The 2007 CONCACAF Gold Cup kicked off last night in Miami with two tight games in the Orange Bowl. Canada pulled out the win against Costa Rica, 2-1 and Guadeloupe and Haiti tied 1-1.
The U.S. National Team opens up Gold Cup play tonight against Guatemala at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
Gold Cup play in Houston kicks off next Wednesday, June 13, with Cuba and Honduras playing the first game of the doubleheader, followed by Mexico and Panama.
Tonight Gold Cup will have as its main attraction the USA vs. Guatemala match, which opens Group B play.
The game will take place in Carson, California where they will meet again this year for the second time, this is after their March 28 game in Frisco, Texas. That game ended 0 – 0. That was an excellent result for the team led by Hernán Darío Gómez, because this was the first tie the U.S. had given up at home since Bob Bradley took over.
As a result of this the Stars and Stripes lost their winning streak, after posting victories against Denmark, México, and Ecuador. The U.S. will look to post a win Thursday night against the "Chapines".
The U.S. arrives as one of the favorites, not because they host the tournament but because they have never been eliminated in the first round in any of the five the eight CONCACAF Gold Cups they have participated in. They have won the tournament three times (1991, 2002 and 2005).
This will be the eighth CONCACAF Gold Cup participation for Guatemala, who are looking to make it to the final for the first time. Their best finish was a fourth place finish in 1996.
Group C Action
Cuba, Honduras, Mexico and Panama will begin play on Friday night at Giants Stadium in New Jersey. Those four squads play in Houston on June 13 (7:00 and 9:00) with the top two teams in the group advancing to the Quarterfinals on Sunday, June 17 (2:00 and 5:00) at Reliant Stadium.
In addition to the action on the field there is a pre-game festival in the parking lot, the Miller Lite Gold Zone, featuring games and music. Live music begins at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday with Alazzan followed by Solido. On Sunday Latin Express and Inspector will play prior to the first game.
Parking lots open at 4:00 on Wednesday and 10:00 a.m. on Sunday.
Houston Tickets
Ticket sales for the Houston matches are selling well ahead of 2005 when over 105,000 fans made Houston the top city for CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Tickets are available through Ticketmaster and all Ticketmaster outlets including Fiesta Stores. You can also call 1-866-GO-TEXANS to purchase tickets, group tickets and suites for both dates.
