Vancouver Whitecaps midfielder Terry Dunfield will be one of the key players for Canada at the CONCACAF Gold Cup. (Chris Young/Canadia Press)

It's not a World Cup year and the European championships are 12 months away. But that doesn't mean this summer will pass without a top international soccer tournament taking place.

Soccer fans will be able to gorge themselves on a feast of soccer this summer, starting with the CONCACAF Gold Cup which runs from June 5 to 25.

Twelve of the best teams from the CONCACAF region — North and Central America and the Caribbean — will compete in matches in 13 cities across the United States over three weeks, all with an eye towards being crowned continental champions.

The top two teams in each round-robin group, plus the two best-placed third teams overall, advance to the quarter-finals.

CBCSports.ca soccer writer John F. Molinaro breaks down the group stage and offers his predictions below.

Group A: Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba

As the defending champion and a perennial CONCACAF power, Mexico has to be considered the tournament co-favourite, alongside the U.S.

This Mexican side is a healthy mix of experienced veterans and a talented crop of youngsters. Manchester United star striker Javier Hernandez is coming off a strong season and should star in this competition. A strong midfield allows Mexico to dominate possession and force opponents to chase the ball. They should have little trouble topping this group.

If they can't finish ahead of Mexico, expect Costa Rica to take second place. Los Ticos are an experienced side that are known for their speed down the flanks and attacking thrust up front. Striker Bryan Ruiz, who plays with Dutch club Twente, is a real talent.

It's hard to imagine either El Salvador or Cuba challenging in this group. Both teams lack genuine star power, having to rely on a pretty shallow talent pool — although El Salvador has shown a tendency to give a tough time to the top nations in CONCACAF.

Prediction: 1) Mexico, 2) Costa Rica, 3) El Salvador, 4) Cuba

Group B: Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica, Grenada

A year removed from a World Cup appearance, Honduras has to be considered the favourite in this group. Curiously, they did not call up MLS youngster Andy Najar for this tournament, but the Hondurans still boast a strong midfield with Wilson Palacios of Tottenham, and Hendry Thomas and Maynor Figueroa of Wigan Athletic. They should be able to overcome their trademark lapses in defence to win the group.

The battle for second place should be contested between Jamaica and Guatemala. The Reggae Boyz boast a young and fast team, especially with New York Red Bulls winger Dane Richards. They should be able to edge ahead of an aging Guatemala side that will rely almost exclusively on Carlos Ruiz for goals.

Grenada is making only its second Gold Cup appearance. In 2009, the tiny Island nation not only failed to earn a point, but it didn't even manage to score a single goal. They will struggle this time around, too.

Prediction: 1) Honduras, 2) Jamaica, 3) Guatemala (moves on to quarter-finals), 4) Grenada

Group C: United States, Canada, Panama, Guadeloupe

You don't need four guesses to figure out who is the front-runner in this group.

As the host nation and four-time champions, the U.S. is the favourite to win this tournament. Coach Bob Bradley has put together a solid side although questions do linger about the defence with the returning Oguchi Onyewu. Still, the Americans have enough quality and depth of talent (Landon Donovan, Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley) that they should easily win this group.

Canadian coach Stephen Hart has put together an attacking side to the Gold Cup, with Simeon Jackson, Dwayne de Rosario and Atiba Hutchinson leading the offensive charge. Hart has said he will use this tournament to experiment ahead of the World Cup qualifiers, but he also expects results, and that's the right attitude to have. Problems in defence and no clear No. 1 goalkeeper, however, could mean Canada will be engaged in a real battle for second place.

Panama could be the tournament dark horse. The Central American nation, currently 67th in the FIFA world rankings, had made great strides the past few years; they lost in the Gold Cup final in 2005, and reached the quarter-finals the last two times. With forward Luis Tejada leading the way, Panama is quick on the counter and dangerous in set-piece situations.

Don't discount Guadeloupe. They have made it out of the group stage that last two times, including beating Canada in 2007, but their defensive solidity won't be enough to make up for their lack of offensive firepower

Prediction: 1) United States, 2) Canada, 3) Panama (moves on to quarter-finals), 4) Guadeloupe