| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Karl |
Posted - Apr 28 2003 : 4:18:56 PM
2003 Gold Cup Groups and Schedules Finalized
28.04.03 - After Honduras and Martinique claimed the final two berths at the Interzone Playoffs over the weekend, CONCACAF finalized today the 2003 Gold Cup Group pairings and match schedules.
The 12-team event will have 10 CONCACAF teams and two invited squads from CONMEBOL (Brazil, Colombia) competing from 12-27 July in three cities – Foxboro, Massachusetts and Miami, Florida USA, as well as Mexico City.
The 2003 competition will have the three previous champions from the six prior Gold Cup tournaments – Canada (2000), Mexico (1993, 1996-1998) and the USA (1991, 2002) – along with the Central Zone qualifiers Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and the Caribbean representatives Jamaica and Cuba.
Interzone Playoff winner Honduras will play its Gold Cup opening round matches at the Estadio Azteca in Group A that includes five-time FIFA world champion Brazil and host Mexico.
Martinique, who finished second to the catrachos in the playoffs, has been placed in Group B at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, along with El Salvador and USA. Group D, also in Foxboro, has Canada, Costa Rica and Cuba.
Group B, to be played at Miami’s Orange Bowl, has Guatemala, Jamaica and the 2001 Copa America champion Colombia.
Matches in Groups A and B will be played on 13, 15 and 17 July, while Groups C and D will play on 12, 14 and 16 July. The opening day of the Gold Cup, 12 July at Gillette Stadium, is sure to be tremendous day for soccer fans in the USA, as two Gold Cup matches surround a Major League Soccer match between the host New England Revolution and NY/NJ MetroStars for an exciting tripleheader.
Quarterfinals 1 and 2 will be played in Foxboro on 19 July, while Quarterfinal 3 will be played in Mexico City and Quarterfinal 4 in Miami, both 20 July. As host nations, Mexico and the USA will automatically placed into Quarter 1 and 3 respectively, should they qualify.
Quarterfinal 1 will match the winner of Group C against the second-place team from Group D, while Quarterfinal 2 will pair the Group D winner against the second-place finisher in Group C – unless the USA finish second in Group C, in which case they will face the Group B winner, with the reverse pairing to follow in Foxboro.
The same case will apply in Mexico City: Quarterfinal 3 will match the Group A winner against the second-place team from Group B, unless Mexico finish second in Group A, in which they will play in that quarterfinal against Group B winner. Quarterfinal 4 will be the remaining crossover pairing from Groups A and B at the Orange Bowl in Miami.
Semifinal 1, which will match the winner of Quarterfinal 1 against the winner of Quarterfinal 4, will be played 23 July in Miami. Semifinal 2, pairing the winners of Quarterfinals 2 and 3, will be held the following evening in Mexico City. The third-place match is set for 26 July at the Orange Bowl, with the final on Sunday afternoon 27 July at Estadio Azteca.
2003 Gold Cup Tickets Available in Foxboro; Miami seats go on sale this week
Tickets for the Foxboro venue are available through the offices of the New England Revolution, by calling +1-508/543-5001, while tickets for the matches at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, where Groups B will play, will go on sale this Friday (2 May).
Tickets prices for the 12 July and 19 July dates in Foxboro are $70, $45 and $35, with groups 20 or more receiving a substantial discount ($45, $35 and $30). For the maximum savings, groups of 100 or more can purchase tickets for $35, $25 and $20. Seat prices for the matches on 14 and 16 July are $45, $35, $25, with prices for groups of 20 or more set at $35, $25 and $20, and groups of 100 or more receiving the maximum savings, with tickets available for $25, $20 and $15.
The Orange Bowl tickets will be available through TicketMaster in Florida, by calling +1-305/358-5885, +1-954/523-3309, or +1-561/966-3309. Six match dates in all will be held in Miami: three first-round matches (13, 15, 17 July), a quarterfinal on 20 July, a semifinal (23 July) and the third-place match on 26 July.
Prices for six match dates begin with reserved seating at $35 for the opening round group games and $40 from the second round match (quarterfinals to third-place match). Advance tickets are $20 for the first round and $25 from the quarters, while youth prices are $10 and children under the age of seven are admitted free.
Information on Gold Cup tickets for matches in Estadio Azteca, which will host the final of the 2003 Gold Cup, as well as first-round matches, and a quarterfinal and semifinal, will be made available at a later date.
GROUP PAIRINGS
Group A (Mexico City): MEXICO, BRAZIL, HONDURAS
Group B (Miami): COLOMBIA, GUATEMALA, JAMAICA
Group C (Foxboro): USA, EL SALVADOR, MARTINIQUE
Group D (Foxboro): COSTA RICA, CANADA, CUBA
MATCH SCHEDULE
DATE/FECHA (SITE/SEDE): MATCH/PARTIDO (TIME)
12.07.2003 (Foxboro): D1: COSTA RICA v D2: CANADA (13:00); C1: USA v C2: EL SALVADOR (18:30)
13.07.2003 (Mexico City): A1: MEXICO v A2: BRAZIL (12:00); (Miami): B3: JAMAICA v B1: COLOMBIA (15:00)
14.07.2003 (Foxboro): D2: CANADA v D3: CUBA (18:30); C3: MARTINIQUE v C1: USA (20:30)
15.07.2003 (Miami): B2: GUATEMALA v B3: JAMAICA (19:00); (Mexico City): A2: BRAZIL v A3: HONDURAS (20:00)
16.07.2003 (Foxboro): D3: CUBA v D1: COSTA RICA (18:30); D3: C2: EL SALVADOR v C3: MARTINIQUE (20:30)
17.07.2003 (Miami): B1: COLOMBIA v B2: GUATEMALA (20:00) (Mexico City): A3: HONDURAS v A1: MEXICO (21:00)
19.07.2003 (Foxboro): QF1: WINNER GRP C v 2nd GRP D** (15:00); QF2: WINNER GRP D v 2nd GRP C** (18:00)
20.07.2003 (Mexico City): QF3: WINNER GRP A v 2nd GRP B** (12:00); (Miami): QF4: WINNER GRP B v 2nd GRP A** (16:00)
23.07.2003 (Miami): SF1: WINNER QF1 v WINNER QF4 (20:00)
24.07.2003 (Mexico City): SF2: WINNER QF2 v WINNER QF3 (21:00)
26.07.2003 (Miami): THIRD-PLACE MATCH (semifinal losers) (20:00)
27.07.2003 (Mexico City): FINAL (semifinal winners) (12:00)
ALL TIMES LOCAL TO VENUE
** -- as host countries, should Mexico and USA qualify for the quarterfinals, they will play in Quarterfinals 1 and 3 respectively regardless of whether they finish first or second in their groups. The pairings remain the same, to be repositioned as necessary.
Copyright © 1999-2001 CONCACAF. All Rights Reserved. |
| 1 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Karl |
Posted - Jul 10 2003 : 2:09:58 PM
CONCACAF Gold Cup
When: Saturday through July 27.
Where: Foxboro, Mass.; Miami; Mexico City. The final is July 27 at Mexico City's Estadio Azteca.
What: The championship for men's national teams in CONCACAF region, which encompasses North America, Central America and Caribbean.
Who: 12 teams, 10 from CONCACAF, plus guest entrants Brazil and Colombia.
Past champions: Canada (2000), Mexico (1993, '96, '98), United States (1991).
Format: The 12 teams are divided into four first-round groups. The top two teams from each advance to single-elimination quarterfinals.
The groups: Group A: Mexico, Brazil, Honduras. Group B: Colombia, Guatemala, Jamaica. Group C: United States, El Salvador, Martinique. Group D: Costa Rica, Canada, Cuba.
The favorite: Take your pick. At least half the field has a legitimate chance at winning. The United States and Mexico are hosts but haven't played well recently. Costa Rica and El Salvador are playing well. Canada is the reigning champion. Brazil's youngsters are supremely talented. And Colombia finished fourth at the recent FIFA Confederations Cup, giving eventual champion France probably its toughest game.
TV: None on English-language networks. Spanish-language Univision will carry five games live – Canada-Costa Rica (Saturday, 10 a.m.), Mexico-Brazil (10 a.m. Sunday), two quarterfinals and the final. You can see other matches if you have Galavision, a premium cable channel not available in all areas, or by using rabbit ears to tune into Mexican stations in Tijuana.
|
|
|
