U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro clarifies Gold Cup comments, expects CONCACAF's championship to continue
U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro raised eyebrows last week when, during the organization’s annual general meeting, he seemed to suggest that the CONCACAF Gold Cup could be scrapped within the next two years.
“The Gold Cup is only legislated for this year and 2021, so it could go on but it may not happen,” Cordeiro said during the meeting in Arizona, according to The Athletic.
Cordeiro clarified his comments to Yahoo Sports on Thursday, insisting that he hopes and expects the regional men’s championship tournament of North and Central America and the Caribbean to continue to be played for many years to come.
“At U.S. Soccer’s annual general meeting, a question was asked about the future of the Confederations Cup,” Cordeiro wrote in a statement provided by U.S. Soccer. “After providing insight that the Confederations Cup would likely no longer be held in the future, a follow-up question was asked about how that might affect the scheduling of the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
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“My response was simply to indicate that the Gold Cup is at present in the international calendar for the next few cycles and was in no way a comment on the long-term future of the competition itself,” he added.
“U.S. Soccer strongly supports the continuation of the Gold Cup, as well as CONCACAF’s steady commitment to the future of the tournament. As the signature event of our Confederation, the Gold Cup is a vital competition for our men’s national team and for all other Federations in CONCACAF. We are looking forward to competing in the championship this summer and well into the future.”
Cordeiro’s statement comes two days after CONCACAF issued one of its own. The Gold Cup is the region’s signature event and a biennial cash cow, funding much the confederation’s other programming.
“Following recent media reports, CONCACAF clarifies that it is fully committed to the CONCACAF Gold Cup and confirms that the 2019, 2021 and 2023 editions are part of the FIFA calendar,” the Miami-based governing body’s statement read. “Additionally, once the new FIFA calendar is produced after 2023, CONCACAF will continue organizing the pinnacle event of our confederation.”
The 2019 Gold Cup kicks off in June. It will feature 16 teams, with games in 14 U.S. cities plus Costa Rica and a Caribbean nation to be announced. The USMNT is the defending champion, having beaten Jamaica in the 2017 final. Mexico has won a record seven Gold Cups since the tourney began in 1963.
Doug McIntyre covers soccer for Yahoo Sports. Follow him on Twitter @ByDougMcIntyre.
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