Record crowd expected for doubleheader featuring USA-El Salvador and Costa Rica-Honduras

MIAMI (Friday, July 19, 2013) – The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced today that the 2013 Gold Cup Quarterfinals featuring USA vs. El Salvador and Costa Rica vs. Honduras on Sunday, July 21, will be played before a sold out crowd of more than 71,000 fans at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.

“The support of fans in every Gold Cup venue has been incredible,” said CONCACAF President, Jeffrey Webb.  “I am extremely happy with the news from Baltimore that Sunday’s Quarterfinal doubleheader at M&T Bank Stadium is sold out.  It will be a tremendous day for soccer, CONCACAF, the Gold Cup and the city of Baltimore.

“Once again, people will be united through our great sport.”

The Baltimore doubleheader will be the third largest CONCACAF Gold Cup Quarterfinal attendance in the tournament’s history. M&T Bank Stadium joins Cowboys Stadium (85,000 on July 19, 2009 at Arlington, Texas) and New Meadowlands Stadium (78,807 on June 28, 2011 at East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“It’s incredible to see the sustained excitement that international soccer has generated in Baltimore,” stated Roy Sommerhof, the Ravens’ vice president of stadium operations. “Fans in this region are tremendously passionate, and we’re delighted to feature a world class competition like the Gold Cup at M&T Bank Stadium.”

Kickoff for USA-El Salvador is set for 4 p.m. ET live on FOX and Univision, followed by Costa Rica-Honduras at 7 p.m. ET, live on FOX Soccer Channel and Univision. The winners of Sunday’s matches advance to the semifinals at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Wednesday, July 24. The 2013 Gold Cup final, which will crown the best of the confederation, as well as secure a play-in spot to the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, will be played Sunday, July 28 at Chicago’s Soldier Field.

ABOUT CONCACAF

CONCACAF (The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) is one of six continental confederations of FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) and serves as the governing body of football in this part of the world. It is composed of 41 national associations, from Canada in the north to Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana in the south.

ABOUT THE GOLD CUP

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is the national team championship for the confederation and is its premier event. It evolved from a series of tournaments in the region dating back to 1941 through the late 1980s, until it assumed its current format in 1991.  Initially an eight-team competition, the Gold Cup finals have grown into a 12-nation competition with countries qualifying from each of CONCACAF’s three sub-regions: North America (three automatic entrants), Central America (five qualifiers through the UNCAF Copa Centroamericana) and the Caribbean (four qualifiers through the Caribbean Cup). Taking place every two years, the Gold Cup has attained exceptional levels of popularity, routinely drawing capacity crowds and millions of TV viewers throughout the world.  The Gold Cup is being contested for the 12th time, with Mexico owning a tournament-record six titles, followed by the United States with four and Canada with one.