Mexico leads Gold Cup schedule at Oakland Coliseum

Darren Sabedra
Mercury News

The struggling Mexican national soccer team will open Gold Cup play Sunday at the Oakland Coliseum against Nicaragua.

The match will be the second game of a doubleheader in Group C. In the first game, which begins at 2 p.m., Panama will meet Guadeloupe.

The United States, the defending Gold Cup champion, plays its opener in Group B on Saturday in Seattle against Grenada.

The final of the 12-team event, which features teams from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, is July 26 at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Mexico is aiming to regain its old form before it resumes World Cup qualifying Aug. 12 against the United States in Mexico City. El Tri is fourth in the CONCACAF standings — behind Costa Rica, the U.S. and Honduras — and only the top three are guaranteed a spot in next summer's World Cup.

More than 25,000 tickets have been sold for Sunday's doubleheader at the Coliseum, which has a capacity of 47,000 for this event. Tickets, with prices ranging from $20 to $75, can be purchased at www.goldcup.org, www.tickets.com or by calling 1-800-225-2277.