Atlanta will host two quarterfinal games in the Gold Cup international soccer tournament this summer.The games will be July 20 at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
This marks the first time the city has hosted games in the tournament, which features teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
There is a possibility, albeit not strong, that Atlanta could host Mexico and the United States. Mexico, No. 15 in the FIFA’s world rankings is in Group A. The U.S., No. 32 in the world, is in Group C.
The Georgia Dome will host the second-place teams in Groups A and B in the first semifinal at 3 p.m. The second semifinal will feature the first-place team in Group A (Mexico’s group) against the third-place team from either Group B or C (the U.S. group) at 6 p.m.
“We are excited about this summer’s Gold Cup,” U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said in a statement given to the media. “The tournament improves every cycle and the level gets better and better. As the host, we get to play in different venues across the country, which is great for our fans. At the end of the day, we want to do well and make sure people understand that we want to be dominant in our region. Our goal is to win the competition.”
The other quarterfinal games, featuring the top two teams in the U.S. group, will be in Baltimore.
The U.S., which has won the Gold Cup four times, will open Group C against Belize on July 9 in Portland. The U.S. will follow with a game against Cuba on July 13 in Salt Lake City and will then play Costa Rica on July 16 in Hartford, Conn.
The finals will be held July 28 at Chicago’s Soldier Field.
The Gold Cup will start July 7 with games between Canada and Martinique followed by defending champ Mexico vs. Panama. Mexico will also play Canada (July 11 in Seattle) and Martinique (July 14 in Denver).
Group B will include El Salvador, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti and Honduras.
Natural grass will be installed at the Dome for the games. That was also done when the Dome hosted Mexico for exhibition games against Venezuela in 2009 and Bosnia-Herzegovina 2011. Both games featured crowds of at least 50,000.
The Dome also hosted a friendly match between A.C. Milan and Club America in 2009, and Club America and Manchester City in 2010.
Other host cities and venues for the Gold Cup are: Denver (Mile High), Houston (BBVA Compass Stadium), Miami (Sun Life Stadium), New York (Red Bull Arena), and Seattle (CenturyLink Field). Dallas will host the semifinals on July 24.
Tickets will go on sale March 21 at 10 a.m. at www.GoldCup.org. Some pre-sales will start in host cities on Thursday.
Schedule
Group A: Canada, Martinique, Mexico, Panama
July 7, Pasadena, Calif.: Canada vs. Martinique (5:30 p.m.), Mexico vs. Panama (8 p.m.)
July 11, Seattle: Panama vs. Martinique (8:30 p.m., Mexico vs. Canada (11 p.m.)
July 14, Denver: Martinique vs. Mexico (4 p.m.), Panama vs. Canada (6:30 p.m.)
Group B: El Salvador, Haiti, Honduras, Trinidad and Tobago
July 8, New York: El Salvador vs. Trinidad and Tobago (7 p.m.), Haiti vs. Honduras (9:30 p.m.)
July 12, Miami: Trinidad and Tobago vs. Haiti (7 p.m.), Honduras vs. El Salvador (9:30 p.m.).
July 15, Houston: El Salvador vs. Haiti (7 p.m.), Honduras vs. Trinidad and Tobago (9:30 p.m.)
Group C: Belize, Costa Rica, Cuba, U.S.
July 9, Portland, Ore.: Costa Rica vs. Cuba (8:30 p.m.), Belize vs. U.S. (11 p.m.)
July 13, Salt Lake City, Utah: U.S. vs. Cuba (3:30 p.m.), Costa Rica vs. Belize (6 p.m.)
July 16, Hartford, Conn: Cuba vs. Belize (5:30 p.m.), U.S. vs. Costa Rica (8 p.m.).
Quarterfinals
July 20, Georgia Dome
Group A second place vs. Group B second place (Game 1)
Group A first place vs. Group B or C third place (Game 2)
July 21, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore
Group B first place vs. Group C second place (Game 3)
Group C first place vs. Group A or B third place (Game 4)
Semifinals
July 24, Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas
Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Championship match
July 28, Soldier Field in Chicago
(Schedule provided by www.gold.cup.org.page.splash) Times may change.
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