FIELD SET FOR 2007 CONCACAF GOLD CUP www.socawarriorstt.com CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) announced today that
Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Panama all qualified to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold CupTM from the Copa de Naciones Digicel 2007 de UNCAF (Central American qualification) in Cuscatlán Stadium in San Salvador, El Salvador this week.
The 12 CONCACAF-team field is set for the ninth edition of CONCACAF Gold CupTM later this year which is comprised of the previous champions (Canada, Mexico, USA), four Caribbean teams (Cuba, Guadeloupe, Haiti,
Trinidad & Tobago) and the five Central American qualifiers.
The Gold Cup takes place from 6-24 June in six venues across the USA.El Salvador and Guatemala advanced to the 2007 Gold Cup by reaching the semifinals of the Copa de Naciones Digicel 2007 de UNCAF after finishing first and second, respectively, in Group 1 this week that included Belize and Nicaragua.
The chapines will be making their eighth appearance at the Gold Cup in 2007 and seventh consecutive which is the record-best for a Central American nation, while the cuscatlecos are competing in their fifth CONCACAF tournament.
Panama and Costa Rica also advanced to the Gold Cup and the Central American semifinals by taking the top two places in Group 2 this week.
The canaleros will be playing in their third Gold Cup later this year, while the ticos will play in their eighth Gold Cup tournament; the joint highest number of all-time appearances (along with Guatemala) by a Central American team at the CONCACAF event.
Honduras claimed the final Central American berth to the 2007 CONCACAF Gold CupTM after defeating Nicaragua in the Copa de Naciones Digicel de UNCAF Fifth Place Playoff match on Thursday at the Cuscatlán Stadium.
The catrachos, who were the first Central American team to reach the Gold Cup Final in 1991, will be competing in their seventh CONCACAF tournament.
The Copa de Naciones Digicel 2007 de UNCAF continues its road to crowning the Central American champion on Friday at the Cuscatlán Stadium with semifinals that will see Panama take on Guatemala and hosts, El Salvador, playing Costa Rica.
The 2007 CONCACAF Gold CupTM
opens in Miami's Orange Bowl on 6 June with the
Final scheduled for Soldier Field,
Chicago, on 24 June.
The four other venues that will host Gold Cup games in 2007 are
Giants Stadium (near New York City) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, Home Depot Center (near Los Angeles) in Carson, California, Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, close to Boston, Massachusetts.CONCACAF will unveil the groups and complete calendar of the 2007 CONCACAF Gold CupTM in early March. (February 16, 2007)
GOLD CUP HISTORYYEAR CHAMPION RUNNER-UP VENUES
1991 USA Honduras Los Angeles, Pasadena (USA)
1993 Mexico USA Dallas (USA); Ciudad de México (México)
1996 Mexico Brazil Anaheim, San Diego, Los Angeles (USA)
1998 Mexico USA Oakland, Miami, Los Angeles (USA)
2000 Canada Colombia San Diego, Miami, Los Angeles (USA)
2002 USA Costa Rica Pasadena, Miami (USA)
2003 Mexico Brazil Foxboro, Miami (USA); Ciudad de México (México)
2005 USA Panama Carson, Foxboro, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, NY/NJ, Seattle (USA)
About CONCACAF
CONCACAF “The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football” is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 40 national associations, from Canada in the north to Surinam in the south.
About the CONCACAF Gold Cup™
The CONCACAF Gold Cup™ is CONCACAF’s showpiece event for men’s national teams as it crowns the regional champion. The USA won the inaugural competition in 1991, defeating Honduras before 40,000 fans at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in California. Mexico then won three consecutive titles, the third in 1998 before a crowd of 91,000 in Los Angeles, before Canada won its first major international honor in more than 100 years of football history in 2000. After the USA claimed the 2002 title, Mexico returned to the top of the Confederation with their fourth crown in 2003. The 2005 edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup™ was won by the USA.
About SUM
Founded in 2002 and headquartered in New York City, Soccer United Marketing (SUM) is the largest promoter of international soccer matches in the United States. SUM entered into a partnership in Fall 2004 with CONCACAF to design and execute operations, marketing and promotional plans for the 2005 & 2007 editions of the CONCACAF Gold Cup™.
