A historic night in Santiago saw Leeds United star Junior Firpo and The Dominican Republic qualify for The 2025 Gold Cup for the first time in the nation’s history.
A flawless CONCACAF Nations League campaign had seen Firpo’s men clock up five wins from five in a group also consisting of Bermuda, Dominica and Antigua and Barbuda. They faced Bermuda last night.
Such has been their dominance of the group, defeat would have even seen Firpo’s men finish top of the group by a considerable distance on goal difference. But, The Dominican Republic earned a huge 6-1 win.
A second successive 6-1 win having beaten Antigua and Barbuda by the same result last week. Firpo has been crucial to the campaign, having a hand in six goals – scoring three goals and laying on three assists.
Junior Firpo did something no other player could match last night
He was front and centre on Tuesday, Firpo laying on two assists for The Dominican Republic from the left side of the defence. Firpo has clocked up 38 games in all competitions for club and country in 2024.
In that time, he has laid on 12 assists and scored four goals. An impressive accumulation of involvements in the final third, with Firpo laying on two more assists last night – as Dorny Romero scored four goals.
The former Barcelona defender, who is out of contract at Leeds next summer, did something no other player managed on Tuesday night. Firpo created seven chances, with second-best only managing three.
Junior Firpo one of seven on three assists in Nations League
In the entirety of the CONCACAF Nations League campaign, only one player managed more assists than Firpo at any level. Seven managed three, with Firpo one of those, showing his quality exuded most.
Yes, The Dominican Republic found the campaign somewhat easy – scoring 27 goals in their five games. But Firpo produced sparkling form even when he could have taken it easy for The Dominican Republic.
Also a positive, is that Firpo has continued to get minutes with his nation having only declared to play for them earlier this year. With Firpo banned for Leeds’ next two games, it is a positive he continues to play.
