Gold Cup History

Although it only dates back to 1991, the CONCACAF Gold Cup has quickly established itself as a top-flight international tournament. Originally staged as a biennial event held in July of odd-numbered years, the tournament was staged from 1996 to 2002 in even-numbered years in the winter. In 2003, the tournament returned to a summer schedule in odd-numbered years with the next Gold Cup now scheduled for the summer of 2011. Below is a quick synopsis of the nine Gold Cups played since its inception in 1991.

The U.S. surprised the region in 1991 when they swept their way to the inaugural Gold Cup championship. In the finals, the U.S. downed Honduras 4-3 in penalty kicks after the two teams went scoreless after 120 minutes of action in front of 39,873 fans at the L.A. Coliseum. It was in the semifinals, though, where the U.S. stunned all observers with a convincing 2-0 victory over Mexico behind goals from John Doyle and Peter Vermes.

In group play, Marcelo Balboa’s stunning bicycle-kick goal capped off a last-minute comeback for the U.S. in their 2-1 victory against Trinidad & Tobago in the opening Gold Cup match. That victory was followed by wins against Guatemala (3-0) and Costa Rica (3-2), which set-up the U.S. heroics against Mexico.

Mexico was forced into the match-up with the U.S. when they lost their group to Honduras on goal differential. Honduras would later advance to the finals with a 2-0 semifinal victory over Costa Rica, which set-up a 2-0 victory for Mexico against the Ticos in the third place match.

U.S. Results: 1st CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
6/29/91	Trinidad & Tobago	2-1 W	Balboa, Murray	Pasadena, Calif.	18,435
7/1/91	Guatemala	3-0 W	Murray, Quinn, Wynalda	Pasadena, Calif.	6,344
7/3/91	Costa Rica	3-2 W	Perez, Vermes, own goal	Los Angeles, Calif.	36,703
7/5/91	Mexico (s)	2-0 W	Doyle, Vermes	Los Angeles, Calif.	41,103
7/7/91	Honduras (f)	0-0 T (4-3 pk)	--	Los Angeles, Calif.	39,873

Champion: USA
Runner-up: Honduras
USA finish: 1st place
Venues: Los Angeles and Pasadena, Calif., USA

The second Gold Cup tournament wasn’t quite as successful for the U.S., but the team still advanced to the finals where they fell to Mexico, 4-0, at Azteca Stadium. Following three single-goal victories in the first round over Jamaica (1-0), Panama (2-1) and Honduras (1-0), the U.S. squared off against Costa Rica in the semifinals in Dallas. In that match, the U.S. extended their unbeaten Gold Cup run to nine-games with a 103rd minute golden goal from defender Cle Kooiman.

Meanwhile in Mexico City, where the Mexican team would play all their matches, the Tricolores were racing into the finals. Led by Luis Robert Alves (better known as Zague), the ruthlessly efficient Mexican attack produced 28 goals in five matches, overwhelming group foes Martinique (9-0) and Canada (8-0), while drawing with Costa Rica (1-1). Zague’s seven goals against Martinique is, obviously, a Gold Cup record.

In front of a capacity crowd of 120,000, Zague scored again in the final as Mexico downed the U.S. 4-0. Zague finished the tournament with 12 goals in five matches, another Gold Cup record. Third place honors were split after a 1-1 draw between Costa Rica and Jamaica.

U.S. Results: 2nd CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
7/10/93	Jamaica	1-0 W	Wynalda	Dallas, Texas	11,642
7/14/93	Panama	2-1 W	Dooley, Wynalda	Dallas, Texas	13,771
7/17/93	Honduras	1-0 W	Lalas	Dallas, Texas	18,107
7/21/93	Costa Rica (s)	1-0 W (ot)	Kooiman	Dallas, Texas	14,826
7/25/93	Mexico (f)	0-4 L	--	Mexico City, Mexico	120,000

Champion: Mexico
Runner-up: USA
USA finish: 2nd place
Venues: Dallas, Texas, USA; and Mexico City, Mexico

With Brazil competing in the tournament for the first time via a special invitation, most eyes centered on the defending World Champions. But an impressive 2-0 victory by Mexico on a muddy, wet pitch in front of 88,155 rain-soaked fans handed Mexico their second straight Gold Cup victory. With goals from Luis Garcia and Cuauhtemoc Blanco, the Mexicans were able to stymie the Brazilian attack with help from muddy conditions. Nevertheless, the Brazilians impressed throughout the tournament with a young squad using the experience to prepare for the 1996 Summer Olympic Games.

For the U.S., the tournament wasn’t as disappointing as their third place finish would seem. Only a third consecutive 1-0 defeat at the hands of Brazil kept the U.S. out of the finals after the team easily handled the rest of their opposition, including an impressive 3-0 victory over Guatemala in the third place match. That match featured Eric Wynalda’s tournament-leading fourth goal, which was the 22nd of his international career, setting a new USA goal standard.

The MVP of the tournament, though, was probably former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. The Nobel Peace Prize winner and lifelong soccer fan helped secure visas for scores of visiting players despite a U.S. government shutdown.

U.S. Results: 3rd CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
1/13/96	Trinidad & Tobago	3-2 W	Moore, Wynalda (2)	Anaheim, Calif.	11,642
1/16/96	El Salvador	2-0 W	Balboa, Wynalda	Anaheim, Calif.	52,355
1/18/96	Brazil (s)	0-1 L	-	Los Angeles, Calif.	22,038
1/21/96	Guatemala (f)	3-0 W	Agoos, Kirovski, Wynalda	Los Angeles, Calif.	88,000

Champion: Mexico
Runner-up: Brazil
USA Finish: 3rd place
Venues: Anaheim, San Diego and Los Angeles, Calif., USA

The 1998 Gold Cup was the most successful yet for CONCACAF, despite bad weather, postponed games and an historic USA-Brazil clash which was played with less than 24 hours notice for both teams.

Preki Radosavljevic was the story for the U.S. on the offensive end, scoring a brilliant late goal against Costa Rica to send the U.S. through to the semifinals. That goal would have been enough to lift Radosavjlevic into U.S. prominence, but he did it one better in the U.S.A.’s next match, an historic 1-0 triumph against Brazil courtesy of a 22-yard bomb from Preki in the 65th minute.

Of course, Preki’s goal was only half the story, as goalkeeper Kasey Keller replaced Brad Friedel in the nets (who started the USA’s first two matches) and stymied Romario and Brazil with a 10-save performance, widely considered to be the best in U.S. Soccer history. On the strength of that game alone, and a 1-0 loss to Mexico in the finals not withstanding, Keller was voted the MVP of the tournament for just two games’ work.

In the final, Mexican World Cup hero Luis Hernandez scored in the closing minutes of the first half to give the Tri-Colores a 1-0 victory over the U.S. National Team and the 1998 Gold Cup crown in front of a soldout crowd of 91,255 fans at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The crowd was the fourth largest to watch the U.S. National Team domestically, and could have included an additional 6,941 paid spectators who watched the game on a giant television screen inside the Los Angeles Sports Arena, adjacent to the Coliseum.

U.S. Results: 4th CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
2/1/98	Cuba	3-0 W	Wegerle, Wynalda, Moore	Oakland, Calif.	11,234
2/7/98	Costa Rica	2-1 W	Pope, Radosavljevic	Oakland, Calif.	36,240
2/10/98	Brazil (s)	1-0 W	Radosavljevic	Los Angeles, Calif.	12,298
2/15/98	Mexico (f)	0-1 L	-	Los Angeles, Calif.	91,255

Champion: Mexico
Runner-up: United States
USA Finish: 2nd place
Venues: Miami, Fla., Oakland and Los Angeles, Calif., USA

The first Gold Cup of the new millennium featured nine teams from the CONCACAF and three invited squads (Colombia, Peru and Korea Republic). The 2000 edition also had several surprises, with a new champion being crowned (Canada) and both Mexico and the United States not reaching the semifinal round, a first for the two regional rivals.

The Americans cruised through the first round by capturing the Group B title with back-to-back shutouts over Haiti (3-0) and Peru (1-0). Cobi Jones led the offense for the USA by notching a goal in the win over Haiti and the game-winner against Peru. In the quarterfinals, though, the U.S. faltered. After battling Colombia to a 2-2 draw through regulation and two overtime periods, the U.S. were defeated in penalty kicks 2-1 and were eliminated from the competition.

Colombia would go on to meet Canada in the 2000 finals. The Canadians had surprisingly advanced out of their first round group by winning a coin-flip tiebreaker over Korea Republic after the two teams had finished dead-even on results and goals. After eliminating three-time defending champion Mexico, 2-1, in overtime in the quarterfinals and then topping Trinidad & Tobago, 1-0, in the semifinals, Canada would pull off yet another shocker, being crowned 2000 Gold Cup champions after blanking Colombia 2-0 in the finals.

U.S. Results: 5th CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
2/12/00	Haiti	3-0 W	Kirovski, Wynalda, Jones	Miami, Fla.	49,513
2/16/00	Peru	1-0 W	Jones	Miami, Fla.	36,004
2/19/00	Colombia (q)	2-2 T (1-2 pk)	McBride, Armas	Miami, Fla.	32,972

Champion: Canada
Runner-up: Colombia
USA Finish: 5th place
Venues: Miami, Fla., San Diego and Los Angeles, Calif., USA

The 2002 Gold Cup once again featured two invited teams (Ecuador and Korea Republic) along with 10 CONCACAF teams. In spectacular fashion, the U.S. won their first title since 1991 by posting a 4-0-1 record with four shutouts on their way to their 2002 Gold Cup crown.

The United States opened the tournament with consecutive wins in the first round against the Korea Republic (2-1) and Cuba (1-0). After easily blanking El Salvador 4-0 in the quarterfinals, the semifinals saw the U.S. defeat the defending champion Canada 4-2 on penalty kicks after both teams battled to a scoreless draw.

The 2002 final had the USA topping CONCACAF rival Costa Rica 2-0 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. Forward Brian McBride was named the tournament MVP after leading the Americans with four tallies.

U.S. Results: 6th CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
1/19/02	Korea Republic	2-1 W	Donovan, Beasley	Pasadena, Calif.	42,117
1/21/02	Cuba	1-0 W	McBride	Pasadena, Calif.	31,244
1/27/02	El Salvador (q)	4-0 W	McBride (3), Razov	Pasadena, Calif.	31,628
1/30/02	Canada (s)	0-0 T (4-2 pk)	–	Pasadena, Calif.	7,241
2/2/02	Costa Rica (f)	2-0 W	Wolff, Agoos	Pasadena, Calif.	14,432

Champion: USA
Runner-up: Costa Rica
USA Finish: 1st place
Venues: Miami, Fla., Pasadena, Calif., USA

The 2003 Gold Cup was the first in 10 years to be played in two countries, with games in both Mexico and the United States. Mexico twice defeated Brazil, who along with Colombia was an invited guest to the tournament, by one goal in Azteca Stadium, including a golden-goal victory in the final. The U.S. finished in the top three for the sixth time in seven tournaments with a thrilling 3-2 come from behind victory against Costa Rica in the Orange Bowl.

The U.S. continued its win streak in group play of the Gold Cup, making easy work of El Salvador and Martinique by identical 2-0 margins. Brian McBride continued his Midas-touch scoring in the tournament with three of the first four U.S. goals. The victories extended the USA’s standing as the only CONCACAF team to win every one of its first round games since the inception of the tournament in 1991. The U.S. has won 16 consecutive first round games and has outscored their opponents 33-8. The winning streak includes 10 shutouts, nine one-goal victories and four come-from-behind wins.

U.S. Results: 7th CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
7/12/03	El Salvador	2-0 W	Lewis, McBride	Foxborough, Mass.	33,652
7/14/03	Martinique	2-0 W	McBride (2)	Foxborough, Mass.	8,780
7/19/03	Cuba (q)	5-0 W	Donovan (4), Ralston	Foxborough, Mass.	15,627
7/23/03	Brazil (s)	1-2 L	Bocanegra	Miami, Fla.	35,211
7/26/03	Costa Rica (3)	3-2 W	Stewart, Bocanegra, Convey	Miami, Fla.	5,093

Champion: Mexico
Runner-up: Brazil
USA Finish: 3rd place
Venues: Foxborough, Mass., Miami, Fla. & Mexico City, Mexico

The 2005 Gold Cup was played in a record-high seven different venues in the United States, and was noteworthy as the United States became the first team in the tournament’s history to advance to five overall finals. The USA would go on to win their third title, and second in three tournaments since 2002.

The USA’s victory would not come easy, though, as the team needed a penalty kick shootout to down Panama in the tournament’s scoreless championship game at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. To get to the final, the U.S. needed two goals in the game’s final moments to overcome a 1-0 deficit to Honduras and win 2-1.

In the 2005 tournament, the U.S. extended their amazing undefeated history in first round play at the Gold Cup with two more wins and a draw. The USA has never lost one of their 19 opening round matches in eight all-time Gold Cups.

U.S. Results: 8th CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
7/7/05	Cuba	4-1 W	Donovan (2), Beasley, Dempsey	Seattle, Wash.	15,831
7/9/05	Canada	2-0 W	Donovan, own goal	Seattle, Wash.	15,109
7/12/05	Costa Rica	0-0 T	-	Foxborough, Mass.	15,211
7/16/05	Jamaica (q)	3-1 W	Beasley (2), Wolff	Foxborough, Mass.	22,108
7/21/05	Honduras (s)	2-1 W	O’Brien, Onyewu	East Rutherford, N.J.	41,721
7/24/05	Panama (f)	0-0 T (3-1 pk)	-	East Rutherford, N.J.	31,018

Champion: USA
Runner-up: Panama
USA Finish: 1st Place
Venues: Carson, Calif., East Rutherford, N.J., Foxborough, Mass., Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, Calif., Miami, Fla., Seattle, Wash., USA

The 2007 edition of the Gold Cup was played with the added incentive of admission to the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup for the winner. The United States successfully defended its title, its fourth all-time and third in the last four tournaments.

Though the U.S. coasted through the group stage, taking maximum points while not allowing a goal and in the process extending its unbeaten record in the opening round, they ran into some tough opposition in the knockout stage. After defeating Panama 2-1 in the quarterfinals, the U.S. came up against a stingy Canadian side in the semifinals, and ended up holding on for a 2-1 victory to set up a U.S./Mexico marquee match up in the final.

Played at Soldier Field for the first time, the championship game pitted the two CONCACAF powers against one another in what would prove to be a gritty affair. In front of 60,000 people, the U.S. came from behind for the first time in the 2007 tournament to eventually defeat Mexico 2-1 for its second consecutive Gold Cup title.

U.S. Results: 9th CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
6/7/07	Guatemala	1-0 W	Dempsey	Carson, Calif.	21,334
6/9/07	Trinidad & Tobago	2-0 W	Ching, Johnson	Carson, Calif.	27,000
6/12/07	El Salvador	4-0 W	Beasley (2), Donovan, Twellman	Foxborough, Mass.	26,523
6/16/07	Panama (q)	2-1 W	Donovan, Bocanegra	Foxborough, Mass.	22,108
6/21/07	Canada (s)	2-1 W	Hejduk, Donovan	Chicago, Ill.	50,760
6/24/07	Mexico (f)	2-1 W	Donovan, Feilhaber	Chicago, Ill.	60,000

Champion: USA
Runner-up: Mexico
USA Finish: 1st Place
Venues: Carson, Calif., East Rutherford, N.J., Foxborough, Mass., Houston, Texas, Los Angeles, Calif., Miami, Fla., USA

Held in a record 12 venues across the U.S., the 2009 CONCACAF Gold Cup made a national footprint during the 2009 ‘Summer of Soccer’ in the U.S. The U.S. team, however, faced the disappointment of not winning a third-consecutive title, but did have the satisfaction of returning to a third-straight final with a largely unproven roster.

The CONCACAF Gold Cup kicked off just six days after the U.S. played the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup Final, and Bob Bradley selected an inexperienced squad that saw seven players earn their first cap during the event. The U.S. continued its unbeaten record in group play, and in the knockout stage got past Panama and Honduras

By the time the U.S. met Mexico in the final, a record 10 different players had scored the U.S. teams’ 12 goals in the tournament. In the second-straight Gold Cup title game against Mexico, the U.S. returned only Brian Ching to the starting lineup from the 2007 squad. The teams were evenly matched for a half, but eventually Mexico prevailed by opening the flood gates with five second-half goals for a 5-0 win.

U.S. Results: 10th CONCACAF Gold Cup
Date	Opponent	Result	U.S. Goal Scorers	Location	Attendance
7/4/09	Grenada	4-0 W	Adu, Holden, Rogers, Davies	Seattle, Wash.	15,387
7/8/09	Honduras	2-0 W	Quaranta, Ching	Washington, D.C.	26,079
7/11/09	Haiti	2-2 T	Arnaud, Holden	Foxborough, Mass.	24,137
7/18/09	Panama (q)	2-1 W (ot)	Beckerman, Cooper	Philadelphia, Pa.	31,087
7/23/09	Honduras (s)	2-0 W	Goodson, Cooper	Chicago, Ill.	55,173
7/26/09	Mexico (f)	0-5 L	-	East Rutherford, N.J.	79,156

Champion: Mexico
Runner-up: USA
USA Finish: 2nd Place
Venues: Arlington, Texas; Carson, Calif.; Chicago, Ill.; Columbus, Ohio, East Rutherford, N.J.; Foxborough, Mass.; Glendale, Ariz.; Houston, Texas; Miami, Fla.; Oakland, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; Washington, D.C. (USA)