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After being passed over as a host venue for the 2015 Gold Cup, Red Bull Arena will once again play host to the North & Central American continental championship tournament in the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Per ESPN and the New York Red Bulls official Twitter feed, Red Bull Arena has been selected to host the tournament opener with a double-header of Group A Stage matches on July 7, 2017.
Red Bull Arena to host the opening doubleheader of the 2017 @CONCACAF Gold Cup
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) December 19, 2016
READ: https://t.co/spwzW8kUrG#RBNY #REDTogether #NYisRED pic.twitter.com/fEeTb1dMNY
Unfortunately, the same article that announced the tournament venues also announced that the United States had been placed into Group B while Mexico has been placed into Group C. As a result, neither team will play a single game at Red Bull Arena during the tournament.
Luckily, at least one knockout round match will be played at Lincoln Financial Field - so local NY/NJ residents can still conceivably see one of the two teams without breaking the bank to make the trip (should either qualify).
Though Red Bull Arena has hosted numerous international friendlies and club competitions over the years, only four matches played between CONCACAF national teams in non-friendly competition have ever been played.
At the 2011 Gold Cup, Guatemala beat Grenada 4-0, and Jamaica beat Honduras 1-0. Two years later, at the 2013 Gold Cup, El Salvador and Trinidad & Tobago played to a 2-2 draw, while Honduras beat Haiti 2-0.
As of writing, seven of 12 nations have qualified: United States, Mexico, Canada, Curacao, Martinique, French Guiana, and Jamaica.
Mexico topped Jamaica in the 2015 Gold Cup, while the United States finished fourth after losing to Jamaica, and finally Panama.
The Red Bulls made the announcement official on Twitter later that day, with HC Jesse Marsch calling on fans to "Show the world that New York City is a soccer city."
#RBNY Head Coach Jesse Marsch makes the @CONCACAF Gold Cup announcement: It's coming to Red Bull Arena! https://t.co/b3udxf5X0c#REDTogether pic.twitter.com/dpCvX1viLr
— New York Red Bulls (@NewYorkRedBulls) December 19, 2016
MetLife Stadium, which with its massive capacity has traditionally hosted major soccer games in recent years, along with Yankee Stadium, were not chosen to host any games in the tournament.