2011 Soccer Gold Cup groups and schedule announced

The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup groups and schedule were announced today by CONCACAF. The path to the next FIFA Confederations Cup begins with three back-to-back days of group matches, starting on Sunday, June 5 at Arlington’s Cowboys Stadium.

The 2011 Gold Cup champion and CONCACAF representative to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup in Brazil will be crowned on Saturday, June 25 at the historic Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

A one-week of exclusive pre-sale will begin tomorrow, Wednesday, March 9. Fans can call the local stadium box office or local MLS team for further information. Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, March 16 through www.goldcup.org.

Mexico will anchor Group A, which will begin tournament play on June 5 against El Salvador, preceded by Costa Rica and Cuba at Cowboys Stadium. Honduras will lead Group B the following day, facing Guatemala at The Home Depot Center on June 6, with the Caribbean face off between Jamaica vs. Grenada earlier in the evening. The United States will play the following night, Tuesday, June 7, in Detroit’s Ford Field against its border rival Canada in Group C, which also will include Panama and Guadeloupe.

"We are extremely excited for this year’s Gold Cup and are completely confident that it will be the best ever", CONCACAF General Secretary Chuck Blazer said. "We are bringing our fans the region’s best football in fantastic venues – with a lot on the line. It is truly a can’t-miss event."

The Gold Cup, which has generated record attendances and television ratings in each of the past three competitions, will be played coast-to-coast at 13 venues again this year, including five new stadia. New Meadowlands Stadium, RFK Stadium and Reliant Stadium will serve as quarterfinal and semifinal venues, respectively, leading up to the grand finale at the Rose Bowl on June 25.

2011 CONCACAF GOLD CUPT
GROUP A: Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba
GROUP B: Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica, Grenada
GROUP C: USA, Canada, Panamá, Guadeloupe

SCHEDULE
First Round
Sunday, June 5 – Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, TX)
Costa Rica vs. Cuba, 5 p.m. (6 p.m. EDT)
Mexico vs. El Salvador, 7 p.m. (8 p.m. EDT)

Monday, June 6 – The Home Depot Center (Carson, CA)
Jamaica vs. Grenada, 6 p.m. (9 p.m. EDT)
Honduras vs. Guatemala, 8 p.m. (11 p.m. EDT)

Tuesday, June 7 – Ford Field (Detroit, MI)
Panama vs. Guadeloupe, 6 p.m. (6 p.m. EDT)
USA vs. Canada, 8 p.m. (8 p.m. EDT)

Thursday, June 9 – Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
Costa Rica vs. El Salvador, 7 p.m. (7 p.m. EDT)
Cuba vs. Mexico, 9 p.m. (9 p.m. EDT)

Friday, June 10 – FIU Stadium (Miami, FL)
Jamaica vs. Guatemala, 7 p.m. (7 p.m. EDT)
Grenada vs. Honduras, 9 p.m. (9 p.m. EDT)

Saturday, June 11 – Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
Canada vs. Guadeloupe, 6 p.m. (6 p.m. EDT)
USA vs. Panama, 8 p.m. (8 p.m. EDT)

Sunday, June 12 – Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)
El Salvador vs. Cuba, 5 p.m. (6 p.m. EDT)
Mexico vs. Costa Rica, 7 p.m. (8 p.m. EDT)

Monday, June 13 – Red Bull Arena (Harrison, NJ)
Guatemala vs. Grenada, 7 p.m. (7 p.m. EDT)
Honduras vs. Jamaica, 9 p.m. (9 p.m. EDT)

Tuesday, June 14 – Sporting Park (Kansas City, KS)
Canada vs. Panama, 6 p.m. (7 p.m. EDT)
Guadeloupe vs. USA, 8 p.m. (9 p.m. EDT)

Quarterfinals
Saturday, June 18 – New Meadowlands Stadium (East Rutherford, NJ)
Group A runner-up vs. Group B runner-up, TBD (x)
Group A winner vs. Group B/C third-place, TBD (x)
x-matches scheduled for 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. local (5 p.m. and 8 p.m. EDT) with order TBD

Sunday, June 19 – Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (Washington DC)
Group B winner vs. Group C runner-up, TBD (y)
Group C winner vs. Group A/B third place, TBD (y)
y-matches scheduled for 3 p.m. and 6 p.m. local (3 p.m. and 6 p.m. EDT) with order TBD

Semifinals
Wednesday, June 22 – Reliant Stadium (Houston, TX)
x-quarterfinal winners, TBD (z)
y-quarterfinal winners, TBD (z)
z-matches scheduled for 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. local (7 p.m. and 10 p.m. EDT) with order TBD

Final
Saturday, June 25 – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m. (9 p.m. EDT)