CONCACAF unveils Gold Cup groups

Canada will open the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup against Jamaica this 3 July at the Home Depot Center. Canada was drawn into Group A along with Jamaica, Costa Rica and El Salvador. The quartet will play in Los Angeles, CA on 3 July, Columbus, OH on 7 July, and Miami, FL on 10 July.



Canada faces Jamaica on 3 July at The Home Depot Center in Los Angeles. The match kicks off at 17.00 local (20.00 ET). The group then travels to Columbus where Canada will face El Salvador at the Crew Stadium on 7 July (19.00 ET kickoff). The final match is three days later on 10 July at the Florida International University Stadium in Miami. Canada faces Costa Rica in the early match at 19.00 ET while the other two teams (El Salvador and Jamaica) close out the group at 22.00 ET.



Group B features USA, Honduras, Haiti and Grenada while Group C features Mexico, Panama, Guadeloupe and Nicaragua.



Eight of the 12 teams will advance to the quarter-final stage scheduled for 18-19 July in Philadelphia, PA and Dallas, TX. The Group A winner faces the Group B runner-up (18 July in Philadelphia) while the Group A runner-up faces the Group C runner-up (19 July in Dallas). Depending on the overall standings from the group stage, the Group A third-place team may advance to play either the Group B or Group C winner (either 18 or 19 July).



The top four teams then advance to the semi-final stage on 23 July in Chicago, IL. The two winners then advance to the final on 26 July in New York, NY.



This will be the 10th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Two years ago in 2007, Canada reached the semi-final stage before falling to USA. Seven years earlier in 2000, Canada won the CONCACAF Gold Cup after a 2:0 victory over Colombia.