Editorial: The Gold Cup Needs To Leave The United States
By Sean Maslin
So long, CONCACAF Gold Cup! It has been nice having you for the past 25 years!
The 2015 Gold Cup marks the thirteenth consecutive edition to be held mostly in the United States. Although this year’s edition will feature matches in Toronto, Canada and a smattering of matches were played in 1993 and 2003 in Mexico, the region’s top international tournament has by and large been hosted in the United States.
While it is certain that the United States could continue holding the competition for as long as CONCACAF and FIFA exists (which might not actually be that long) at a certain point one has to wonder if it is a good thing to hold it in the same place every two years. Does it do the region and the United States a disservice playing the matches in the same country and the same location each and every year?
Now for those living in the United States it is obviously a plus. For those who support the USMNT or are journalists it is a great opportunity to catch a wide span of matches and players that one might not normally catch. The first-ever match that I had the chance to cover in person was a doubleheader of Gold Cup matches in Baltimore in 2013.Getting to ride into M and T Bank Stadium with Honduran supporters camouflaged as El Salvador supporters was a truly life changing experience and great from a career perspective.
U.S. Soccer has also benefited from the tournament being held on its soil every two years. Since first gaining hosting duties in 1991, the United States has gone on to win 5 Gold Cups one shy of Mexico with 6. During that time the team has gone from being a minnow in world football to a competent, respectable side. Having home-field advantage (excluding matches in Texas and Los Angeles) has also boosted support and turned the organization into something a bit more professional.
For years the United States has been local hosting post for all CONCACAF tournaments and even international friendlies that do not involve the United States. The 2014 Copa Centroamericana was played here, as have numerous friendlies for Canada, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala, and even World Cup qualifiers for countries like Belize and US Virgin Islands.
Is this over-reliance on the United States a good thing? Obviously the United States is home to large populations of people whose family heritage originally derives from one of these countries. Any person who has watched a Gold Cup match this summer has seen the support that countries like Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador receive in each match. There is certainly a financial benefit for CONCACAF to host the tournament in the United States
It seems that the region is limiting its top tournament’s hosting duties to just one country. Countries like Canada and Mexico could certainly host the tournament given their resources and stadiums at their disposal already. Jamaica just hosted the CONCACAF U-20 Championships in January and Honduras just recently hosted the CONCACAF U-17 Championships. So it does not appear that CONCACAF is completely unwilling to listen to new ideas and a change of scenery.
Having the tournament played elsewhere could also benefit the USMNT as well. Although the U.S. has done well against CONCACAF opponents on the road their record is much worse. Over the past twenty five years, when playing in Central America and in Mexico the U.S. has struggled to produce even the occasional draw. USMNT Jurgen Klinsmann has said repeatedly that he wants to challenge this program and it put it in more difficult situations. He has already done so by forcing the squad to play a more difficult European schedule, so why not use his sway to move the Gold Cup abroad?
The Gold Cup has been a great tool to help U.S. Soccer grow and become a stronger footballing nation. But for U.S.A. and CONCACAF to continue growing the Gold Cup needs to move elsewhere