SoccerAmerica - Gold Cup is huge success at gate and on television 06/23/2011

[BY THE NUMBERS] A case can be made that the Gold Cup is the most popular of the regional championships. In addition, the 2011 edition of the Concacaf championship is set to break a scoring mark not seen since 1996 and has been a ratings success on Univision and Fox Soccer.

5
Saturday's USA-Mexico final will be the fifth between the two teams since the Gold Cup started 20 years ago. Mexico has won three (1993, 1998 and 2009) while the USA has won one (2005). Only Copa America finalists Brazil and Uruguay have met as many as four times in the final of a continental final in the modern era.

43,634
The Gold Cup has averaged 43,634 fans for 12 dates, up more than 20 percent over the 2009 average of 36,335 for 13 dates. By comparison, Euro 2008, the European championship, averaged only 36,803 fans a game.

3.08
The 2011 Gold Cup has averaged 3.08 goals, up from the 2009 average of 2.64 goals a game. One goal in the final will assure the Gold Cup of averaging 3.00 or more goals a game for the first since 1996.

7
Javier Hernandez's seven goals in four games are the most a player has scored at the Gold Cup since Mexican Zaguinho set the record with 11 goals in 1993.

6.9 million
Mexico's quarterfinal game against Guatemala drew an estimated 6.9 million viewers on Saturday and was No. 1 on primetime, regardless of language, in such key demos including persons 12-34, adults 18-34, adults 18-49, men 18-34 and men 18-49.

82 percent
The overall audience on Fox Soccer so far has increased by 82 percent in comparison to its 2009 audience. Wednesday’s United States-Panama semifinal drew 381,000 viewers, a larger audience than 369,000 for the 2009 final between the USA and Mexico.

0 comments

Paolo Jacobs

commented on: June 24, 2011 at 3:59 a.m.

Its safe to Say, Concacaf will continue to have the Gold Cup in the USA because of these Stats,, The travel is bit crazy, and there is only a few dayz to rest in between games...I think they need to correct this somewhat

Brent Crossland

commented on: June 24, 2011 at 8:14 a.m.

It would have been nice if Fox had televised a few more games. We can always watch Champions League reruns after the Gold Cup is over . . .

David Sirias

commented on: June 24, 2011 at 9:27 a.m.

The Mexican national team has a license to print money in the USA. This drives everything which is why the GC will happen every two years instead of four, the latter being preferable. So. Use the GC to our advantage. The USA "A". Team should never be used on the non confederations cup Gold Cups. But it should never be MLS old timers either. It must be up and comers. Bobs decision to use MLS old timers two years ago has hurt us to this day Lastly the GC has proven the soccer is tribal and powerful in this country. The Money is where the customer is. And he/she likes jason kreis soccer, accepting of latinos and the Latin style of soccer, not the bob Bradley style of soccer that is direct and shuns( or ar least is unforgiving of) latinos players Do you really want me to support my last assertion ? It would take to long. I will let others provide the examples. And the federation not being in Latino neighborhoods altogether is another tragedy. Money talks. I hope this changes.

Wesley Martino

commented on: June 24, 2011 at 10:36 a.m.

David - You have NO CLUE what you are talking about. 1. You have to win the Gold Cup (the year after the World Cup) to qualify for the Confederations Cup. Whoever wins Sat goes to the Confederations Cup. 2. The year we lost to Mex 5-0 in the finals didn't mean a thing. We had already won the Gold Cup 2 years prior and qualified for the Confed Cup. 3. Also, we played in the Copa America that same year we lost to Mex. 5-0. We used our "A" team against the better South American teams and our youngsters in the Gold Cup. 4. Any other brain busters?

Robert Lanza

commented on: June 24, 2011 at 12:20 p.m.

Concerning the 2009 Gold Cup squad, although there were some MLS lifers (Arnaud, Beckerman, Heaps, Ching) out there, I wouldn't necessarily classify all of them as "old timers." That squad had "up-and-comers" too (Goodson, Pause, Holden,Rogers), yet still made the final. Some veteran presence was needed in that squad or they would've been put out at the group stage. I do agree that the Gold Cup should be a quadrennial event. There's no need for it to be held during WCQ and Confed Cup years when the schedule is already very congested.

David Huff

commented on: June 24, 2011 at 12:37 p.m.

@Wesley, I think David got his sequencing wrong on the timing of the correct Gold Cup cycle to win (as you point out) but the essence of what David has indicated is correct. 1. The only Gold Cup that counts is the one that qualifies the team to play in the Condeferations Cup. 2. The "other" Gold Cup cycle is an accomodation to Mexico for fundraising purposes but otherwise makes little sense to hold and should be discontinued. 3. the growth of the Latin game with US youth is imperative if we are to become a world soccer power, we need to follow thw RSL and Barca approach and abandon the failed Brit method.

Jim Murphy

commented on: June 24, 2011 at 9:15 p.m.

In the paragraph that says "5", it says that the only time the USA beat MEX in the GC final was 2005. Wasn't that in 2007 (and qualified us for the 2009 Confed Cup?) That being said, the US somehow always seems to get results against Mexico in full-strength, meaningful matches on US soil. But usually those games are in Columbus in February in WC qualifiers, not in front of what figures to be about 70k MEX fans in LA. I didn't see the GC final in '07 in Chicago. What was the crowd like that day? Mostly Mexican or 50-50?

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