The 2011 CONCACAF Gold Cup began on Sunday. On Tuesday, it will come to Ford Field as Group C plays its first set of games. The two matches set to take place at Ford Field are Panama vs. Guadeloupe (6 p.m.) and the United States vs. Canada (8 p.m.).
The United States lost an international friendly to Spain, 4-0, on Saturday. In order to shake off the loss and get ready for Tuesday's match with Canada, the U.S. Men's National Team practiced on Sunday at the Detroit Lions' training facility in Allen Park (Guadeloupe also practiced there). The fields were converted from football to soccer, and thanks to the NFL lockout, they were in "great shape because no one’s been on them."
Just as the USMNT is getting ready for Tuesday, so is Ford Field. Grass is being installed for the two matches, just like grass was installed at the Silverdome when the 1994 World Cup came to the United States. It's amazing that an entire soccer field of grass can be installed in just a few days, but 95,000 square feet of sod was brought in and will be ready to go on Tuesday.
Hopefully United States player Landon Donovan will also be ready to go on Tuesday. He missed the friendly on Saturday because of an undisclosed illness, but he expects to be fine by the time the U.S. takes on Canada on Tuesday.