The United Bid Committee, the organizers of the joint 2026 World Cup bid from the United States, Canada and Mexico, announced the 49 stadiums and 44 cities across the three countries that are currently being considered for the event. With 20-25 venues anticipated in the final decision, there’s certainly a lot for the committee to consider before submitting their final bid by March 16, 2018.
As Jamaican Kemar Lawrence’s sweetly-struck free kick sailed into the back of the net in the semifinals of the Gold Cup on Sunday night, millions of soccer fans across America reacted viscerally. Some cheered for the wonderful goal. Some laughed as Mexico was knocked out of the Gold Cup. Some groaned over the loss of a Mexico-U.S. final. And many more shouted out in distress as their favorite soccer team suffered an ignominious defeat.
After Mexico was upset by Jamaica in the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals, Manager Juan Carlos Osorio was met at the airport in Mexico City by angry fans who shouted for Osorio to "go back to his country" (Colombia). Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, the Mexico National Team's all-time leading scorer, defended his coach on Twitter.
26-year-old Jamaica goalkeeper Andre Blake had himself a night, Kemar Lawrence struck a sweet free kick in the 88th minute and the Reggae Boyz upset Mexico in the Gold Cup semifinals Sunday night, setting up a meeting with the United States in the final on Wednesday.
The opening 45 minutes saw Mexico in control. Jamaica were proactive in their approach, but El Tri carved out a couple of clear opportunities only to be denied by the outstanding Blake. In the 12th minute, the Philadelphia Union keeper denied Mexico with a fantastic double save.
Mexico defeated Honduras 1-0 to advance to the Gold Cup semifinals behind an early goal from Rodolfo Pizarro, and they’ll now play Jamaica in a rematch of the 2015 final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Ann Coulter can add another thing to be angry about: the Mexican national soccer team.
The CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal match-ups are set. Only eight teams remain. Let's check them out:
July 19: Costa Rica vs. Panama
Time: 6:00 p.m. EST
Location: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
TV: FOX Sports 1, Univision
Match-up: Costa Rica finished first in Group A, and Panama finished second in Group B. Costa Rica thrives on an organized defense and the creativity of Benfica midfielder Bryan Ruiz on offense. Panama's top players include Porto forward Ismail Diaz and NYCFC midfielder Miguel Camargo.
Mexico managed to top Group C at the CONCACAF Gold Cup with a 2-0 victory over Curacao and a 1-1 draw between Jamaica and El Salvador.
Mexico didn't have it easy, though. Jesus Corona was called into action early, and made a fine save to prevent Curacao from going ahead.
Did that game even exist? Do I even exist?
Gary Lineker once said soccer is a simple game, 22 men chase a ball around the field and in the end the Germans win.
The Germans weren't at the CONCACAF Gold Cup match between Mexico and Jamaica, so in the end nobody won. Instead, 22 men chased a ball around a field and really that was it. Not much happened. Cubo Torres banged a header off the post and many players from both sides fell down holding their faces. And that was it.
The United States has hosted the last seven CONCACAF Gold Cups, which you'd believe would provide the USMNT with a significant home field advantage. However, attendance figures make it clear that Mexico has the most loyal support in the States.
In the six Gold Cups dating back to 2005 (not including this year's tournament), Mexico has always drawn more fans to its matches than the USMNT. Although Mexico doesn't play as often in the U.S. as the USMNT, the differences are significant and suggest that El Tri has more dedicated fans in their rival's home turf.