A guide to tonight’s CONCACAF Gold Cup matches at Bank of America Stadium
Some of the best international football athletes will be replacing our Carolina Panthers football players today at Bank of America Stadium.
We’re talking about soccer, not American football!
Charlotte will be hosting two CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament soccer matches this evening. Cuba will be facing off against Guatemala at 6 p.m. and Mexico take on Trinidad & Tobago at 8:30 p.m.
What Is CONCACAF?
The CONCACAF, which stands for — deep breath — The Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, plays this Gold Cup tournament every two years to determine a regional champion.
The Gold Cup tournament started in 1991. Since then, Mexico has won the title six times, the most out of all of its competitors. Closely following Mexico is the current reigning champion, the United States, which won its fifth title at the last Gold Cup in 2013.
#GoldCup2015 is underway & who better to protect the Cup on its journey than us? Follow #GoldCupTracker for updates. pic.twitter.com/v4ZXnPidiX
— Allstate (@Allstate) July 9, 2015
Team Profile & Players To Watch
(1) Cuba
This team is a mainly younger squad that lacks international league play. Ariel Martinez along with Yenier Marquez are the only two players from Cuba’s team that have scored in the Gold Cup.
Cuba lost its first two games in the Gold Cup and is in last place in Group C.
(2) Guatemala
Guatemala’s team, led by MLS veteran forward Carlos Ruiz, is in third place in Group C with a tie and a loss in its first two games in the group stage. Guatemala tied Mexico 0-0 in its last game July 12.
On this day in 2002: Carlos Ruiz scored a brace to down the @SJEarthquakes on the 4th of July: http://t.co/NFe0EowKN8 pic.twitter.com/UQZxiXYmt0
— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) July 4, 2015
(3) Trinidad and Tobago
The Trinidad and Tobago team faces considerable hardships as it has dealt with bribery and corruption charges brought against politician and FIFA executive Jack Warner.
But it has looked past those hardships to win its first two matches in Group C and secure a spot in the quarterfinals.
https://twitter.com/USfutbolRumors/status/618934155078832128
(4) Mexico
The Mexican team is one of the favorites to win the Gold Cup. You might remember the team’s head coach Miguel Herrera from the 2014 World Cup in Brazil — he was overly animated on the sidelines from every goal they scored.
#CopaOro: Miguel Herrera, obligado a ganar y convencer http://t.co/gBt1MPGixz pic.twitter.com/LT0mL81ZB1
— Esto en Línea (@estoenlinea) July 3, 2015
Mexico beat Cuba and tied Guatemala so far in the tournament and is currently in second place in Group C.
Want to go?
Tons of soccer fans from around the area will come to watch the games, so get there early to tailgate around Bank of America stadium. Tickets are still available for both games.
Photo: AP photo.
This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 10:39 PM with the headline "A guide to tonight’s CONCACAF Gold Cup matches at Bank of America Stadium."