Reliant Stadium will host the semifinals of the 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup on June 22, the confederation announced today. The Gold Cup will also debut in four American cities after Thursday's release of dates and venues for the 2011 edition of the regional championship.
Detroit, Charlotte, Tampa and Kansas City will all host Gold Cup matches for the first time, joining seven other US markets in one of the most expansive Gold Cup tournaments to date.
The event will represent the first international soccer in KC Soccer Stadium, the new home of Sporting Kansas City, which opens in 2011. Four NFL stadiums – New Meadowlands Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.), Ford Field (Detroit), Raymond James Stadium (Tampa), and Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte) will also welcome the Gold Cup for the first time.
Along with KC Soccer Stadium, Red Bull Arena, which opened in 2010, is another new MLS stadium that will see its first-ever Gold Cup action during the first round. The Home Depot Center and RFK Stadium take the total of MLS venues hosting 2011 Gold Cup matches to four.
The regional event, which awards a 2013 Confederations Cup berth to the winner, kicks off on June 5 at Cowboys Stadium and runs through the final on June 25 at the Rose Bowl. It will mark the second Gold Cup final hosted at the Rose Bowl after the 2002 championship, won 2-0 by the USA over Costa Rica.
GOLD CUP 2011 SCHEDULE
First Round
June 5 – Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, Texas)
June 6 – The Home Depot Center (Carson, Calif.)
June 7 – Ford Field (Detroit)
June 9 – Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte)
June 10 – FIU Stadium (Miami)
June 11 – Raymond James Stadium (Tampa)
June 12 – Soldier Field (Chicago)
June 13 – Red Bull Arena (Harrison, N.J.)
June 14 – KC Soccer Stadium (Kansas City, Kan.)
Quarterfinals
June 18 – New Meadowlands Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)
June 19 – Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (Washington)
Semifinals
June 22 – Reliant Stadium (Houston)
Final
June 25 – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
