1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup
The 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup was the fourth edition of the Gold Cup, the soccer championship of North America, Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF).
| CONCACAF Championship | |
|---|---|
| Tournament details | |
| Host country | United States |
| Dates | February 1–15 |
| Teams | 10 (from 2 confederations) |
| Venue(s) | 3 (in 3 host cities) |
| Final positions | |
| Champions |  Mexico (3rd title) |
| Runners-up |  United States |
| Third place |  Brazil |
| Fourth place |  Jamaica |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 16 |
| Goals scored | 44 (2.75 per match) |
| Top scorer(s) | Luis Hernández Paulo Wanchope(4 goals each) |
| Best player(s) | Kasey Keller |
The tournament was once again held in the United States, in Los Angeles, Miami, and Oakland. The format of the tournament changed from 1996: it was expanded to ten teams, with four in Group A and three each in Groups B and C. The top team in each group, plus the second place in Group A would advance to the semifinals. Brazil was invited again, and brought their senior team this time.
Jamaica, getting ready for the 1998 World Cup, pulled the stunner of the first round. They did not originally qualify for the tournament, but Canada withdrew, granting them a spot. Jamaica then topped Group A over Brazil (they tied the South Americans 0–0). In the semi-finals, the United States beat Brazil, as Preki scored the lone goal and Kasey Keller preserved the clean sheet. The United States could not repeat that performance in front of a pro-Mexican final crowd in Los Angeles. Mexico won their third straight Gold Cup, 1–0, on a Luis Hernández goal.
Qualified teams
| Team | Qualification | Appearances | Last appearance | Previous best performance | FIFA Ranking[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North American zone | |||||
| Mexico (TH) |
Automatic | 4th | 1996 | Champions (1993,1996) | 5 |
| United States |
Automatic | 4th | 1996 | Champions (1991) | 28 |
| Caribbean zone qualified through the 1997 Caribbean Cup | |||||
 Trinidad and Tobago |
Winners | 3rd | 1996 | Group stage (1991, 1996) | 56 |
| Jamaica[pn 1] |
Third Place | 3rd | 1993 | Third Place (1993) | 39 |
 Cuba |
Playoff | 1st | None | Debut | 88 |
| Central American zone qualified through the 1997 UNCAF Nations Cup | |||||
| Costa Rica |
Winners | 3rd | 1993 | Third Place (1993) | 51 |
 Guatemala |
Runners-up | 3rd | 1996 | Fourth Place (1996) | 83 |
 El Salvador |
Third Place | 2nd | 1996 | Group stage (1996) | 64 |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Honduras |
Fourth Place | 4th | 1996 | Runners-up (1991) | 73 |
| Other | |||||
| Brazil |
Invitation | 2nd | 1996 | Runners-up (1996) | 1 |
Notes:
- Canada withdrew and was replaced by Jamaica
Qualification play-off
A playoff between Cuba, the runner-up from the 1996 Caribbean Cup and Saint Kitts and Nevis, the runner-up from the 1997 Caribbean Cup, was held to determine which nation would qualify for the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Venues
| Los Angeles | Oakland | Miami |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Orange Bowl |
| Capacity: 93,607 | Capacity: 63,026 | Capacity: 74,476 |
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 |
 |
Squads
The 10 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of 20 players; only players in these squads were eligible to take part in the tournament.
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jamaica |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 2 | +3 | 7 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Brazil |
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 5 | |
| 3 | Guatemala |
3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | −1 | 2 | |
| 4 | El Salvador |
3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | −6 | 1 |
| El Salvador | 0–0 | Guatemala |
|---|---|---|
| Report |
| Jamaica | 2–0 | El Salvador |
|---|---|---|
Gayle  41'Simpson 62' |
Report |
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | +4 | 6 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Trinidad and Tobago |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | |
| 3 | Honduras |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | −4 | 0 |
| Mexico | 4–2 | Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|---|
| Ramírez 37' Hernández 63', 82'Palencia 65' |
Report | Marcelle 59' Nixon 75' |
Group C
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | +4 | 6 | Advance to Knockout stage |
| 2 | Costa Rica |
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 4 | +4 | 3 | |
| 3 | Cuba |
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | −8 | 0 |
| Costa Rica | 7–2 | Cuba |
|---|---|---|
| Berry 3' Wanchope 21', 32', 64', 78'López 29' (pen.)Myers 44' |
Report | Martén 50' Sebrango 90' |
| United States | 2–1 | Costa Rica |
|---|---|---|
| Pope 7' Preki 78' |
Report | Oviedo 56' |
Knockout stage
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | |||||
| February 10 – Los Angeles | ||||||
| United States | 1 | |||||
| February 15 – Los Angeles | ||||||
| Brazil | 0 | |||||
| United States | 0 | |||||
| February 12 - Los Angeles | ||||||
| Mexico | 1 | |||||
| Jamaica | 0 | |||||
| Mexico | 1 | |||||
| Third place | ||||||
| February 14 – Los Angeles | ||||||
| Brazil | 1 | |||||
| Jamaica | 0 | |||||
Semi-finals
| United States | 1–0 | Brazil |
|---|---|---|
| Preki 65' |
Report |
Third place match
| Brazil | 1–0 | Jamaica |
|---|---|---|
| Romário 77' |
Report |
Final
| United States | 0–1 | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| Report | Hernández 43' |
Statistics
Goalscorers
4 goals
3 goals
2 goals
1 goal
Awards
Winners
| 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup winners |
|---|
Mexico Third title |
Individual awards
| Top Scorer | Most Valuable Player |
|---|---|
| Paulo Wanchope Luis Hernández |
Kasey Keller |
| Best XI | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Defenders | Midfielders | Forwards |
| Kasey Keller |
Eddie Pope Claudio Suárez Ze María |
Ramón Ramírez Preki Paul Hall Cuauhtémoc Blanco |
Edmundo Romário Paulo Wanchope |
References
- "The FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking". FIFA. December 23, 1997. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved March 9, 2021.