The 2019 Concacaf Gold Cup begins on Saturday as Canada and Martinique kick off the action from the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. Minnesota will be will be well-represented in the tournament, with Kevin Molino playing for Trinidad and Tobago, and Allianz Field hosting the first round of games for the U.S. and Group D.
The championship for Concacaf– the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football – is entering new territory this year, with an expanded field and three host countries. A record 16 teams, up from the usual 12, will participate in 2019 and will be divided in to four, four-team groups. Costa Rica and Jamaica will join the United States in hosting a handful of games during the group stage, breaking from the tradition of one nation hosting every game. This is the first time since 2015 that a Gold Cup game will be played outside of the U.S.
Qualifying for the Gold Cup took a different route this cycle as well. The six teams that reached the final stage of 2018 World Cup qualifying (Mexico, Costa Rica, Panama, Honduras, United States, and Trinidad and Tobago) received automatic bids to the tournament. The other 10 spots were filled by the top 10 teams from qualifying for the new Concacaf Nations League.
Here’s how the teams were drawn for the group stage:
<img alt="Mexico" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/mexico.png" style="width: 25px; height: 14px;"> Mexico |
<img alt="Costa Rica" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Costa%20Rica.png" style="width: 25px;"> Costa Rica |
<img alt="Honduras" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Honduras.png" style="width: 25px; height: 13px;"> Honduras |
<img alt="United States" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/USA.png" style="width: 25px; height: 13px;"> United States |
<img alt="Canada" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Canada.png" style="width: 25px; height: 13px;"> Canada |
<img alt="Haiti" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/haiti.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> Haiti |
<img alt="Jamaica" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Jamaica.png" style="width: 25px; height: 13px;"> Jamaica |
<img alt="Panama" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/panama.png" style="width: 25px; height: 17px;"> Panama |
<img alt="Martinique" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Martinique.png" style="width: 25px; height: 17px;"> Martinique |
<img alt="Nicaragua" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Nicaragua.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> Nicaragua |
<img alt="El Salvador" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/El%20Salvador.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> El Salvador |
<img alt="Trinidad and Tobago" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/TnT.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> Trinidad & Tobago |
<img alt="Cuba" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Cuba.png" style="width: 25px; height: 13px;"> Cuba |
<img alt="Bermuda" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Bermuda.png" style="width: 25px; height: 13px;"> Bermuda |
<img alt="Curaçao" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Curacao.png" style="width: 25px; height: 17px;"> Curaçao |
<img alt="Guyana" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Guyana.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> Guyana |
The top two teams in each group will advance to the knockout rounds where the final eight teams will battle in a single elimination bracket. The final will be played on July 7 in Chicago.
MNUFC fans will be able to get a double-dose of Loons action on the first day of Group D play as Molino and the Soca Warriors play at Allianz Field on June 18. They will take on Panama, followed by USA vs Guyana. Both the United States and Trinidad and Tobago will be looking for redemption after disappointing World Cup qualifying runs last cycle. These will be the first competitive games for both countries since missing out on Russia 2018 and the start of a new chapter looking ahead to 2022.
Here’s how you can watch every game with Molino and the U.S.:
GROUP STAGE
June 18 |
<img alt="Trinidad and Tobago" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/TnT.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> Trinidad & Tobago |
<img alt="Panama" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/panama.png" style="width: 25px; height: 17px;"> Panama |
6:30 p.m. |
FS1 |
June 18 |
<img alt="United States" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/USA.png" style="width: 25px; height: 13px;"> USA |
<img alt="Guyana" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Guyana.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> Guyana |
9:00 p.m. |
FS1 |
June 22 |
<img alt="United States" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/USA.png" style="width: 25px; height: 13px;"> USA |
<img alt="Trinidad and Tobago" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/TnT.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> Trinidad & Tobago |
7:00 p.m. |
FS1 |
June 26 |
<img alt="Trinidad and Tobago" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/TnT.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> Trinidad & Tobago |
<img alt="Guyana" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/Guyana.png" style="width: 25px; height: 15px;"> Guyana |
5:30 p.m. |
FS1 |
June 26 |
<img alt="United States" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/USA.png" style="width: 25px; height: 13px;"> USA |
<img alt="Panama" src="https://minnesota-mp7static.mlsdigital.net/elfinderimages/2019/June/Gold%20Cup%20Flags/panama.png" style="width: 25px; height: 17px;"> Panama |
8:00 p.m. |
FS1 |
QUARTERFINALS
June 29 |
Group B Winner |
Group A Runner-Up |
6:00 p.m. |
FS1 |
June 29 |
Group A Winner |
Group B Runner-Up |
9:00 p.m. |
FS1 |
June 30 |
Group C Winner |
Group D Runner-Up |
4:30 p.m. |
FS1 |
June 30 |
Group D Winner |
Group C Runner-Up |
7:30 p.m. |
FS1 |
SEMIFINALS
July 2 |
QF1 Winner |
QF2 Winner |
9:30 p.m. |
FS1 |
July 3 |
QF3 Winner |
QF4 Winner |
8:30 p.m. |
FS1 |
FINAL
July 7 |
SF1 Winner |
SF2 Winner |
8:15 p.m. |
FS1 |
