Soccer fans in the US are barely halfway through the 2010 edition of the Summer of Soccer. But they can already mark their calendar for a can’t-miss event of next 2011.
CONCACAF announced on Wednesday that the final of the 2011 Gold Cup will be staged for the second time in tournament history at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Saturday, June 25, 2011.
The winner crowned on that day will also participate in the 2013 Confederations Cup in Brazil.
American fans have fond memories of the Rose Bowl after the USA hoisted the Gold Cup there in 2002 with a 2-0 win over Costa Rica. The US National Team will be seeking to advance to their fifth Gold Cup final in the last six editions.
The 90,000-seat Rose Bowl is a historical soccer venue in this country: It is the only facility in the world to have hosted the finals of the World Cup (1994), Women's World Cup (1999) and men's Olympic tournament (1984).
The venues that have hosted the CONCACAF Gold Cup final:
1991 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
1993 – Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
1996 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
1998 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
2000 – Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
2002 – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
2003 – Estadio Azteca (Mexico City)
2005 – Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)
2007 – Soldier Field (Chicago)
2009 – Giants Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.)
2011 – Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.)
