[GOLD CUP] The 2011 Gold Cup final will be played at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., a site for the inaugural tournament 20 years ago, but Concacaf will playmatches in four new cities — Detroit, Tampa, Kansas City and Charlotte — during the group stage.
“We are very excited about our cities and venues,” Concacaf GeneralSecretary Chuck Blazer said. “Each will add a distinct flavor to the event and will help make this the best Gold Cup to date.”
This will bethe sixth time the final is held in Southern California — and the second time at the Rose Bowl. The first Gold Cup final was played at the Los Angeles Coliseum in 1991.
The venues willinclude the new Kansas City Soccer Stadium, which will open in 2011. Two games will also be played at the Red Bull Arena, which opened in 2010.
All dates except the final will bedoubleheaders. None of the 13 venues will host more than one date.
Canada, defending champion Mexico and the host United States are qualified automatically for the event.
Jamaica, Cuba, Grenada and Guadeloupe recently qualified to the Gold Cup from the Digicel Caribbean Cup, while the five Central American participants will be decided Jan. 14-23 at the CopaCentroamericana in Panama.
The champion of the 2011 Gold Cup will represent Concacaf at the 2013 Confederations Cup to be held in Brazil as a prelude to the 2014 World Cup.
The first-round groups will be announced in early February.
SCHEDULE
First Round
June 5 –Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, TX)
June 6 – The Home Depot Center (Carson, CA)
June 7 – Ford Field (Detroit, MI)
June 9 – Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, NC)
June 10 – FIU Stadium (Miami, FL)
June 11 – Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, FL)
June 12 – Soldier Field (Chicago, IL)
June 13 – Red Bull Arena (Harrison,NJ)
June 14 – KC Soccer Stadium (Kansas City, KS)
Quarterfinals
June 18 – New Meadowlands Stadium (East Rutherford,NJ)
June 19 – Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (Washington DC)
Semifinals
June 22 – Reliant Stadium (Houston, TX)
Final
June 25 – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, CA)