The Tactics

In winning the Caribbean Cup, 141st-ranked Cuba played giant killer, knocking off regional favorites Jamaica (50), Haiti (57), and Trinidad & Tobago (79) to claim the title. The team did so by being tactically flexible. It began the tournament with heavy pressing all over the field, but because of its lack of squad depth, the team began to play a slower tempo and used that to win the tournament.

“By lowering the intensity in pressing, the opponents had better opportunities, but at the end we learned to handle the results,” said Alberto "Beto" Gomez, one of the Cuban stars.

That sort of adjustment is typical for Cuba, which often switch tactics mid-game with little warning under Benitez. When selecting the Gold Cup squad, he left out several talented and popular players for those he felt were in better shape and more "able to quickly take tactical approaches required for competition of such magnitude.”

Still, the squad’s preferred style of play is one of quick combinations up top and relentless pressing in the midfield, never letting an opponent settle on the ball. Benitez again: “Our style of playing is a kind of flowing, fast-moving football, where we create chances for our strikers and trust each other totally."

Expect to see clear definition in roles of attack and defense. A pair of holding midfielders is almost a guarantee, with two attacking wingers wide and either a striking pair or, more likely for this particular squad, a creative playmaker behind a central forward. Also expect Cuba to try to dictate play. Victory, if it comes, will come in style. Benitez recently said he hopes to “show good football to make a good impression, avoid thrashings and try to move to the next stage.”

“The first thing is to offer entertainment and play games worthy of respect,” he added.