2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup

13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup CONCACAF Cup December 2022 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 Coupe d'Or CONCACAF 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015.svg 250px Canada United States July 7–26 12 1 14 14 MEX 7 JAM PAN USA 26 62 USA Clint Dempsey (7 goals) MEX Andrés Guardado USA Brad Guzan MEX Jesús Corona JAM 2013 2017 The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the 13th edition of the CONCACAF Gold Cup competition and the 23rd CONCACAF regional championship overall in the organization's fifty-four years of existence. It was held in the United States, with two matches being played in Canada, marking the first time the CONCACAF Gold Cup was played in that country.http://www.concacaf.com/article/concacaf-announces-2015-gold-cup-host-cities-venues-group-seeds-and-group-stage-dates CONCACAF Announces 2015 Gold Cup Host Cities, Venues, Group Seeds and Group Stage Dates CONCACAF.com December 16, 2014 December 16, 2014 December 5, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20171205110036/http://www.concacaf.com/article/concacaf-announces-2015-gold-cup-host-cities-venues-group-seeds-and-group-stage-dates dead Mexico won the competition after surviving both the quarter-finals and semi-finals in controversial circumstances, Schwartz Nick July 19, 2015 Costa Rica loses to Mexico in heartbreaking fashion after awful penalty call in extra time https://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/07/mexico-costa-rica-penalty-gold-cup USA Today July 31, 2015 July 20, 2015 El polémico penal en el minuto 123 que llevó a México a semifinales de la Copa de Oro 2015 The controversial penalty in the 123rd minute that took Mexico to the semifinals of the 2015 Gold Cup http://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2015/07/150720_deportes_futbol_copa_de_oro_2015_mexico_costa_rica_polemica_jmp es BBC Mundo McCarthy Kyle July 22, 2015 Mexico advance to Gold Cup final amid controversial calls vs. Panama http://www.foxsports.com/soccer/gold-cup/story/mexico-advance-gold-cup-final-controversial-calls-panama-2-1-andres-guardado-match-report-072215 FoxSports July 31, 2015 Longman Jeré July 23, 2015 Messy Mexico-Panama Semifinal Leaves a Stain on Concacaf https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/24/sports/soccer/messy-mexico-panama-semifinal-worthy-of-concacaf.html?_r=0 The New York Times July 31, 2015 Panama attack Concacaf 'corrupt thieves' after Gold Cup loss to Mexico https://www.theguardian.com/football/2015/jul/25/panama-concacaf-corrupt-thieves-gold-cup-mexico The Guardian July 25, 2015 July 31, 2015 defeating Jamaica—the first Caribbean nation to reach such a stage—in the final. https://www.bbc.com/sport/0/football/33670944 Mexico 3 Jamaica 1 July 25, 2015 BBC Sport July 27, 2015 Of the co-hosts, Canada was eliminated in the group stage, while the United States, the defending champions, lost in the semi-finals to Jamaica. The competition included a third place match for the first time since 2003,Gold Cup http://www.trafficsports.com/menu/pdf/english/GoldCup.pdf Traffic Sports August 10, 2014 19 June 9, 2014 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140812210428/http://www.trafficsports.com/menu/pdf/english/GoldCup.pdf August 12, 2014 in which Panama defeated the United States. Venues A total of 14 venues were used for the tournament. CONCACAF announced the host cities and venues for the tournament on December 16, 2014. Apart from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia which hosted the final and PPL Park in Chester which hosted the third place match (both located in the Philadelphia metropolitan area), the other 12 venues hosted two matches. The assignment of matches for the knockout round and the awarding of the final were announced on March 12, 2015.http://www.concacaf.com/article/2015-concacaf-gold-cup-groups-and-schedule-announced 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Groups and Schedule Announced CONCACAF.com March 12, 2015 March 13, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150701170756/http://www.concacaf.com/article/2015-concacaf-gold-cup-groups-and-schedule-announced July 1, 2015 dead East Rutherford Charlotte Atlanta Baltimore Philadelphia MetLife Stadium Bank of America Stadium Georgia Dome M&T Bank Stadium Lincoln Financial Field Capacity: 82,566 Capacity: 74,455 Capacity: 74,228 Capacity: 71,008 Capacity: 69,176 alt=|192x192px 192x192px 203x203px center|200px 192x192px FoxboroughUSA center 650 Location of the host cities of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup. USA 33.8397 -118.2597 Carson right USA 33.5386 -112.1864 Glendale USA 33.1414 -96.8131 Frisco USA 29.7628 -95.3831 Houston USA 39.1067 -94.6764 Kansas City bottom USA 41.8369 -87.6847 Chicago top USA 33.7550 -84.3900 Atlanta bottom USA 35.2269 -80.8433 Charlotte right USA 39.2833 -76.6167 Baltimore bottom USA 39.9500 -75.1667 Philadelphia right USA 40.8171 -74.0850 East Rutherf right USA 42.0653 -71.2483 Foxborough top USA 39.8322 -75.3789 Chester USA 43.7000 -79.4000 Toronto top Chicago Gillette Stadium Soldier Field Capacity: 68,756 Capacity: 63,500 200x200px alt=|225x225px Glendale Carson University of Phoenix Stadium StubHub Center Capacity: 63,400 Capacity: 30,510 center|200x200px 197x197px Houston Toronto Frisco Chester Kansas City BBVA Compass Stadium BMO Field Toyota Stadium PPL Park Sporting Park Capacity: 22,039 Capacity: 30,991 Capacity: 20,500 Capacity: 18,500 Capacity: 18,467 187x187px 200x200px 187x187px 203x203px 199x199px Teams Qualification A total of twelve teams qualified for the tournament. Three berths were allocated to North America, four to Central America, and four to the Caribbean. For the first time, the two overall fifth-placed teams of the Caribbean zone and the Central American zone competed for the final berth of the CONCACAF Gold Cup. Previously, five berths were allocated to Central America and four were allocated to the Caribbean.Williams Sean Jamaica to host 2014 Caribbean Cup http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Jamaica-to-host-2014-Caribbean-Cup_16297547 Jamaica Observer March 18, 2014 February 17, 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220217003223/https://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Jamaica-to-host-2014-Caribbean-Cup_16297547 dead Team Qualification Appearances Last appearance Previous best performance FIFA Ranking North American zone USA (TH) Automatic 13th 2013 Champions (1991, 2002, 2005, 2007, 2013) 27 MEX Automatic 13th 2013 Champions (1993, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2009, 2011) 23 CAN Automatic 12th 2013 Champions (2000) 109 Central American zone qualified through the 2014 Copa Centroamericana CRC Winners 12th 2013 Runners-up (2002) 14 GUA Runners-up 10th 2011 Fourth place (1996) 93 PAN Third place 7th 2013 Runners-up (2005, 2013) 54 SLV Fourth place 9th 2013 Quarter-finals (2002, 2003, 2011, 2013) 89 Caribbean zone qualified through the 2014 Caribbean Cup JAM Winners 9th 2011 Third place (1993) 65 TRI Runners-up 9th 2013 Third place (2000) 67 HAI Third place 6th 2013 Quarter-finals (2002, 2009) 76 CUB Fourth place 8th 2013 Quarter-finals (2003, 2013) 107 Play-off winner between Caribbean zone fifth place and Central American zone fifth place HON 1949 Play-off 12th 2013 Runners-up (1991) 75 Bold indicates that the corresponding team was hosting the event. Squads 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup squads An initial provisional list of 35 players had to be submitted to CONCACAF before June 7, 2015. A final list containing 23 players was to have been submitted for June 27, 2015. Three of the players named in the final list had to be goalkeepers.2015 Gold Cup Regulations http://issuu.com/concacaf2013/docs/gold_cup_regulations_2015-eng CONCACAF (via issuu.com) April 9, 2015 pdf April 7, 2015 March 15, 2016 https://web.archive.org/web/20160315031230/https://issuu.com/concacaf2013/docs/gold_cup_regulations_2015-eng dead The players named in the final list had to wear shirts numbered 1 to 23, with number 1 reserved for a goalkeeper. Teams qualifying for the quarter-final stage were permitted to replace up to six players. The replacements had to have been named on the provisional list and would be given a shirt numbered between 24 and 29. An injured player from the final list could be replaced by another from provisional list 24 hours before his national team's first game. Draw The seeded teams which headed up each group was announced on December 16, 2014: United States (Group A), Costa Rica (Group B), and Mexico (Group C). Seeded teams were determined based on November 27, 2014 FIFA rankings (shown in brackets).Men's Ranking 27 November 2014 https://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank=244/concacaf.html https://web.archive.org/web/20141208084643/http://www.fifa.com/fifa-world-ranking/ranking-table/men/rank=244/concacaf.html dead December 8, 2014 FIFA.com December 17, 2014 SeededUnseededCRC (16) MEX (20) USA (28)TRI (54) PAN (56) HAI (68)JAM (71) HON 1949 (72) GUA (73)CUB (79) SLV (93) CAN (110) The composition of the groups and the schedule of the tournament were announced by CONCACAF on March 12, 2015. Match officials Referees 22em CAN David Gantar CRC Henry Bejarano CRC Ricardo Montero CRC Wálter Quesada CUB Yadel Martínez SLV Joel Aguilar SLV Elmer Bonilla SLV Marlon Mejía GUA Walter López HON 1949 Armando Castro HON 1949 Óscar Moncada HON 1949 Héctor Rodríguez MEX Roberto García MEX Fernando Guerrero MEX César Ramos PAN John Pitti USA Mark Geiger USA Jair Marrufo Assistant referees 22em CAN Daniel Belleau CAN Philippe Brière CRC Warner Castro CRC Octavio Jara CRC Leonel Leal CUB Hiran Dopico SLV William Torres SLV Juan Zumba GUA Hermenerito Leal GUA Gersón López HON 1949 Cristian Ramírez JAM Ricardo Morgan JAM Garnet Page MEX José Luis Camargo MEX Alberto Morín PAN Daniel Williamson USA Eric Boria USA Peter Manikowski USA CJ Morgante Group stage The top two teams from each group and the two best third-placed teams qualified for the quarter-finals. All match times listed are in Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). Tiebreakers The ranking of each team in each group was determined as follows: Greatest number of points obtained in group matches Goal difference in all group matches Greatest number of goals scored in all group matches Greatest number of points obtained in group matches between the teams concerned; Drawing of lots by the Gold Cup Committee. Group A 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group A standings no_hide_class_rules A1 A2 A3 A4 A5 A6 Group B 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group B standings no_hide_class_rules B1 B2 B3 B4 B5 B6 Group C 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup Group C standings no_hide_class_rules C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 Ranking of third-placed teams main WDL complete CONCACAF T 3A 3C 3B KO KO 0 3 0 3 3 A 0 2 1 1 2 B 1 0 2 1 8 C PAN SLV CUB Q green1 Advance to knockout stage 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored; 4) drawing of lots Knockout stage 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup knockout stage Bracket Bracket Quarter-finals qf1 qf2 qf3 qf4 Semi-finals sf1 sf2 Third place play-off TP Final 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup final final Statistics Goalscorers Note: Goals scored in penalty shoot-outs are not counted towards players' goal counts or to match goal counts. 62 26 USA Clint Dempsey MEX Andrés Guardado MEX Oribe Peralta HAI Duckens Nazon JAM Darren Mattocks JAM Giles Barnes JAM Garath McCleary MEX Carlos Vela PAN Luis Tejada TRI Sheldon Bateau TRI Keron Cummings TRI Kenwyne Jones USA Michael Bradley CRC Roy Miller CRC David Ramírez CRC Bryan Ruiz CUB Maikel Reyes SLV Dustin Corea GUA Carlos Ruiz HON 1949 Carlos Discua HON 1949 Andy Najar JAM Rodolph Austin JAM Jobi McAnuff MEX Giovani dos Santos MEX Jesús Corona MEX Paul Aguilar PAN Roberto Nurse PAN Blas Pérez PAN Alberto Quintero PAN Román Torres TRI Andre Boucaud TRI Cordell Cato TRI Joevin Jones TRI Yohance Marshall USA Omar Gonzalez USA Aron Jóhannsson USA Gyasi Zardes TRI Kenwyne Jones (against Mexico) Awards The following Gold Cup awards were given at the conclusion of the tournament: the Golden Boot (top scorer), Golden Ball (best overall player) and Golden Glove (best goalkeeper).http://www.concacaf.com/article/mexicos-guardado-earns-golden-ball-award Mexico's Guardado earns Golden Ball award CONCACAF July 26, 2015 July 27, 2015 August 20, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170820202736/http://www.concacaf.com/article/mexicos-guardado-earns-golden-ball-award deadhttp://www.concacaf.com/article/usas-dempsey-wins-golden-boot-award USA's Dempsey wins Golden Boot award CONCACAF July 26, 2015 July 27, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150728220932/http://www.concacaf.com/article/usas-dempsey-wins-golden-boot-award July 28, 2015 deadhttp://www.concacaf.com/article/usas-guzan-captures-golden-glove-award USA's Guzan captures Golden Glove award CONCACAF July 26, 2015 July 27, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150728220937/http://www.concacaf.com/article/usas-guzan-captures-golden-glove-award July 28, 2015 deadhttp://www.concacaf.com/article/mexicos-corona-merits-bright-future-award Mexico's Corona merits Bright Future award CONCACAF July 26, 2015 July 27, 2015 August 20, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170820203203/http://www.concacaf.com/article/mexicos-corona-merits-bright-future-award dead Golden BallMEX Andrés Guardado Golden BootUSA Clint Dempsey7 goalsGolden GloveUSA Brad GuzanYoung Player AwardMEX Jesús CoronaFair Play TrophyJAM Team of the Tournament The following team was selected as the Team of the Tournament by Bleacher Report:CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 Team of the Tournament https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2532318-concacaf-gold-cup-2015-team-of-the-tournament Bleacher Report 27 July 2015 GoalkeeperDefendersMidfieldersForwardsUnited States Brad GuzanJamaica Kemar LawrencePanama Román TorresTrinidad and Tobago Sheldon BateauMexico Paul AguilarMexico Andrés GuardadoMexico Jonathan dos SantosJamaica Rodolph AustinJamaica Garath McClearyUnited States Clint DempseyTrinidad and Tobago Kenwyne Jones Prize money The total amount of prize money offered by CONCACAF for the tournament was US$2.75 million, with $1 million being the top prize.https://www.forbes.com/sites/mikeozanian/2015/07/07/concacaf-promises-to-pay-gold-cup-prize-money-amid-fifa-investigation/ Concacaf Promises To Pay Gold Cup Prize Money Amid FIFA Investigation Forbes July 7, 2015 July 23, 2015 Listed below is a breakdown of how the total amount was distributed: $100k – To each team eliminated in the group stage (4 teams) $125k – To each team eliminated in the quarter-finals (4 teams) $150k – Fourth placed team $200k – Third placed team $500k – Runners-up $1 mil – Winners Qualification for international tournaments The 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup was used for qualification for the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup, played in Russia, and the Copa América Centenario, played in the United States in 2016. FIFA Confederations Cup CONCACAF Cup As winners of the 2015 Gold Cup, Mexico qualified for a one-off play-off match against the United States, the winners of the 2013 Gold Cup, to decide which team would represent CONCACAF at the 2017 FIFA Confederations Cup. Mexico won the match 3–2 after extra time.http://www.concacaf.com/article/gold-cup-winner-to-qualify-to-fifa-confederations-cup-playoff-match-2 Gold Cup Winner to Qualify to FIFA Confederations Cup Playoff Match CONCACAF April 5, 2013 June 13, 2017 https://web.archive.org/web/20170613061812/http://www.concacaf.com/article/gold-cup-winner-to-qualify-to-fifa-confederations-cup-playoff-match-2 dead Copa América Centenario Copa América Centenario qualifying play-offs In addition, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti, and Cuba, being the top four teams in the tournament not already qualified, qualified for the play-offs which determined the remaining two teams to participate in the Copa América Centenario in 2016.It's official: Copa América will be held on U.S. soil in special centennial tournament in 2016 http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/05/01/copa-america-will-be-held-us-soil-in-2016 Major League Soccer May 1, 2014 September 25, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150925085225/http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/05/01/copa-america-will-be-held-us-soil-in-2016 dead The United States, Mexico, Costa Rica (winners of the 2014 Copa Centroamericana), and Jamaica (winners of the 2014 Caribbean Cup) had already qualified before the tournament, with Panama and Haiti rounding out the six representatives CONCACAF sent to the Copa América following their play-off victories over Cuba and Trinidad and Tobago, respectively. Marketing Broadcasting rights Multiple officials of Traffic Sports were identified in the 2015 FIFA corruption case, which alleged that bribes related to the 2015 Gold Cup amounted to two-thirds of the cost of staging the tournament. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/11633252/Fifa-crisis-live-South-Africa-World-Cup-bid-and-Sepp-Blatter-election-were-corrupt-FBI-alleges.html Fifa crisis live: This is the World Cup of fraud and we're issuing Fifa a red card,' say US prosecutors The Telegraph May 27, 2015 May 27, 2015 Worldwide TV broadcasting rightshttp://www.trafficsports.com/menu/pdf/english/GoldCup.pdf 2015 CONCACAF TV Broadcasting Rights TrafficSports January 2, 2014 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20140812210428/http://www.trafficsports.com/menu/pdf/english/GoldCup.pdf August 12, 2014 Country/Region Broadcaster Notes Australia Setanta Sports Azerbaijan ESPN Azerbaijan Brazil SporTV Canada Sportsnet World, Sportsnet 360, Univision Canada Simsub via Fox China LeTV Costa Rica Repretel, Teletica El Salvador Telecorporacion Salvadoreña France Ma Chaîne Sport (MCS) Guatemala Canal 3 and Canal 7 Honduras Televicentro Hong Kong iCableIDN IndonesiaOrange TV id Orange TV suphttps://selular.id/2015/07/piala-concacaf-2015-disiarkan-eksklusif-lewat-aplikasi-genflix-2-0/ Piala Concacaf 2015 Disiarkan Eksklusif Lewat Aplikasi Genflix 2.0 - Selular.ID July 11, 2015 Selular.ID October 25, 2018 en-US Latin America Gol TV Malaysia Astro Mexico Televisa, TV Azteca Middle East and North Africa Abu Dhabi Sports ChannelNetherlandsFox Sports Panama TV Nacional de Panamá, Medcom Portugal Sport TV Singapore Starhub Spain beIN Sports, Mediapro Sub-Saharan Africa Supersport Taiwan Sportcast Thailand Grammy United KingdomRepublic of Ireland BT Sport,http://sport.bt.com/live-football-on-bt-sport-S11376627423099 Live football on BT Sport BT Sport July 3, 2015 July 5, 2015Setanta Sports (ROI only) Bet365 (online streaming) United States Fox (English) Univision (Spanish) Symbols Music "You Are Unstoppable" by Austrian singer Conchita Wurst was the official anthem for the tournament.http://semananews.com/news/2015/jun/24/datos-interesantes-de-la-copa-oro-de-la-cocacaf-20/ https://web.archive.org/web/20200907144915/http://semananews.com/news/2015/jun/24/datos-interesantes-de-la-copa-oro-de-la-cocacaf-20/ usurped September 7, 2020 Datos interesantes de la Copa Oro de la Cocacaf 2015 Semana News es "All the Way" by Reykon featuring Bebe Rexha was used for Univision's coverage of the tournament.http://futbol.univision.com/copa-oro/videos/video/2015-05-29/reykon-y-bebe-cantan-el Reykon y Bebe Rexha cantan la canción ofical de Univision para la Copa Oro Univision May 29, 2015 esSeptember 2018 InternetArchiveBot yes Awolnation's "I Am" was used for Fox's coverage. Controversies Jamaican players' strike On July 6, the Jamaica national team refused to attend a 7 pm practice session at the StubHub Center because of a strike over bonus fees.https://www.vice.com/en/article/the-reggae-boyz-refuse-to-practice-before-gold-cup-game/ The Reggae Boyz refuse to practice before Gold Cup game Vice Sports July 8, 2015 Liam Daniel Pierce July 15, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150716132959/https://sports.vice.com/en_us/highlight/the-reggae-boyz-refuse-to-practice-before-gold-cup-game July 16, 2015 live The next day, Jamaica Football Federation president Horace Burrell announced the situation had been "settled", and thanked the players for backing down.GOLD CUP FOOTBALL: 'All Has Been Settled' - Captain Burrell https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/sports/20150707/gold-cup-football-all-has-been-settled-captain-burrell Gleaner July 23, 2015 July 7, 2015 Cuban defections Cuba forward Keiler García defected to the United States in Chicago on July 8, the day before his team's opening match against Mexico at Soldier Field. He did not show up for the team breakfast in the hotel and was absent from the subsequent training session.https://www.voanoticias.com/content/deportes-copa-oro-deserta-futbolista-cubano/2854807.html Deserta futbolista cubano en Copa Oro Voz de América July 9, 2015 August 30, 2016 es Defecting Cuban footballer in Gold Cup Because of problems obtaining US visas for players and staff, and the defection of García, Cuba only had sixteen players available for their opener.Keilen García desertó de la selección de Cuba Keilen García deserts the Cuban national team http://futbol.univision.com/article/2394482/2015-07-08/copa-oro/cuba/keilen-garcia-deserto-de-la Univision July 9, 2015 es July 8, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150710083943/http://futbol.univision.com/article/2394482/2015-07-08/copa-oro/cuba/keilen-garcia-deserto-de-la July 10, 2015 dead Arael Argüellez also defected in Chicago after being visited in the hotel by friends, failing to turn up for the national team's flight to Phoenix for their second match against Trinidad and Tobago.Deserta otro jugador cubano en Chicago http://miami.univision.com/noticias/article/2015-07-10/deserta-otro-jugador-cubano-en Univision July 12, 2015 es July 10, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150713063055/http://miami.univision.com/noticias/article/2015-07-10/deserta-otro-jugador-cubano-en July 13, 2015 dead On July 14, Darío Suárez did not return from his trip to a supermarket prior to Cuba's match against Guatemala in Charlotte.Tercer desertor cubano en la Copa Oro http://futbol.univision.com/article/2402298/2015-07-15/copa-oro/tercer-desertor-cubano-en-la Univision July 23, 2015 es July 15, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150723061152/http://futbol.univision.com/article/2402298/2015-07-15/copa-oro/tercer-desertor-cubano-en-la July 23, 2015 dead Later the same day, midfielder Ariel Martínez was reported in tears on the team bus returning to the hotel following Cuba's 1–0 victory, which qualified them for the quarter-finals. Upon arrival, Martínez reportedly exited the bus, said goodbye to the coach, and then ran off into the night.Ariel Martínez también abandona la selección de Cuba en la Copa Oro http://futbol.univision.com/article/2403018/2015-07-16/copa-oro/cuba/ariel-martinez-tambien-abandona Univision July 23, 2015 es July 16, 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150723184457/http://futbol.univision.com/article/2403018/2015-07-16/copa-oro/cuba/ariel-martinez-tambien-abandona July 23, 2015 Cuban US visa issues Cuba's opening match against Mexico was affected by United States visa issues. Cuba head coach Raúl González and six players (Adrián Diz, Arichel Hernandez, Daniel Luis, Andy Vaquero, Maikel Reyes and Sandy Sánchez) were unable to enter the United States before the match, which took place on the third day of the competition. They had all recently been involved in the 2015 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship qualification tournament in Antigua and Barbuda, and it had caused some administration issues. Arichel Hernández ended up not entering the United States at all due to the visa problems.Deserta segundo jugador de Cuba en la Copa de Oro http://feeds.univision.com/feeds/article/2015-07-12/deserta-segundo-jugador-de-cuba?refPath=/futbol Univision July 23, 2015 es July 12, 2015 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150723184647/http://feeds.univision.com/feeds/article/2015-07-12/deserta-segundo-jugador-de-cuba?refPath=%2Ffutbol July 23, 2015 Controversial refereeing Mexico vs Costa Rica During extra time of the quarter-final between Mexico and Costa Rica and with the match scoreless, head referee Walter López awarded a penalty for Mexico in the final minute of stoppage time, after assistant referee Eric Boria reported seeing a push by Costa Rican defender Roy Miller on Oribe Peralta in the penalty area. Mexico's Andrés Guardado scored the penalty, eliminating Costa Rica.Monforte Felipe Así fue el escandaloso penalti que clasificó a México This was the scandalous penalty which sent Mexico through https://www.marca.com/2015/07/20/futbol/copa-oro/1437373066.html July 23, 2015 Marca es July 20, 2015 Daniel Jiménez of La Nación described the elimination as "a theft";Jiménez Daniel Robo arbitral elimina a Costa Rica de la Copa Oro Refereeing theft eliminates Costa Rica from the Gold Cup https://www.nacion.com/deportes/seleccion-nacional/Seleccion_Nacional-Seleccion_de_Mexico-Copa_Oro_0_1500650028.html July 23, 2015 La Nación es July 19, 2015 however, Costa Rica manager Paulo Wanchope defended the call, saying "he [the referee] is human. He saw something in the area and that's why he called the penalty."Costa Rica manager Paulo Wanchope reacts to last-minute loss vs. Mexico in Gold Cup quarters http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2015/07/20/costa-rica-manager-paulo-wanchope-reacts-to-last-minute-loss-vs-mexico-in-gold-cup-quarters/ July 23, 2015 NBC Sports July 20, 2015 Miller himself claimed Peralta's reaction was "exaggerated" and that there had only been minimal contact between them.VIDEO: Roy Miller sobre el penal: "Se tira, exagera Oribe Peralta" Roy Miller on penalty: "Oribe Peralta exaggerated" https://www.diez.hn/internacionales/860807-99/roy-miller-sobre-el-penal-se-tira-exagera-oribe-peralta July 23, 2015 Diez es July 20, 2015 In an interview conceded to Prensa Libre on July 23, Wálter López admitted that the call was mistaken, alleging that "due to my position on the field, I was unable to properly see the action. It was my assistant who helped me".López: No era penal https://www.prensalibre.com/PrensaLibreTV/DetalleTV/431991 July 24, 2015 Prensa Libre es July 23, 2015Navas Samuel Walter López lo admite, no era penal para México http://www.foxdeportes.com/copa-oro/story/walter-lopez-lo-admite-no-era-penal-para-mexico/ July 24, 2015 Fox Deportes es July 23, 2015 August 3, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150803185503/http://www.foxdeportes.com/copa-oro/story/walter-lopez-lo-admite-no-era-penal-para-mexico/ dead Panama vs Mexico In the semi-final between Mexico and Panama, American referee Mark Geiger was involved in multiple disputed calls during the match in favor of Mexico. Firstly, he showed a dubious red card to Panama forward Luis Tejada in the 25th minute, after Tejada's arm caught Mexican defender Francisco Rodríguez in the face during an aerial duel.https://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/24/sports/soccer/messy-mexico-panama-semifinal-worthy-of-concacaf.html?_r=0 Messy Mexico-Panama Semifinal Leaves a Stain on Concacaf The New York Times July 23, 2015 July 23, 2015 Wednesday's semifinal between Mexico and Panama provided another low moment as Mark Geiger, an American referee, lost control of the match. Later, as a ten-man Panama was a minute away from winning the match 1–0, he also awarded Mexico a controversial penalty kick for a handball;Watch: Penalty call sets up Mexico go-ahead goal in win vs. Panama https://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2015/07/23/gold-cup-mexico-panama-video-andres-guardado-penalty-goal July 23, 2015 Sports Illustrated July 23, 2015 while defending in the penalty area against Mexican midfielder Carlos Esquivel, Panama captain Román Torres lost balance and fell backwards on the ball, touching it with his hand.https://www.businessinsider.com/gold-cup-panama-mexico-penalty-2015-7 Panama got screwed by a bogus 89th-minute penalty against Mexico and then went ballistic July 23, 2015 Business Insider The decision to award the penalty, questionably deemed as a deliberate handling of the ball,Laws of the Game https://www.fifa.com/development/education-and-technical/referees/laws-of-the-game.html https://web.archive.org/web/20150503235320/http://www.fifa.com/development/education-and-technical/referees/laws-of-the-game.html dead May 3, 2015 July 23, 2015 FIFA February 28, 2015 outraged the Panama team, who walked off the field and threatened to abandon the match.Jugadores de Panamá mostraron sentirse robados Panama players showed how they felt robbed http://www.record.com.mx/articulo/noticias/4254614/copa-oro+mexico/jugadores-de-panama-abandonan-el-campo-tras-polemico-penalti July 23, 2015 Récord es July 22, 2015 July 23, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150723150502/http://www.record.com.mx/articulo/noticias/4254614/copa-oro+mexico/jugadores-de-panama-abandonan-el-campo-tras-polemico-penalti dead While the players were involved in a long scuffle with the officials, coaches, and other players on the sidelines, the fans repeatedly pelted them with beer glasses and other objects. Panama would return to the field after approximately ten minutes. Andrés Guardado scored the penalty and forced the match into extra time, which Mexico subsequently won after Guardado converted a second awarded penalty.Con polémica: México venció a Panamá y jugará final de Copa Oro Mexico defeat Panama and will play in the Gold Cup Final http://elcomercio.pe/deporte-total/futbol-mundial/mexico-vs-panama-juegan-semifinal-copa-oro-2015-noticia-1827553 July 23, 2015 AFC El Comercio es July 22, 2015 After the final whistle, the Panamanian players and coaching staff ran en masse on the pitch towards the referees, who had to be escorted off the field by security.https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2015/7/23/9019683/panama-players-storm-after-referee-following-controversial-gold-cup Panama players storm after referee following controversial Gold Cup loss SB Nation July 23, 2015http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/pro-sports/gold-cup-semifinal-at-dome-turns-chaotic/nm5Y5/ Gold Cup semifinal at Dome turns chaotic AJC July 23, 2015 July 24, 2015 July 27, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150727075454/http://www.ajc.com/news/sports/pro-sports/gold-cup-semifinal-at-dome-turns-chaotic/nm5Y5/ dead Guardado later stated in an interview that it hurt to take the penalty and he considered missing the kick on purpose, but "had to be professional".http://www.cbssports.com/general/eye-on-sports/25248026/panama-almost-walks-off-field-after-questionable-pk-given-to-mexico Mexico's Guardado thought about missing penalty kick on purpose July 22, 2015 CBS Sports Mexico coach Miguel Herrera argued there was no reason for Guardado to purposely miss the kick, referencing the controversial decision to award a late penalty to the Netherlands against Mexico at the 2014 World Cup. "I didn't hear that question in the World Cup when we were knocked out for a penalty that wasn't", he said. "It seems that only Mexico should declare itself guilty."https://www.espnfc.us/concacaf-gold-cup/59/blog/post/2532801/mexico-panama-gold-cup-penalty-controversy Mexico reach Gold Cup final but Panama furious after penalty call ESPN FC July 23, 2015 Following the semi-finals, the football associations of both Panama and Costa Rica released respective statements on their websites regarding the controversies, and requested the removal of the CONCACAF referee committee members.De Gracia Adán FEPAFUT exige remoción integral de la Comisión Arbitral de la CONCACAF http://www.fepafut.com/noticias_detail.asp?id=4314 Panamanian Football Federation es July 22, 2015 July 24, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150724113539/http://www.fepafut.com/noticias_detail.asp?id=4314 July 24, 2015 deadhttp://fedefutbolcr.com/fedefutbol-exige-cambios-en-concacaf/ FEDEFUTBOL exige cambios en CONCACAF Costa Rican Football Federation July 23, 2015 es July 24, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150724112133/http://fedefutbolcr.com/fedefutbol-exige-cambios-en-concacaf/ July 24, 2015 dead CONCACAF announced that they would discuss the matter at their executive committee meeting.https://www.concacaf.com/article/concacaf-statement-regarding-official-requests-from-costa-rica-football-federation-and-panama-football-federation CONCACAF Statement regarding official requests from Costa Rica Football Federation and Panama Football Federation CONCACAF July 24, 2015 On July 24, the CONCACAF Disciplinary Committee suspended Panamanian goalkeeper Jaime Penedo for two matches for insulting the referee. This meant he would miss Panama's third-place play-off as well as their upcoming 2018 World Cup qualifier in November. On top of his one-match red card suspension, Tejada was also suspended for an additional match for insulting the referee.https://www.rpctv.com/copaoro/noticias/Penedo-suspendido-partidos-dolares-multa_0_828217897.html Jaime Penedo suspendido dos partidos y 15 mil dólares de multa a Panamá RPCTV es July 24, 2015 Panama team banner Following their semi-final defeat against Mexico, the Panamanian players reunited in their locker room and brandished a banner which read "CONCACAF Ladrones ("CONCACAF thieves") and three times "Corruptos" ("corrupt"), while pointing thumbs down in protest. The image was then circulated on Twitter.Tras polémica con Tri, Panamá llama 'ladrones corruptos' a CONCACAF After controversy against the Tri, Panama call CONCACAF 'corrupted thieves' https://espndeportes.espn.com/news/story/_/id/2428897/tras-polemica-con-tri-panama-llama-ladrones-corruptos-a-concacaf July 23, 2015 ESPN es July 22, 2015 The CONCACAF Disciplinary Committee subsequently fined the Panamanian Football Federation $15,000 for this display. Tournament organization United States captain Michael Bradley criticized the organization of the tournament, commenting that there was too much traveling involved for teams and the stadiums had poor playing surfaces, while questioning the need for the two best third-placed teams to qualify to the next round.http://www.futmexsource.com/herrera-criticized-gold-cup-organization/ Herrera Criticized Gold Cup Organization FutMexSource July 21, 2015 July 25, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150721222013/http://www.futmexsource.com/herrera-criticized-gold-cup-organization/ July 21, 2015 dead Mexico head coach Miguel Herrera was also critical of the travel arrangements, stating: "It's a disorder in the airplanes, having rival teams on the same flight, with so much people from CONCACAF, we were all squeezed in, we didn't even have room for our luggage, there was no room for our baggage, Mexico has been transporting their luggage on road and that's how we have been working". Both Herrera and Bradley were fined by CONCACAF for their comments.http://www.concacaf.com/es/article/concacaf-gold-cup-disciplinary-committee-levies-sanctions-in-mexico-panama-and-united-states-cases El Comité Disciplinario de la Copa Oro Impone Sanciones a México, Panamá y Estados Unidos CONCACAF es July 25, 2015 https://web.archive.org/web/20150728000934/http://www.concacaf.com/es/article/concacaf-gold-cup-disciplinary-committee-levies-sanctions-in-mexico-panama-and-united-states-cases July 28, 2015 dead Notes References External links CONCACAF Gold Cup https://web.archive.org/web/20150725012351/http://www.concacaf.com/category/gold-cup July 25, 2015 , CONCACAF.com 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup CONCACAF Gold Cup CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup CONCACAF Gold Cup Category:July 2015 sports events in the United States Category:July 2015 sports events in Canada