoff occurred inside their own third.
Sarachan will likely match up in a narrow 4-2-3-1 designed to clog central channels, hoping Díaz’s pace on the break can exploit space behind Arcus. Set pieces could prove critical—Puerto Rico scored twice from corners against Aruba, while Haiti conceded from a corner in three of their last four competitive matches.
Key duel
Frantzdy Pierrot vs Puerto Rico’s back line. The 27-year-old striker averages 0.71 goals per 90 for club and country this season and wins 56 % of aerial duels. Puerto Rico captain Juan O’Neill, at 1.78 m, gave up three headers to Aruba’s 1.83 m striker in March; Pierrot is 1.88 m and moves far better in the box.
Prediction
Opta’s model gives Haiti a 67 % win probability; Puerto Rico’s stands at 14 %, with the draw 19 %. Bookmakers opened the Grenadiers at -225 (implied 69 %), but early money has shortened them to -250. Expect Haiti to dictate tempo, break through around the hour mark, and close out a 2-0 victory, propelling les Bicolores into Group B alongside Mexico, Qatar and Honduras.
