Another great CONCACAF soccer tournament completed, this year Gold Cup took place in the US. Still being held every two years in the main association football of national football teams under CONCACAF, competing for the regional champions of North, Central America and the Caribbean. This tournament falls outside of the FIFA Confederations 4 year timeline allowing the winner and higher placed and ranked teams members of CONCACAF & FIFA automatic qualifying for CONCACAF Gold Cup tournament. The CONCACAF championship in 1991 renamed this tournament CONCACAF Gold Cup, with the choosing of The United states as its first host. In 1996, Brazil was invited as the first guest team to participate in tournament while holding the FIFA World Cup champions. In 2000, the roster increased to a total of twelve teams which presently participate.
Image courtesy of Concacaf.com
The teams that competed in CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 in the US are as follows: in alphabetical order, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, and USA. With Major League Soccer being established in 1995 in the US, after US Soccer selected Major League Professional Soccer in 1993 as the exclusive division 1 professional soccer league allowed for the tournament games to take place at above stadiums, while currently maintained at the highest level for MLS and the Gold Cup.
Image courtesy of Concacaf.com
The Gold Cup is no stranger to the most aggressive and most competitive qualifications rounds in competitive soccer today while allowing entrance to one of the prestigious soccer tournaments under CONCACAF, one of 6 FIFA Confederations. This year, Mexico won Copa De Oro playing against Jamaica in the final. Mexico played strategically well, rapid, accurate and extremely well organized on the field, that made them champions of CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015.
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