Photo by ISIphotos.com
It is going to be a good summer for soccer fans across the country.
CONCACAF announced a list of 13 different cities that will play host to CONCACAF Gold Cup matches this summer. Giants Stadium will host the final on July 26th while Soldier Field in Chicago will host the semifinals on July 23rd.
Groups and match schedules have yet to be released but, according to sources with knowledge of the draw, the United States will open Gold Cup play on July 4th at Qwest Field in Seattle, followed by group matches at RFK Stadium on July 8th and Gillette Stadium on July 11th. The U.S. team would then play its quarterfinal match on July 18th in Philadelphia.
Here is a rundown of all the venues, including the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium, which will have a Gold Cup match be its first sporting event:
First Round
3 July – The Home Depot Center (Los Angeles)
4 July – Qwest Field (Seattle)
5 July – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (Oakland)
7 July – Crew Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
8 July – Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (Washington)
9 July – Reliant Stadium (Houston)
10 July – Florida International University Stadium (Miami)
11 July – Gillette Stadium (Boston)
12 July – University of Phoenix Stadium (Phoenix)
Quarterfinals
18 July – Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
19 July – Dallas Cowboys New Stadium (Dallas)
Semifinals
23 July – Soldier Field (Chicago)
Final
26 July – Giants Stadium (New York)
What do you think of this schedule? Will you be attending Gold Cup matches this summer? Excited to see the final back at Giants Stadium?
Share your thoughts below.
Where is Portland? Great atmosphere for national team games with rabid USA fans.
Posted by: Don | March 09, 2009 at 03:57 PM
Isn’t Portland a suburb of Seatle? The US is playing their on July 4th.
“where is the SALT LAKE CITY match?!!!
C’mon!”
You’re already getting the only WCQ west of the Mississippi, you ungrateful wretch!
Seriously though, I’d attend if this tournament was at all important. There’s no point in a 2009 Gold Cup. I’ll watch on TV (probably the Spanish-language stations, like in 2007…), but I won’t shell out the money to attend.
I’m about halfway between Oakland and Carson, so I may go to one. But I highly doubt it.
Where is Portland? Great atmosphere for national team games with rabid USA fans.
I’d love to go see a game at the new Cowboys stadium. Looking at it from the top of the Ballpark in Arlington, it still seems hugggggggge.
And btw, it’s highly unlikely it will be arranged for 100k fans. The normal capacity is more around 80k. 100k is for special events… (super bowl, world cup)
Why are they playing these matches at cavernous NFL stadiums that will be lucky to be a quarter filled unless the US is taking on Mexico? I don’t understand why the USSF doesn’t reward the teams that have invested in soccer in this country by building soccer stadiums and having Gold Cup games in Crew Stadium, Rio Tinto, the Dick, Toyota Park, and PHP? Nobody really cares about the Gold Cup in all honesty and a lot of the group stage games are held in front of sparse crowds. 15,000 looks a lot better in a stadium with 20,000 capacity than it does in a stadium that can seat 60,000+.
Maybe after the 25th time people will get it…so I’ll try this time: USSF has nothing to do with anything…Warner and his cronies at Concacaf picked the venues…they could care less about “SSS.”
All they care about is “$$$”
Cmon guys, let’s be intelligent fans here.
phoenix is indoors, on grass….
The only reason the final is gonna be held at giants stadium is because they expect/want a US vs Mexico final. Another thing, whats the point of building new SSS (Rio Tinto Stadium), if you’re not gonnna play in them.
way OT: why no Montero in MLS fantasy?
Isn’t playing the gold cup exclusively in the US? I know we have the best stadiums in the world but why wouldn’t mexico try and host?
Will there be grass in Seattle, or turf?
I know USSF has resisted playing on fake stuff in the past.
I’m assuming this is the OLD Giants Stadium, right? New Giants Stadium not ready until 2010…
Its going to be our B team in the gold cup…..
“Games will be played on modern synthetic surfaces in four stadiums: Qwest Field, FIU Stadium, Gillette Stadium and the New Dallas Cowboys Stadium. Grass will be laid over the existing surface for the final in Giants Stadium”
“Groups and a full schedule as well as ticket information will be available in the coming weeks.”
“The three first-round groups for the qualifiers: Canada, Mexico and the United States from the North Zone; Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua from Central America; and Jamaica, Grenada, Guadeloupe and Haiti from the Caribbean, and schedule will be announced at a later time.”
Courtesy of the CONCACAF website…..
It was announced that the first round games will be on the turf. Giants stadium is bringing in grass
If it wasn’t 4th of July and if the US wasn’t sending there b/c squad I may make more of an effort to attend the game.
Ives whoever picked Phoenix for July 12 site must be out of their mind. Two questions,
Do they play Gold Cup on Turf?
Who are the S. Amer teams?
well, I’m a New Jersey guy, so i guess ill be watchin the US in the quarters and finals!
The 4 trophies:
2007 Gold Cup Tournament Awards/Premios del Torneo Copa Oro 2007
State Farm Best Goalkeeper/Mejor Arquero: Franck Grandel (GLP)
Miller Lite Most Valuable Player/Jugador Mas Valioso: Julian DeGuzman (CAN)
Top Scorer/Goleador: Carlos Pavon (HON)
Fair Play/Juego Limpio: Honduras
“Why so many different venues?
Will they only hold one match at a venue? Two?
They are all over the country as well.”
Matt, I would think that part of the reason they’re:
A)using so many different venues,
B)spreading them all over the country,
C)playing many of them in much larger venues
is because they are using the Gold Cup this time as a chance to show some of these venues off to FIFA with regards to the 2018 and 2022 WC bids.
Think about it; seven of those venues (Qwest, Reliant, Gillette, U of P, the Linc, the ‘Boys’ stadium, and Soldier Field, are all either new, or completely renovated since 1994. They’re also all top notch facilities. Add the new Meadowlands stadium in 2010, and I would guess that they’ll try to get a high profile game there as soon as they can, and they’ve got an excellent chance to showcase their potential venues to FIFA.
so of all these, which ones are the ones that the USMNT going to take part in?
What are those four individual trophies on the table in the picture?
where is the SALT LAKE CITY match?!!!
C’mon!
Brian, if you look at the 2005 Gold Cup winning squad for the USA, a tournament played one year out from a World Cup, you’ll find a largely experimental US team which was used to keep a few key players fresh, see what was left in the tank of some veterans, and to give a few youngsters an extended audition.
I’d expect much the same from Bradley this time around. The better CONCACAF teams will use this tournamen similarly, as they prepare for the second half of the Hex. It won’t be (and shouldn’t be) the USMNT A-Team or even B-team.
We rolled out the likes of non-WC players Sanneh, Vanney, Ralston, Noonan, Armas, Quaranta, Brad Davis, and Connor Casey in ’05 and won. Vets like Conrad, Olson, and O’Brien, and Pope kept themselves in consideration. The past may be a good predictor of who we’ll see this year…..
Ives, any chance they are using so many venues to flesh out options for the 2018/2022 WC bids?
Andrew, I would say Mexico playing in Dallas has already been “arranged”.
Yeah, I’ll probably be there.
Looks like a travel nightmare for the teams and journalists…. And any fan who wants to see all of the group play. Having said that, they are spreading the wealth, so to speak, and this format offers games to the most fans possible with the best chance of filling the stadiums.
Yay its back in New York!!! GO USA!!!!!
Why so many different venues?
Will they only hold one match at a venue? Two?
They are all over the country as well.
Last time I checked, Oakland was its own city and not in San Francisco.
somehow I have a feeling I’ll be desparately trying to get info on the Gold Cup while traveling in Germany this summer. The final would make an awesome birthday present, but I think I’ll be overseas then :-S
US isn’t taking this tournament all that seriously. Mexico will be sending a better team because a Gold Cup win will help their FIFA ranking thereby giving them a chance at a World Cup seed.
The US probably won’t make the final.
Awesome, will be there, I only live 20 minutes away. Any idea about when tickets will go on sale?
NICE! theyre FINALLY giving Philly a chance
Mexico will win this tournament, they will bring their A Team…no Confed Cup for them, and we will have our B/C+ team.
Why are they making the teans who win a semifinal on July 23 then use their 2 days of rest to travel to New Jersey from Chicago? It’s already an extremely short break between the semis and the final; it doesn’t make sense to add travel. That final is going to be played by teams with no legs.
Ticket info?
Hopefully the US plays in Oakland, so I can watch our B-team in action.
DENVER DENVER DENVER 🙁
Is CONCACAF banking on Mexico playing in Dallas? Otherwise I can’t see 100,000 people filling up Jerry World…
Excited to see the groupings. I would love to be able to see the US play in person again. The last time was in the Gold Cup years ago against Brazil at the Orange Bowl (RIP).
with this, qualifiers and friendlies it’s gonna be a busy summer. any idea on when tickets go on sale?
can’t wait to be at the final
Love the thought of El Tri’s rowdy side of their fanbase trashing the new Cowboys stadium.
Nice! Can’t wait for that final!
with good luck I’ll get to see Costa Rica in the final at Meadowlands NJ
Do we really need a Gold Cup in ’09?
I completely understand why Giants Stadium misses out on so many national team games.
Having said that, I am praying to the god of skinny punks they make the final, it’s been too long since I’ve seen them and I had to drive to Chicago to do it last time.
I predict a LOT of empty stadiums!
Awesome! This will be the second time I get to watch the USA life the Gold Cup!
WOOHOO