Johnny Cardoso of the United States strikes the ball in a match against Switzerland this month. Photo: Carly Mackler/USSF/Getty Images
Austin's Q2 Stadium will host three matches in theCONCACAFGold Cup tournament to crown the best men's national soccer team in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
Driving the news: The three-week biennial tournament kicked off over the weekend.
Austin hosts its first match Thursday, as the U.S. takes on Saudi Arabia, in a group that includes Haiti and Trinidad and Tobago. (Yesterday the U.S. defeated Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 and Saudi Arabia beat Haiti 1-0, in matches played in California.)
Q2 also is hosting Guatemala-Panama (Friday) and Panama-Jamaica (June 24).
The intrigue: Saudi Arabia ... checks map ... is not on this side of the globe.
The nation is CONCACAF's official "invited guest" at the tournament.
Saudi Arabia's state-owned sovereign wealth fund is a big investor in CONCACAF, part of the nation's larger effort to burnish its global image through sports.
How to watch: The Gold Cup tournament airs on FS1 in English and TUDN and ViX in Spanish.
