CHICAGO (December 26, 2007) – The U.S. has learned that it will kick off Group A of the 2008 CONCACAF Men’s Under-23 Championship against Cuba on Tuesday, March 11 at 8 p.m. ET at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. The Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) announced the match-ups for the Olympic qualifying tournament.
The U.S., which plays in the late game in each of the three doubleheaders, will then face Panama on Thursday, March 13 at 8 p.m. ET and finish the round-robin tournament against Honduras on Saturday, March 15 at 7 p.m. ET.
Group B, which will begin on March 12, features Canada, Guatemala, Haiti and Mexico, and will be played at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.
After group play, the top two teams will advance to the semifinals which will be played on March 20 at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. LP Field will also be the location for the third-place game and championship match on Sunday, March 23. A complete schedule is listed below.
Series tickets for the group matches, along with the semifinals and final in Nashville, Tenn., are on sale now. A series ticket consists of all matches scheduled at a single venue.
Fans can order series tickets -- priced from $36 to $195 depending on the seating area and number of match days included in the series – online at ussoccer.com, by phone at 813-287-8844 (Tampa), 213-480-3232 (Los Angeles) or 615-255-9600 (Nashville) and at local Ticketmaster ticket centers in the venue cities. Individual match day tickets for doubleheaders at each venue will go on sale at a later date, pending availability.
In Tampa and Los Angeles supporters of each team will have seats at every price level set aside for their fans, allowing fans of the same country to sit together. Fans must order online to choose from this allotment. In Nashville, where the participating teams won’t be known until several days before the semifinal round, seating during the initial sale will be allocated (based on the local population) for U.S.A., Mexico, and mixed/neutral fan sections at each price level.
The U.S. will be led by Peter Nowak, who was named the team’s head coach on Aug. 8, 2007. Nowak has worked with both the Men’s National Team and the Under-23’s since December of 2006, assisting U.S. National Team head coach Bob Bradley. Nowak’s squad has just returned from a two-game tour in China, where the young U.S. side tied China 0-0 on Dec. 13 and then 3-3 vs. China again on Dec. 16.
2008 CONCACAF Under-23 Championship ScheduleGroup A (Tampa, Florida; Raymond James Stadium)Date Home Visitor Kickoff (local)March 11 Panama Honduras 5:30 p.m. ET
March 11 USA Cuba 8 p.m. ET
March 13 Honduras Cuba 5:30 p.m. ET
March 13 USA Panama 8 p.m. ET
March 15 Cuba Panama 4:30 p.m. ET
March 15 USA Honduras 7 p.m. ET
Group B (Carson, California; The Home Depot Center)Date Home Visitor Kickoff (local)March 12 Haiti Guatemala 5:30 p.m. PT
March 12 Canada Mexico 8 p.m. PT
March 14 Canada Haiti 5:30 p.m. PT
March 14 Mexico Guatemala 8 p.m. PT
March 16 Guatemala Canada 3:30 p.m. PT
March 16 Mexico Haiti 6 p.m. PT
Final Stage (Nashville, Tennessee; LP Field)Date Marchup Kickoff (local)March 20 Semifinal 1 5 p.m. CT
March 20 Semifinal 2 8 p.m. CT
March 23 Third-Place Match 1 p.m. CT
March 23 Final 4 p.m. CT
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