CARY, N.C. (June 13, 2023) – Three members of North Carolina FC are set to represent their countries in the 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup this summer. Nelson Flores Blanco will represent El Salvador, Jaden Servania with Puerto Rico, and Raheem Somersall with St. Kitts and Nevis.
The Concacaf Gold Cup is the confederation’s premier event for national teams, crowning a champion every two years. Initially involving eight teams, the Gold Cup has developed into a competition of 16 nations, which qualify via the Concacaf Nations League and the Gold Cup Prelims.
“I am excited for these three players to have another opportunity to represent their national teams and play in high quality international competition. This will help them grow as individual players and speaks to the quality in our club and across USL League One,” said North Carolina FC head coach John Bradford.
Teams that must qualify for the Gold Cup will play two qualifying inter-confederation matches from June 15-20. Teams that have already qualified may play other international competitions in that window. The Gold Cup group stage begins on June 24 with the championship match slated for July 16.
El Salvador will open team training camp on June 12 with international friendlies against Japan (June 15) and South Korea (June 20) in preparation for the Gold Cup. Flores Blanco and the team will begin group play on June 26 against one of the qualifying teams at 5:30 p.m. ET from DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“I’m beyond excited to have the opportunity to represent my country at the gold cup, it’s honestly a dream of mine. I been watching the gold cup since I was a little boy, and now having the chance to play in it is truly a blessing. I’m very excited and anxious to compete at that stage. Thank you to everyone who’s helped at NCFC,” said Flores Blanco.
Somersall and St. Kitts and Nevis wrap up training camp today as they prepare to face Curaçao in a first-round preliminary match on Friday, June 16, at 9:00 p.m. ET at DRV PNK Stadium. A win on Friday would advance St. Kitts and Nevis to the second and final round of preliminary qualifiers on Tuesday, June 20, with an opponent and time to be determined.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity to represent the country once again, it’s always an honor to do so. This is a major challenge but also a great chance to create history. If we can win and qualify for The Gold Cup, it would be the country’s first time so hopefully I can help the team achieve it and give my fellow countrymen something to be proud of,” said Somersall.
Servania and Puerto Rico are in training camp this week ahead of their first-round preliminary matchup with Suriname on Saturday, June 17, with a 7:00 p.m. ET kickoff at DRV PNK Stadium. They’ll look to advance to the second and final round of preliminary qualifiers on Tuesday, June 20, with an opponent and time to be determined.
Visit the Gold Cup website for full schedules and results, live streaming, highlights and coverage. Follow the tournament on Twitter for full coverage and the NCFC social media accounts for updates on the three club representatives.
