2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup

2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Name	2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Other titles	Copa de Oro de la Concacaf 2011
Country	United States
Dates	June 5–25, 2011
Num teams	12
Venues	13
Cities	13
Champion	MEX
Second	USA
Matches	25
Goals	80
Attendance	1,140,602
Top scorer	MEX Javier Hernández (7 goals)
Player	MEX Javier Hernández
Prevseason	2009
Nextseason	2013

2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 11th edition of the premier international football championship for men's national teams governed by CONCACAF. The tournament was hosted by the United States from June 5 to June 25, 2011, featuring twelve national teams competing across thirteen venues. The final was contested at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where Mexico defeated the United States 4–2 to claim their sixth title, with Javier Hernández winning both the Golden Boot and MVP awards.

Background

The tournament was organized by CONCACAF and served as the regional championship for North America, Central America, and the Caribbean. It was the second consecutive edition held solely in the United States, following the successful 2009 event. The competition also doubled as the qualifying tournament for the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, with the champion earning a berth to compete in Brazil. The 2011 edition was notable for its high-scoring matches and record attendance figures, surpassing one million spectators for the first time in the tournament's history.

Qualification

Qualification for the final tournament was determined through separate regional processes. The three member nations of the North American Football Union—Canada, Mexico, and the United States—received automatic berths. The five qualifying spots from the Caribbean Football Union were filled via the 2010 Caribbean Cup, which was won by Jamaica, with Cuba, Grenada, and Guadeloupe also advancing. The four berths from the Central American Football Union were determined by the 2011 Copa Centroamericana, where Costa Rica, Honduras, El Salvador, and Panama secured their places.

Venues

Matches were played in thirteen stadiums across thirteen metropolitan areas in the United States, a record number of venues for the tournament at the time. Key stadiums included the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, which hosted the final, and Soldier Field in Chicago, which hosted the opening match. Other notable venues were Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, the New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C.. The geographic spread aimed to maximize attendance and promote the sport across the country.

Squads

Each of the twelve participating nations submitted a final squad of 23 players, all of whom had to be registered with CONCACAF by a designated deadline. The Mexican squad, managed by José Manuel de la Torre, was heavily favored and featured stars like Javier Hernández of Manchester United and Giovani dos Santos of Tottenham Hotspur. The United States, coached by Bob Bradley, included key players such as Landon Donovan and Clint Dempsey. Other notable squads were Costa Rica, led by Bryan Ruiz, and Honduras, featuring Wilson Palacios.

Tournament format

The tournament followed a standard format of a group stage followed by a knockout stage. The twelve teams were drawn into three groups of four teams each, with matches played in a round-robin format. The top two teams from each group, along with the two best third-place finishers, advanced to the quarter-finals. The knockout stage consisted of single-elimination matches through the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final. If matches were level after 90 minutes in the knockout stage, they proceeded to extra time and, if necessary, a penalty shootout.

Group stage

In Group A, Mexico dominated, winning all three matches against Costa Rica, El Salvador, and Cuba, scoring 14 goals. Costa Rica finished second. Group B saw the United States top the group with victories over Canada and Panama, while Panama advanced as runner-up. Group C was won by Honduras, with Jamaica finishing second. The two best third-place teams advancing to the quarter-finals were Costa Rica and Guadeloupe.

Knockout stage

The quarter-finals were played at four different venues. In New Meadowlands Stadium, the United States defeated Jamaica 2–0, while Panama eliminated El Salvador on penalties after a 1–1 draw at RFK Stadium. At Reliant Stadium, Mexico overcame a 1–0 deficit to beat Guatemala 2–1, and at Soldier Field, Honduras defeated Costa Rica in a penalty shootout after a 1–1 draw. The semi-finals saw the United States beat Panama 1–0 at Reliant Stadium, and Mexico defeat Honduras 2–0 at Cowboys Stadium.

Final

The final was held on June 25, 2011, at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, before a crowd of 93,420. The United States took an early 2–0 lead with goals from Michael Bradley and Landon Donovan. However, Mexico mounted a dramatic comeback, with Pablo Barrera Barrera scoring a|Pablo Barrera|Pablo Barrera