Ranking the Top Seven Players from the Concacaf Gold Cup Group Stage | OneFootball

The FIFA World Cup might be less than a year away for North America, but the three host nations and the rest of Concacaf have their eyes on the Gold Cup this summer.

While the 2025 edition of the Gold Cup competes with the FIFA Club World Cup for viewership in the United States and worldwide, the group stage offered some exciting matches and surprising performances from several players.

Despite some teams missing key players due to club duties, injury or rest, several top players elevated their levels. But who stood out the most?

Ahead of the quarterfinals, Sports Illustrated takes a look at the seven best players from the 2025 Gold Cup group stage.

7. Niko Sigur - Canada (Midfielder)

Niko Sigur scored in Canada's first match against Honduras. / Anne-Marie Sorvin-Imagn Images

21-year-old Hajduk Split midfielder Niko Sigur is in his first tournament with Canada, impressing with slick passing and movement as a right back and central midfielder.

While Canada has significant depth in midfield, his ability to thread balls to attackers, as well as his calmness in possession and under defensive pressure, puts him in contention to start the most critical games in the tournament.

He bagged a goal in his first start and finished the group stage with an inch-perfect through ball to Tajon Buchanan, ranking him among the best young players in the group stage.

6. Edson Alvárez - Mexico (Midfielder)

Edson Álvarez has been a key piece in Mexico's success at the Gold Cup so far. / Matt Aguirre-Imagn Images

Edson Álvarez was on the pitch for every minute through the group stage and played a vital role at the heart of Mexico’s midfield.

The West Ham United midfielder started the tournament with a goal and assist in a 3–2 win against the Dominican Republic, before focusing more on the defensive side in clean sheets, including a 2–0 victory over Suriname and a scoreless draw with Costa Rica.

5. Cesar Montes - Mexico (Defender)

Center backs aren’t often near the top of goalscoring charts, but that’s where El Tri’s Cesar Montes finds himself after scoring three goals in the group stage, including two against Suriname and one against the Dominican Republic.

While Mexico were not dominant through the first three games and got off to a rocky start against the Gold Cup rookie Dominican Republic, they won their group and advanced to the quarterfinals to take on Saudi Arabia.

Montes, meanwhile, has also been critical in Mexico’s two clean sheets and will continue to play a significant role as they look to win and add a Gold Cup title to the 2025 haul, having already won the Concacaf Nations League in March.

4. Malik Tillman - USMNT (Midfielder)

Malik Tillman was central to the USMNT's perfect group stage record. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The U.S. men’s national team needed some players to step up, and Malik Tillman has done just that.

Through three games, he has scored three goals and was the driving force in a feisty group stage finale against Haiti, following his match-leading six tackles in the 1–0 win over Saudi Arabia.

Although he has had some issues with offside, his touch and ability to find spaces in the attack have been outstanding, matching the form he has shown in recent seasons with PSV Eindhoven in the Netherlands.

Given his standout play at club level and now with the USMNT, the 23-year-old has been linked with a move to Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen.

3. Tajon Buchanan - Canada (Winger)

Tajon Buchanan has finally regained his confidence after suffering a broken leg and going on loan to CF Villarreal from Inter.

While he had not played significant full matches for Milan or Villarreal, Buchanan came into the Canadian men’s national team camp after scoring against FC Barcelona on the final day of the La Liga season. That moment seems to have elevated his game.

He scored twice in the 6–0 opening match against Honduras and added a third goal in the Group B finale, a 2–0 win over El Salvador, marking his first goal contributions with Canada since assisting Alphonso Davies’ goal against Croatia at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Through 190 minutes, he played a critical role as Canada topped a group for the first time since the 2009 Gold Cup and will continue to play a significant part in the knockout phase, building towards next year's World Cup.

2. Ismael Díaz - Panama (Striker)

Panama's Ismael Diaz leads Concacaf Gold Cup scoring with five goals in three games. / Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The leading goalscorer in the Gold Cup with five goals in three games, Panama’s Ismael Díaz is making sure the Nations League silver medalists are genuine contenders heading into the quarterfinals against Honduras.

While strikers like Jonathan David, Raul Jimenez, Santiago Gimenez and Patrick Agyemang thrive with their teams as favourites, Diaz can balance Panama’s physical prowess with his skillset to punish opponents.

1. Chris Richards - USMNT (Defender)

Chris Richards has been the most important player for head coach Mauricio Pochettino's USMNT. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

No player is more important to the current USMNT setup than Crystal Palace center back Chris Richards.

The 25-year-old scored the winning goal on a diving header from Sebastian Berhalter’s free-kick to pick up all three points against Saudi Arabia, and remained the USMNT’s most crucial player in wins over Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago, helping the U.S. end the group stage with eight goals scored and just one conceded.

Given his defensive awareness and leadership in the win over Saudi Arabia, the Americans’ most testing group stage opponent, head coach Mauricio Pochettino should be more than confident in his abilities heading into the knockouts.