THE GOLD CUP IN BRIEF
The Gold Cup is the tournament of nations in CONCACAF, including countries from North America, Central America and the Caribbean islands. The tournament is played every two years with 12 participating countries. This year, the tournament is set for June 5 to 25 in the USA and will be played in 13 different stadiums, including four from the MLS (Washington, Los Angeles, Kansas City and New York). Canada was one of the early qualifiers, at the same time as Mexico and the US, while 30 of 37 other nations battled for the final nine remaining spots. The winner of the 2011 Gold Cup will qualify for the 2013 Confederations Cup, where champions from each continent will face off.
THE CANADIAN PROGRAM
For the 2011 Gold Cup, Canada finds itself in a group with the USA, Guadalupe, and Panama, facing each nation on the 7, 11 and 14 of June, respectively. A place in the quarter-finals comes guaranteed with a top two finish in each group, or by finishing as one of the two highest placing third place teams (from three total groups). Head Coach Stephen Hart selected 23 players for the competition, including Ali Gerba from the Impact, but also Quebec-born players André Hainault and Jonathan Beaulieu-Bourgault. Julian De Guzman (Toronto) and Terry Dunfield (Vancouver) are the only two other players to be selected from Canadian based teams. Experienced internationals Dwayne De Rosario (New York / US), Atiba Hutchinson (PSV Eindhoven / Holland) and Kevin McKenna (Cologne / Germany) were also selected.
HISTORY OF THE COMPETITION
CONCACAF nations have played for the title since 1965, with Costa Rica being the first ever champion. The tournament has taken many different formats over the years, including as a World Cup qualifier at one time. However, since 1991, when it became the Gold Cup, that no longer was the case. Since this re-formatting, the tournament has always been held in the US, with the exception of shared venues with Mexico. The tournament’s organization was done on a regular basis until 2003, when it was decided that it would be played every two years. Mexico (8 wins) has won the most times, ahead of the US (4) and Costa Rica (3). The 2011 Gold Cup winner will be the 21st champion.
TWO TITLES FOR CANADA
Canada has won the tournament twice, each time under particular circumstances. For its first, in 1985, the winner of the tournament qualified for the 1986 World Cup in Mexico. Mexico didn’t participate in the Gold Cup tournament as they were hosts of the World Cup, helping Canada clinch its ticket for the World Cup as CONCACAF champs. The second championship was in 2000. During the qualifying group stage, Canada finished tied with South Korea for second place in its group (there were a few exotic participants at the Gold Cup over the years), and it was the flip of a coin that helped the move on instead of the Asian nation. They went on to beat Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago, and finally Columbia in the final (2-0, with goals from former Impact players Jason de Vos and Carlo Corazzin).
THE IMPACT AND THE GOLD CUP
The Impact has been regularly represented at the national level and in the Gold Cup. In 2005, half the team of the national side was made up of Impact players selected by Frank Yallop, including Greg Sutton, Adam Braz, Gabriel Gervais, Sandro Grande, Patrick Leduc and Ali Gerba. During the tournament, the team put a call in to Antonio Ribeiro as well, while Nevio Pizzolitto was part of the pre-selection process, but did not make the final 18. Félix Brillant, who played with the Impact later on, was also part of the pre-selection camp. Quebec-born players Patrice Bernier and Olivier Occéan were also part of the squad. This year, striker Ali Gerba is representing the Impact at the tournament, while two former members of the club are also participating in Andrew Olivieri (goalkeepers coach) and Mike Moretto (team manager).
Matthias Van Halst, Impact Media
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