HART DESCRIBES GROUP C AS 'TRICKY'
Trinidad and Tobago’s Senior Men’s Team will open their 2015 CONCACAF Cup against Guatemala in Chicago on July 9th.
This was determined at the official draw for the competition in Philadelphia which was attended by Senior Team head coach Stephen Hart.
T&T will face the Guatemalans at Soldier Field in Chicago on July 9th in the opening match of a Group C double header which will see Mexico taking on Cuba in the second outing.
T&T then faces Cuba on July 12th at the Phoenix Stadium in Phoenix and Mexico on July 15th at the Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.
Hart who also attended a CONCACAF workshop in Philadelphia on Thursday, described T&T’s group as a “tricky” one.
“This is the sixth Gold Cup I will be involved in. My experience is that on paper versus the field are two different matters. The group must be respected and is a tricky one, especially facing Mexico in the last game,” Hart told TTFA Media.
“The opening game is crucial, we must strive for consistency and get into the knock out phase. It is important to prepare well and be in good moments individually and collectively. This is also part of the overall process of preparing for the 2018 World Cup qualification which begins for us in November.
“Between now and July, I will continue have a look at the best available players to make up our squad. The Panama game this month will be ideal to provide an opportunity for potential players to fight for selection. Obviously I will continue to scout the leagues so the challenge for players is to strive for consistency.
“I expect the tournament to live up to its usual expectations and of course we will give every effort to ensure our performance is a solid one,” Hart added.
For the first time since the 2003 edition, the Cup will feature a Third-Place Match, to be played on Saturday, July 25 at PPL Park – one day prior to the grand finale at the same venue on Philadelphia.
The Toyota Stadium in the greater Dallas Metroplex will host the opening games of the 2015 CONCACAF Cup on Tuesday, July 7, featuring reigning 
Cup champion United States against the winner of the Honduras v French Guiana play-in series later this month, preceded by Panama v Haiti to kick off the evening.
Costa Rica leads Group B, which commences the following day in Los Angeles, where the 2014 World Cup quarterfinalists take on Jamaica, followed by El Salvador versus Canada later in the evening at the StubHub Center. Six-time Cup champion
The 2015 Gold Cup quarterfinals will be played in Baltimore's M&T Bank Stadium and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, on Saturday, July 18 and Sunday, July 19, respectively. The victorious quarterfinalists then move to Atlanta for the semifinals, at the Georgia Dome on Wednesday, July 22, before the tournament’s Grand Finale weekend in Philadelphia.
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