U.S. MNT Ready for CONCACAF Gold Cup Semifinal Against Honduras in Arlington, Texas
The U.S. Men's National Team kicks against Honduras in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup on Wednesday, July 24, at 7 p.m. ET at Cowboys Stadium, live on FOX Soccer and Univision.
July 23, 2013
IN THE IMAGE: Eddie Johnson provided a goal-scoring spark off the bench in the quarterfinal match against El Salvador.
2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup
U.S. Men’s National Team vs. Honduras
Cowboys Stadium – Arlington, Texas
July 24, 2013
SEMIFINAL SHOWDOWN LOOMS AGAINST HONDURAS: After a thorough 5-1 rout of El Salvador to open the knockout phase, the USA’s quest for its fifth Gold Cup title heads to Texas for the semifinal showdown against Honduras. Kickoff from Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is set for 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET), and the match will be broadcast live on FOX Soccer, UniMas and the Univision Deportes Network. (Watch at Official U.S. Soccer Bars) Fans can follow the match live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker and via Twitter @ussoccer.
Honduras reached the semifinal stage with a 1-0 victory against Costa Rica on a goal from former D.C. United midfielder Andy Najar. In the other semifinal, Panama faces Mexico in a rematch of the first game of Group A in which Panama prevailed in a 2-1 win.
TOP SIX NOTES
- This is the third meeting between the USA and Honduras in a Gold Cup semifinal. The USA walked away with a 2-1 win in 2005, and in the 2009 event Clarence Goodson scored his first goal for the MNT and notched the game-winner in the 2-0 victory.
- The win against El Salvador extended the USA’s winning streak to a team-record nine games. The MNT improved its record this year to 10-2-2, and 9-1-1 in games played in the U.S.
- The five goals also upped the USA’s total for the tournament to 16, the most scored in a CONCACAF Gold Cup by a U.S. team, beating its previous high of 13 scored in 2003 (accomplished in five games) and in 2007 (six games). It’s also the third-highest total in tournament history. Mexico scored 28 in 1993 and 22 in 2011.
- The USA has now advanced to the semifinal of the CONCACAF Gold Cup for the seventh consecutive time, and 11 times out of 12 total confederation championships in this region.
- Chris Wondolowski leads the tournament in scoring with five goals. That is also the most any U.S. player has scored in a single Gold Cup.
- With the World Cup less than a year away, the mix of veterans and younger players are hoping the Gold Cup will prove to be a launching point for a spot in World Cup Qualifying and ultimately Brazil in 2014. (From Gold Cup to World Cup?)