Crew Stadium to host Gold Cup doubleheader

The 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup™ will be played in a record 13 different U.S. cities, including Columbus, where an opening-round doubleheader will be held on Tuesday, July 7, at Crew Stadium. The tournament, which crowns the champion of CONCACAF - the regional confederation of North America, Central America and the Caribbean - opens at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., on July 3 and concludes with the championship match on July 26 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

The 13 cities are more than twice than the number previously used for the continental championship and shy of only the 1982 FIFA World Cup™ in Spain and the 2002 FIFA World Cup™, which used 10 venues each in Japan and Korea Republic. The 1994 FIFA World Cup™ in the USA was played in nine different venues.

"By expanding the Gold Cup to 13 venues, it will give fans more opportunity to experience the championship in person," said CONCACAF President Jack Warner.

The Gold Cup will be making its first appearance in Columbus, Phoenix, Philadelphia and Washington. A Gold Cup quarterfinal will be the first sporting event to be played at the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium. Each venue will host one doubleheader except for the final at Giants Stadium, with the quarterfinals set for Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (July 18) and Dallas (July 19), and the semifinals at Soldier Field in Chicago (July 23).

"While 13 cities create logistical challenges, we think the benefits of reaching out to more venues are clearly worthwhile," CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer said. "The ability of so many people to see national teams play we feel is well worth the effort."

The nations that qualified are Canada, Mexico and the U.S. from the North Zone; Panama, Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua from Central America; and Jamaica, Grenada, Guadeloupe and Haiti from the Caribbean. Groups and a full schedule, as well as ticket information, will be available in the coming weeks.

The tournament will use the same format as in 2005 and 2007, with the 12-team field divided into three, four-team groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the quarterfinals along with the two best third-place teams.

Historic Crew Stadium, which recently played host the USA-Mexico final-round FIFA World Cup qualifier on Feb. 11, turns 10 in May. That anniversary will be celebrated on May 9 when the Crew plays host to the Kansas City Wizards in a regular-season MLS match.

The Gold Cup was played in six different cities in its two most recent editions, including two stadia in Los Angeles in 2005 (the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and The Home Depot Center).

This will be the second time Giants Stadium has staged the final and first since 2005. Miami will see the Gold Cup for the seventh straight time, although it will be the first time at FIU Stadium, while the Los Angeles area will stage matches for the eighth time in 10 tournaments.

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.

SCHEDULE

First Round

3 July - The Home Depot Center (Los Angeles)

4 July - Qwest Field (Seattle)

5 July - Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (San Francisco)

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)