U.S. men set to play at Empower Field
The United States men’s soccer team is returning to Empower Field at Mile High for the first time in 21 years.
As a part of the inaugural CONCACAF Nations League Finals, the U.S. will play two matches in a span of four days at Mile High.
On June 3, the U.S. will face Honduras while Mexico plays Costa Rica. The third-place and championship matches will be June 6.
Capacity for the matches will be initially set at 42.6% (approximately 32,000) and a final decision on the number of tickets available will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets will go on sale April 26 at 10 a.m. Fans are asked to sign up at ConcacafNationsLeague.com to learn more about the event.
The four participating countries won their qualifying groups during matches in the fall of 2019. Mexico posted the most points (12), followed by Honduras (10), the U.S. (nine) and Costa Rica (six).
The finals were originally scheduled for June 2020 in Houston and Dallas, but were postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The U.S. is 5-0-1 since returning to play in November. It will play at Switzerland on May 30 before coach Gregg Berhalter leads the team to Denver.
The U.S. matches could have a Rapids connection — Sam Vines, Kellyn Acosta, Jonathan Lewis and Cole Bassett have all been called up to the national team within the past year.
It will be the national team’s first game at Mile High since a 1-0 win over Mexico in April 2000 (attendance of 48,476). The stadium has hosted CONCACAF Gold Cup matches in 2013, ’17 and ’19.
In recent years, the U.S. played two World Cup qualifying matches at the Rapids’ home stadium in Commerce City — a 1-0 win over Costa Rica in March 2013 and a 2-0 win over Trinidad & Tobago in June 2017.
“Opening our doors for the first large-scale event since the end of the 2019 football season is exciting for our organization as well as the entire community,” stadium general manager Jay Roberts said in a statement. “We look forward to providing an enjoyable, safe experience for fans and showcasing why Denver is premier destination for world-class soccer.”
Denver is among the cities expected to bid to host matches in the 2026 World Cup.
“We could not be happier that Denver was selected to host the inaugural Concacaf Nations League finals at Empower Field at Mile High,” said Matthew Payne, executive director of the Denver Sports Commission. “We’re always excited to showcase our worldclass stadium and welcome visiting soccer fans to Denver.”