Philadelphia won't host games in 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup

The list of venues for the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup has been published, and for the second consecutive tournament, Philadelphia is not included.

North America's signature regional tournament for national teams has not come here since the 2009 edition, when Lincoln Financial Field hosted a quarterfinal doubleheader.

A total of 13 venues will host games this summer. Some are tournament stalwarts, such as the Rose Bowl and Soldier Field. Others are new, such as Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah and JELD-WEN Field in Portland, Oregon.

Although Philadelphia won't be hosting games, three venues are within easy reach of this region: M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Md.; Red Bull Arena in Harrison, N.J.; and Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.

Five of the venues have artificial surfaces: M&T Bank Stadium, JELD-WEN Field, Seattle's CenturyLink Field, Dallas' Cowboys Stadium and Atlanta's Georgia Dome.

It's highly lightly that the venues in Baltimore, Dallas (or properly Arlington) and Atlanta will have temporary natural grass surfaces installed. But that won't happen in Seattle or Portland, even though both cities have tremendous soccer fan bases.

Timbers owner Merritt Paulson has said in the past that he is unwilling to install a temporary field in the stadium, and the Seattle Times' Joshua Mayers reported after Wednesday morning's announcement that Seattle's Gold Cup games will be played on turf.

Though temporary grass is often preferred to FieldTurf and other artificial surfaces, installing a natural surface comes with its own risk. Unless the grass system has time to settle in the venue - around two weeks is optimal - it can easily get torn up during a game.

Both JELD-WEN Field and CenturyLink Field meet FIFA's specifications for turf venues.

Here is the full list of venues for this year's Gold Cup, which will run from July 7 to July 28. CONCACAF has not yet announced which stadiums will host which matches. That information will come in mid-to-late March, according to the Washington Post's Steven Goff.

But if history is any indication, expect Chicago to host elimination-round games and either the Rose Bowl or Cowboys Stadium to host the final.

- M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, Md.
- Red Bull Arena, Harrison, N.J.
- Rentschler Field, East Hartford, Conn.
- Sun Life Stadium, Miami, Fla.
- The Georgia Dome, Atlanta, Ga.

- Soldier Field, Chicago, Ill.
- BBVA Compass Stadium, Houston, Texas
- Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colo.
- Rio Tinto Stadium, Sandy, Utah

- CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.
- JELD-WEN Field, Portland, Ore.
- The Rose Bowl, Pasadena, Calif.