According to concacaf's website, the final WCQ for the US will be at Gillette Stadium. http://www.concacaf.com/comp.asp?id=7&year=2005
WOW! I guess the Kraft family does still haev pull with US Soccer. I was hoping for Charlotte, NC. Nothing on soccertravel.com yet: http://www.soccertravel.com/search.php?which=nat&team=00807 or on the Gillette Stadium page yet: http://www.gillettestadium.com/event_calendar/ Fifa lists the match at Foxboro: http://www.fifa.com/en/mens/fixture...ct13=USA&select1='F','WQ','WF','CC','CQ','CF'
With Foxboro getting Gold Cup games, including a triple-header with the Revs, I wasn't thinking they would get another game. So much for playing somewhere new. P.S. Is there going to be gridlines on the field since the Pats will have played there?
The Patriots have a home game on the 2nd of October. A week and a half should be plenty to remove the lines. I am not saying that it will happen, but it is enought time.
somewhat surprising. it had seemed quite likely that it would go to a venue that is usually excluded due to its diverse population (such as Los Angeles or Dallas) or a venue that has not previously been in the mix (such as Charlotte). especially with the Gold Cup games being given to New England, this is an odd choice to me.
As of right now, the only MLS match on 10/12 is Colorado at Real Salt Lake. New England hosts Chicago on 10/15k. The only way they're going to sell any tickets to this game (USA/PAN) is to make it a doubleheader. I guess having Sunil (President of Kraft Soccer, Executive Vice-President of the U.S. Soccer Federation, and member of the U.S. Soccer Foundation Board of Directors) Gulati on the payroll does have some advantages.
This is sad. I was hoping they'd do Dallas. I mean, really, it'll be a meaningless game, what does it matter how many Panamanians show up there? Aren't new stadiums supposed to be getting US nat games? If not, what's the point of building them? We'd better get a friendly leading up to the WC.
I'm with you guys on this one. We'll host it, and I believe that we will do a bang-up job like we always try to ... but this is a silly game to put in a 68k stadium. Mid-week with an already qualified US squad (better be!), we'll be lucky to get 15k. I wish they had allowed another city the chance to host this game. It's only fair ...
Easy flights back to Europe....... It's a Wednesday game, and if there are a number of European-based players there, they won't want to fly back from an LA or Dallas. It was going to be an east coast game regardless. RFK isn't much of an option, and other options may not have been able to pull together a usable facility. It's not exactly an exciting announcement, but clubs will want their players for that weekend, and a game in Foxboro makes that easier for the players in terms of travel as they'll have come from Costa Rica that previous weekend...... Sometimes, game location has nothing to do with the fans or the stadium....
i was hoping by match day 10, arena could have left the euro guys in europe and go with the mls guys plus a couple 2nd line euro types... making the easy travel from boston to euro land less critical.... still, this is disappointing....spread the gospel to other venues where people never get tio see the usmnt live.... this will be a match attended by a limited few.....
While I think and hope you're right, I don't think you can plan the game with the idea that we've already qualified in mind. I think they're working along the lines that it should be planned as if it's a must-win and we'd need best array of players, including the Euro-based ones.......
given usa's standing currently, if usa goes into matchday 10, NOT having clinched a berth, these boards will crash given what would have to happen... getting 3 from t&t in august is very likely... mexico is problematical, but 3 would virtually lock it up.... and I'd ber stunned if usa went to BOTH costa rica and guatemala and LOST both matches.... plus, the bottom 3 of concacaf don't seem to be able to put a good streak together..... costa rica and guatemala are prime guys for 3rd, with the loser being the huge favorite for 4th....
Imagine the crash if we needed that last game, had to play it in a less than supportive city and were running into club-vs-country issues with player availability. Six of one...half-dozen of another....BS is going to melt-down regardless........
I have to agree with Monty here. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ungrateful, and no doubt I'll be at this game, but I think it would have made more sense for U.S. Soccer to host this game elsewhere, and in a much more suitable venue. The Magpie
if they truly believed this, then wait until after T&T or even the Mexico-Guatemala week, and make a late announcement in mid August or early September. of course, anything is possible, but it would not only require a complete meltdown by the US, but it would also require a number of other results in other games to fall into place. all possible, but extremely unrealistic. the more i think about it, the more i think it's bogus. no disrespect to NE who will do a fine job hosting (under the circumstances - clinched, midweek, weather), but there are a number of other deserving places where they could have put this game who haven't had one in a long time, if ever.
If you were running the stadium in Foxboro, wouldn't you be pushing for a commitment now?! I'd have prefered a different east coast location as well, but I think the reasoning behind those involved is pretty transparent.....
Had it been here... It would have been perfect. Oh well, I guess Birmingham and Rentschler Field were just enough differences for USSF this go-round.
actually, the rumor was rfk was gonna hold it... but unfortunately, some baseball team decided to get good, or at least good for half a season
I don't accept the CONCACAF site as official. I believe this site had all our games in Columbus earlier this year. When USSF announces it, I'll believe it. I do believe Foxboro is very likely, but I'll wait for USSF to post something on it's site.
that sucks. yeah this game is worthless i see maybe 10k attendance in foxboro. but rfk wasn't an option with the washington nationals looking like they will be in the playoffs.