U.S. to open Gold Cup title defense at new St. Paul stadium
MIAMI >> The United States will open the defense of its CONCACAF Gold Cup title on June 18 at new Allianz Field in St. Paul, Minnesota.
The Americans will play their second match four days later in Cleveland and close Group D play on June 26 at Kansas City, Kansas, the governing soccer body of North and Central America and the Caribbean said Tuesday.
Opponents will be announced next spring after the 16-nation field of the expanded tournament is completed. Allianz Field, the home of Minnesota United, is scheduled to open in March.
Schedules were for the seeded nations.
Mexico has Group A games at Pasadena, California (June 15), Denver (June 19) and Charlotte, North Carolina (June 23).
Costa Rica has Group B matches at a non-U.S. venue to be announced (June 16), Frisco, Texas (June 20) and Harrison, New Jersey (June 24). announced four
Group C is headed by Honduras, which plays at a non-U.S. venue to be announced (June 17), Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium (June 21) and Banc of America Stadium in Los Angeles (June 25).
A quarterfinal doubleheader that includes the Group A and Group C winners will be in Houston’s NRG Stadium on June 29, and the other quarterfinals will be in Philadelphia the following day.
The Houston winners meet in a semifinal at Glendale, Arizona, on July 2, and the Philadelphia winners play the following day at Nashville, Tennessee.
CONCACAF announced last month that the final will be at Chicago’s Soldier Field on July 7 — the same day as the Women’s World Cup final in Lyon, France, and the Copa America final in Rio de Janeiro. Soldier Field also was site of the Gold Cup final in 2007 and 2013.
English FA investigates concerns about national team staffer
LONDON >> The English Football Association says it has investigated concerns about the conduct of a staffer who was a key part of the national team’s run to the World Cup semifinals in Russia.
The Daily Telegraph newspaper reported late Tuesday that FA head of strategy and performance Dave Reddin was linked to a culture of bullying and fear.
The FA confirmed it “received an anonymous letter raising certain concerns in relation to Dave Reddin.”
In a statement, the FA says it “took all of the allegations raised very seriously and undertook and investigation. We are entirely satisfied that the matters were appropriately investigated and concluded.”
The governing body did not specify how the investigation concluded.
The FA says that “as this matter relates to the personal data of current employees we are not in a position to comment further.”
England reached its first World Cup semifinal in 28 years in July, losing to Croatia.