Gold Cup Soccer - United States vs. Honduras ( July 8th )

Gold Cup action will resume July 8 with a CONCACAF matchup in Group B between the United States and Honduras at Robert F Kennedy Memorial Stadium in Washington, DC. Gold Cup tournament action will be hosted by the United States, who has become a CONCACAF soccer power and is the defending champion of the Gold Cup.

The United States won their 2009 Gold Cup opener at Qwest Field in Seattle with a 4-0 win over Grenada.  Honduras also won its CONCACAF opener with a 1-0 win over Haiti.  The United States received an automatic Gold Cup bid in the North American zone while Honduras qualified in the Central American zone through the UNCAF Nations Cup of 2009.

The Gold Cup will be organized into three groups.  Group A is comprised of El Salvador, Canada, Costa Rica, and Jamaica.  In the opening round of Gold Cup action Canada defeated Jamaica 1-0 and El Salvador defeated Costa Rica 1-2. The Group B Gold Cup group is comprised of the United States, Honduras, Haiti, and Grenada.  The United States is the favorite to take this Gold Cup group.

The Group C Gold Cup group is comprised of Guadeloupe, Mexico, Nicaragua, and Panama.  The Final championship game of the Gold Cup will be played on July 26 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

This international soccer event brings together the nations of North and Central America along with the Caribbean and dates back to 1941.  At times this tournament has served as a qualifier for the World Cup.  The United States and Mexico each have four titles and Canada has one. The United States won the championship in 2007, 2005, 2002, and 1991.  In its Gold Cup history the Americans have won 34 out of 43 matches while outscoring opponents 81-26.

Honduras was a finalist in 1991 for its best finish in the event.  Honduras is considered a rising team for this event and in 2007 they reached the quarterfinals before being defeated by Guadeloupe. While the United States is the favorite they are using the tournament as an audition for many inexperienced players which may leave them vulnerable to an upset.