Los Angeles, USA, Apr 10 (EFE).- The United States, reigning Gold Cup champions, were paired in Group D on Wednesday together with Panama, Trinidad and Tobago and debutant Guyana at the draw for the fifteenth edition of the CONCACAF national soccer teams tournament.
The four groups of the first edition of the Gold Cup to be played with 16 teams in the tournament history, were formed at the draw on Wednesday at the Banc of California Stadium in Los Angeles, headquarters of the LAFC team, which plays in the Major League Soccer (MLS).
Mexico, meanwhile, will enter the series in Group A, with Canada, Cuba and Martinique as rivals.
The Costa Rica team leads Group B with the teams of Haiti, Nicaragua and Bermuda, while Group C is composed of Honduras, Jamaica, El Salvador and Curacao.
The 2019 Gold Cup will see the debut of the Bermuda and Guyana teams, while the United States are clear favorites to retain the title, other favorites are Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica, the latter finished runners-up last time in 2017.
As the group stage venues are now shared with Costa Rica and Jamaica, this will be the first time that the tournament is played outside the United States, Mexico and Canada.
In the United States, there will be 13 different venues in 15 stadiums. Houston will have group matches at BBVA Compass Stadium and NRG Stadium, where one of the quarterfinals will be played between the Group A champion and the second of Group B.
Los Angeles will host group games at the Banc of California Stadium and the inaugural match will be played at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena on Jun. 15, with the meeting between the teams from Mexico and Cuba in Group A.
The grand final will be held at the legendary Soldier Field in Chicago on Jul. 7. The draw for the 2019 Gold Cup were:
Group A: Mexico, Canada, Martinique and Cuba.
Group B: Costa Rica, Haiti, Nicaragua and Bermuda.
Group C: Honduras, Jamaica, El Salvador and Curacao.
Group D: United States, Panama, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana.