By Paul Nicholson in Pasadena
July 8 – CONCACAF’s blue riband event the Gold Cup opened here yesterday with a double-header in the Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California – both upsets as Canada lost to tiny Martinique and Mexico were edged out by Panama – plus a new world record for the largest ever Mariachi serenade with over 500 performers taking to the field at half-time.
The first match day of the 12th edition of the region’s biennial tournament was very much a Mexican affair with the bulk of the 56,000 crowd there to support El Tri, the twice defending champions, open their campaign.
The Gold Cup show will visit 13 cities over the next 21 days, with its two matches per game day format. The final will be Soldier Field, Chicago on July 28.
Divided into three groups of four, the top two teams plus the two best third-placed teams will advance to the quarterfinal knock-out stage.
At the Rose Bowl, Canada and Martinique kicked off proceedings inside the stadium, while the Mexicans tailgated in the car parks to Mexican music and entertainment.
Martinique, a former French colony, was only recently made a full member of CONCACAF. Selection rules allow them to select French players based in France who have a strong connection to the island.
The winners of the Gold Cup qualify for the next edition of the Confederations Cup. However, Martinique, should they win the tournament (they beat Canada in the last minute with a superb strike from outside the box) would not be able to compete as they are not recognised by FIFA as an independent federation.
The second match between Mexico and Panama was the one the massed ranks of Mexican-American fans had come to see. Panama went a goal up that was equalised just before half time. Much to the dismay of the Mexican fans, Panama scored a second just after the break and held on for an unlikely victory.
But before the ball had crossed the line to give Panama their decisive 2-1 lead, more than 500 Mariachi performers had occupied the pitch at half time to break the world record number of serenading Mariachi performers.
Tomorrow the show moves on to the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey for another double-header and, on Tuesday, to Portland, Oregon, for the eagerly awaited entrance of the host nation.
In parallel to the matches on the pitch, CONCACAF have opened an interactive game tournament – based on the FIFA play station game. The winners will play their final on semifinals day — live on TV, with the gamers on the pitch and their encounters being fed live to the stadium big screen.