Canada at the CONCACAF Gold Cup

The CONCACAF Gold Cup is North America's major tournament in senior men's soccer and determines the continental champion. Until 1989, the tournament was known as CONCACAF Championship. It is currently held every two years. From 1996 to 2005, nations from other confederations have regularly joined the tournament as invitees. In earlier editions, the continental championship was held in different countries, but since the inception of the Gold Cup in 1991, the United States are constant hosts or co-hosts. Since then it has expanded to more countries in North America.[1]

Central defender Jason de Vos was captain of the 2000 Gold Cup winning team, scored in the final against Colombia and was voted into the Best XI.

From 1973 to 1989, the tournament doubled as the confederation's World Cup qualification. CONCACAF's representative team at the FIFA Confederations Cup was decided by a play-off between the winners of the last two tournament editions in 2015 via the CONCACAF Cup, but was then discontinued along with the Confederations Cup.

Since the inaugural tournament in 1963, the Gold Cup was held 25 times and has been won by seven different nations, most often by Mexico (11 titles).

Canada have entered the tournament for the first time in 1973, and qualified for 16 tournaments since then. Often, they qualified automatically. Once, in 2015, Canada co-hosted the tournament. However, only two Group matches were played in Toronto, and the rest at different venues within the United States.

Canada is one of only four teams to have won the continental championship more than once. They won their first title in 1985, a year in which the tournament doubled as CONCACAF's qualification phase for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.[2] The second title was won in 2000, when Canada beat invitees Colombia 2–0 in the final in Los Angeles.[3]

Record at the CONCACAF Championship/Gold Cup
CONCACAF Championship
Year Result Position Pld W T L GF GA
1963Did Not Enter
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973Did Not Qualify
1977Fourth Place4th521278
1981Fourth Place4th513166
1985Champions1st8530114
1989Did Not Qualify
CONCACAF Gold Cup
1991Group Stage6th310269
1993Group Stage6th3021311
1996Group Stage5th210145
1998Withdrew
2000Champions1st532073
2002Third Place3rd522154
2003Group Stage9th210112
2005Group Stage9th310224
2007Semi-Final3rd530295
2009Quarter-Final5th421143
2011Group Stage9th311123
2013Group Stage11th301203
2015Group Stage10th302101
2017Quarter-Final6th412165
2019Quarter-Final5th4202146
2021 Qualified
Total17/255/27672620218782

1985 CONCACAF Championship

The 1985 Championship was played over a seven-month period. The nine teams played in three round-robin groups. The three winners played the final round-robin group in August and September.[4]

Thanks to Canada's away win in Honduras three weeks earlier, Canada was one point ahead in the group table before the final match. This meant the winner would win the tournament and qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Considering the following 2–1 victory over Honduras came hand-in-hand with Canada's first and only World Cup qualification, it can be considered Canada's greatest success in soccer history. However, they managed to avoid the "big two", Mexico and the United States, because Mexico did not participate as hosts of the 1986 World Cup and the U.S. were eliminated by Costa Rica in the first round.[5]

At the World Cup the following year, Canada was eliminated after three defeats in the Group Stage to France, Hungary and the Soviet Union.[6]

Match Overview
Round Opponent Score Result Venue Scorers
First Round Haiti2–0WVictoria, CanadaI. Vrablic, M. Sweeney
 Guatemala2–1WVictoria, CanadaD. Mitchell (2)
 Guatemala1–1DGuatemala City, GuatemalaD. Mitchell
 Haiti2–0WPort-au-Prince, HaitiD. Mitchell, I. Vrablic
Final Round Costa Rica1–1DToronto, CanadaP. James
 Honduras1–0WTegucigalpa, HondurasG. Pakos
 Costa Rica0–0DSan José, Costa Rica
 Honduras2–1WSt John's, CanadaG. Pakos, I. Vrablic

2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup

At the 2000 Gold Cup, twelve nations were divided into four groups of three teams, the first two of which would qualify for the knock-out matches. With Colombia, Peru and South Korea, three Non-CONCACAF-members participated as invitees.

After all three matches of Canada's Group D ended as draws, a coin toss was needed to determine whether Canada or South Korea would advance to the knockout stage. Canada won the toss and eventually the tournament, eliminating Mexico on the way and winning the final 2–0 against Colombia.[7][8]

The title victory allowed Canada to represent CONCACAF at the 2001 Confederations Cup, where they were eliminated in the Group Stage.[9]

Match Overview
Round Opponent Score Result Venue Scorers
Group Stage Costa Rica2–2DSan Diego, United StatesC. Corazzin (2)
 South Korea0–0DLos Angeles, United States
Quarter Final Mexico2–1 (a.e.t.)WSan Diego, United StatesC. Corazzin, R. Hastings
Semi-Final Trinidad and Tobago1–0WLos Angeles, United StatesM. Watson
Final Colombia2–0WLos Angeles, United StatesJ. de Vos, C. Corazzin

References
  1. "CONCACAF expands Gold Cup to 16 teams". ESPN.com. 2018-02-26. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  2. Canada Soccer (2012-06-02), Moment 2: Canada wins CONCACAF Gold Cup, retrieved 2019-02-21
  3. "gold-cup-fifteen-years-after-historic-title-why-do-canada-continue-lag-behind".
  4. "Canada ready to make mark at 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup | Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  5. "CCCF and Concacaf Championships". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  6. July 1, CBC Sports ·; 2010. "Remembering Canada's '86 World Cup team | CBC Sports". CBC. Retrieved 2019-02-21.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. "Canadian Champions Look Back On The 2000 Gold Cup". MLS Multiplex. 2015-07-16. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  8. "CONCACAF Championship, Gold Cup 2000". www.rsssf.com. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  9. "Moment 2: Canada wins CONCACAF Gold Cup | Canada Soccer". www.canadasoccer.com. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
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