The 12-team Gold Cup is the regional championship for CONCACAF, which is comprised of North America, Central America and Caribbean soccer-playing nations. It is played every other year[show_disconnected][show_to accesslevel=’Subscriber’].
For the first time, the winner of the two Gold Cup tournaments that precede the FIFA Confederations Cup, will play a one-game playoff for the right to advance to the next Confederations Cup.
The U.S. represented CONCACAF in the 2009 Confederations Cup, beating Spain in the semifinals and losing to Brazil, 3-2, after holding a 2-0 first half lead.
Thus, winning the Gold Cup is the pathway to being included in a major FIFA championship.
The U.S. and Mexico have won 10 of the previous 11 Gold Cup competitions. The 2013 Cup is setup so that these two rivals will not meet before the championship match, provided both advance without a setback.
The U.S. will open play on July 9 in Portland, Oregon against Belize. Next up will be Cuba on July 13 in Sandy, Utah, with the last group game is set for July 16 against Costa Rica in East Hartford, CT.
The top two teams from each of the three divisions will advance to the quarterfinals, along with two third place teams.
The championship game will be played in Chicago at Soldier Field on July 28. Games are played throughout the U.S. in 13 different cities.
For the first time, the winner of the two Gold Cup tournaments that precede the FIFA Confederations Cup, will play a one-game playoff for the right to advance to the next Confederations Cup.
The U.S. represented CONCACAF in the 2009 Confederations Cup, beating Spain in the semifinals and losing to Brazil, 3-2, after holding a 2-0 first half lead.
Thus, winning the Gold Cup is the pathway to being included in a major FIFA championship.
The U.S. and Mexico have won 10 of the previous 11 Gold Cup competitions. The 2013 Cup is setup so that these two rivals will not meet before the championship match, provided both advance without a setback.
The U.S. will open play on July 9 in Portland, Oregon against Belize. Next up will be Cuba on July 13 in Sandy, Utah, with the last group game is set for July 16 against Costa Rica in East Hartford, CT.
The top two teams from each of the three divisions will advance to the quarterfinals, along with two third place teams.
The championship game will be played in Chicago at Soldier Field on July 28. Games are played throughout the U.S. in 13 different cities.
[/show_to][hide_from accesslevel=’Subscriber’]
Your subscription has expired please Subscribe to Southern Soccer Scene to view full article and get all the news in your mailbox![/hide_from]