The USMNT will open its '17 CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament schedule on July 8 at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, followed by a July 12 game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Three days later, the USMNT will complete the Group B phase at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland. A total of 13 cities in the U.S. will host matches throughout the event (USSF).
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'17 CONCACAF GOLD CUP GROUP STAGE
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DATE
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SITE
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GROUP
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7/7
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Red Bull Arena (Harrison, N.J.)
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Group A
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7/8
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Nissan Stadium (Nashville)
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Group B
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7/9
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Qualcomm Stadium (San Diego)
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Group C
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7/11
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BBVA Compass Stadium (Houston)
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Group A
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7/12
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Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)
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Group B
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7/13
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Sports Authority Field (Denver)
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Group C
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7/14
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Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas)
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Group A
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7/15
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FirstEnergy Stadium (Cleveland)
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Group B
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7/16
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Alamodome (San Antonio)
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Group C
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'17 CONCACAF GOLD CUP KNOCKOUT ROUND VENUES (DATES TBD)
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Levi's Stadium (Santa Clara)
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AT&T Stadium (Arlington)
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Rose Bowl (Pasadena)
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Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia)
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Univ. of Phoenix Stadium (Glendale, Ariz.)
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KEEP A GOOD THING GOING: In Nashville, Joey Garrison notes the city is in the middle of a "hot streak for soccer, having hosted a string of recent international games that generated large crowds at Nissan Stadium." The most recent took place in October when 40,287 "attended a match between the Mexico national team and New Zealand." It marked the "second-largest crowd to watch a soccer match in Nashville, trailing only the 44,835 people who attended a U.S.-Guatemala game last year." Nashville had "coveted a Gold Cup match in previous years, but past bids to be a host city were turned down." Nashville is "one of four first-time cities that will host" '17 Gold Cup matches, with the others being Santa Clara, Cleveland and San Antonio (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 12/20). In Tampa, Christopher O'Donnell notes the Tampa Bay Sports Commission "worked for about six months on a bid." A crowd of almost 24,000 "watched the last game" the USMNT played at Raymond James Stadium, a 3-1 win over Antigua and Barbuda in a '12 World Cup qualifier (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 12/20).
READY FOR ROUND 2? CONCACAF said that it will "confirm the title game's host city next year." In Philadelphia, Jonathan Tannenwald noted there "will be speculation that the final could return" to the city. Philadelphia "did well" hosting it in '15, as Jamaica and Mexico sold out Lincoln Financial Field. But the "odds of a repeat are slim." CONCACAF has not "put consecutive Gold Cup finals in the same city" since L.A. Memorial Coliseum hosted the title game in '96, '98 and '00 (PHILLY.com, 12/19).
