Chicago's Soldier Field will host the semifinals and finals of the CONCACAF Gold Cup next June, the governing body for soccer in North and Central America and the Caribbean announced Thursday. The Windy City is one of five MLS markets tabbed to host Gold Cup matches.
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., Reliant Stadium in Houston, Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., will also host matches during the region's national team championship, which is slated for June 6-24. The only non-MLS market set to put on matches is Miami.
The 12 qualifying teams will be divided into three groups of four for the first round of the Gold Cup, and at each venue, each match day will consist of a doubleheader. One group will play all six of its matches over three match days at Miami's Orange Bowl. Another group will start play at The Home Depot Center with two match days, while the third will play two match days at Giants Stadium. The latter two groups will move on to either Gillette Stadium or Reliant Stadium for their final match day.
Gillette Stadium and Reliant Stadium will host the tournament quarterfinals, which will be played by the top two teams in each group and the two best third-place teams. The quarterfinal winners will move on to Chicago, which is hosting Gold Cup games for the first time in the tournament's history.
The only match date that has been set is the June 24 final. The groups and specific dates for the remaining games will be announced at the beginning of March 2007 after the conclusion of Central American and Caribbean qualifying.
For the first time since 1993, the Gold Cup will consist exclusively of CONCACAF teams. Canada, Mexico and the United States are due to take part, as are four teams that will qualify from the Caribbean qualifying tournament (Jan. 12-23 in Trinidad & Tobago) and five teams from Central America (Feb. 8-18 in El Salvador).
The United States won the last edition of the Gold Cup in 2005, defeating Panama on penalty kicks at Giants Stadium in the final. The 2007 winner will represent CONCACAF at the FIFA Confederations Cup in South Africa in 2009.
Jason Halpin is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
