Gold Cup 2013 Schedule: Complete Dates, Start Times and Teams Released

CONCACAF released the schedule for the 2013 Gold Cup, which will begin with a doubleheader at the Rose Bowl on Sunday, July 7 and run through Sunday, July 28 when the championship match will take place at Soldier Field.

Mexico returns to defend its 2011 title. Led by a pair of goals by Pablo Barrera, El Tri defeated the United States, 4-2, in the 2011 final after the Americans had built an early 2-0 lead, and a rematch this summer wouldn't be a surprise.

Let's take a look at how the groups will break down for this year's tournament (via Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com), followed by a complete schedule (via the Gold Cup's official site) and an early preview for what to expect from the event that is being staged throughout the U.S.

Groups

Group A

Canada

Martinique

Mexico

Panama

Group B

El Salvador

Haiti

Honduras

Trinidad and Tobago

Group C

Belize

Costa Rica

Cuba

United States

Schedule

Date	Time (ET)	Venue	Matchup
July 7	5:30 p.m.	Rose Bowl	Canada vs. Martinique
July 7	8 p.m.	Rose Bowl	Mexico vs. Panama
July 8	7 p.m.	Red Bull Arena	El Salvador vs. Trinidad and Tobago
July 8	9:30 p.m.	Red Bull Arena	Haiti vs. Honduras
July 9	8:30 p.m.	Jeld-Wen Field	Costa Rica vs. Cuba
July 9	11 p.m.	Jeld-Wen Field	Belize vs. United States
July 11	8:30 p.m.	CenturyLink Field	Panama vs. Martinique
July 11	11 p.m.	CenturyLink Field	Mexico vs. Canada
July 12	7 p.m.	Sun Life Stadium	Trinidad and Tobago vs. Haiti
July 12	9:30 p.m.	Sun Life Stadium	Honduras vs. El Salvador
July 13	4 p.m.	Rio Tinto Stadium	United States vs. Cuba
July 13	6:30 p.m.	Rio Tinto Stadium	Costa Rica vs. Belize
July 14	4 p.m.	Sports Authority Field	Martinique vs. Mexico
July 14	6:30 p.m.	Sports Authority Field	Panama vs. Canada
July 15	7 p.m.	BBVA Compass Stadium	El Salvador vs. Haiti
July 15	9:30 p.m.	BBCA Compass Stadium	Honduras vs. Trinidad and Tobago
July 16	5:30 p.m.	Rentschler Field	Cuba vs. Belize
July 16	8 p.m.	Rentschler Field	United States vs. Costa Rica
July 20	3 p.m.	Georgia Dome	A2 vs. B2
July 20	6 p.m.	Georgia Dome	A1 vs. B3 or C3
July 21	4 p.m.	M&T Bank Stadium	B1 vs. C2
July 21	7 p.m.	M&T Bank Stadium	C1 vs. A3 or B3
July 24	7 p.m.	Cowboys Stadium	QF No. 3 winner vs. QF No. 4 winner
July 24	10 p.m.	Cowboys Stadium	QF No. 1 winner vs. QF No. 2 winner
July 28	4 p.m.	Soldier Field	Championship Match

Early Preview

As always, the outcome of the tournament will be heavily dependent on the strength of the squads. Since it's an off-year event—meaning the winner doesn't get a berth in the next Confederations Cup—the managers may opt to go with youthful squads filled with players that need experience.

The other option for CONCACAF coaching staffs still in the midst of trying to qualify for the 2014 World Cup is to play the strongest squad possible. They would do that the with hope of building some momentum heading into the final set of qualifiers.

All that said, Mexico and the United States will enter the event as the favorites to reach the final. The countries have met in three-straight Gold Cup finals, with Mexico winning two of those contests. In fact, there hasn't been a final without at least once of the two nations being featured since 2000.

The two sides also met in the CONCACAF U-20 Championship in early March, and Mexico won that meeting as well. If the managers decide to field inexperienced rosters, players from those squads could earn some caps in the Gold Cup.

Other contenders figure to include Honduras (who should benefit from a lackluster Group B), Costa Rica and Panama. If any country is going to bring an end to the Mexico vs. United States run, it will likely come from someone in that trio.