The 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fourth edition of the Gold Cup, the football (soccer) championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).
The tournament was once again held in the United States, in Los Angeles, Miami, and Oakland. The format of the tournament changed from 1996: it was expanded to ten teams, with four in Group A and three each in Groups B and C. The top team in each group, plus the second place in Group A would advance to the semifinals. Brazil was invited again, and brought their senior team this time.
Jamaica, getting ready for the 1998 World Cup, pulled the stunner of the first round. They didn't even qualify for the tournament, but Canada withdrew, granting them a spot. The Reggae Boyz then topped Group A over Brazil (they tied the South Americans 0-0). In the semifinals, the US beat Brazil, as Preki scored the lone goal and Kasey Keller preserved the clean sheet. The United States couldn't repeat that performance in front of a pro-Mexican final crowd in Los Angeles. The tri-colores won their third straight Gold Cup, 1-0, on a Luis Hernández goal.
Read more about 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup: Participating Nations, Venues, Results and Awards, Top Scorers, Team Statistics
Famous quotes containing the words gold and/or cup:
“There is, of course, a gold mine or a buried treasure on every mortgaged homestead. Whether the farmer ever digs for it or not, it is there, haunting his daydreams when the burden of debt is most unbearable.”
—Fawn M. Brodie (19151981)
“Sunday morning may be cheery enough, with its extra cup of coffee and litter of Sunday newspapers, but there is always hanging over it the ominous threat of 3 P.M., when the sun gets around to the back windows and life stops dead in its tracks.”
—Robert Benchley (18891945)