U-23 USMNT to Face Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Mexico at 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
USA Aims for First Olympic Berth Since 2008, Kicks Off Tournament on March 20 vs. Costa Rica in Guadalajara, Mexico
CHICAGO (Jan. 9, 2020)—The U.S. Under-23 Men’s National Team will face Costa Rica, Dominican Republic and Mexico in Group A at the upcoming 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship, set to take place from March 20 to April 1 in Guadalajara, Mexico. The draw for the competition took place today at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, one of two venues for the tournament.
The USA will open the Olympic Qualifying Championship on Friday, March 20 vs. Costa Rica, face Dominican Republic on Monday, March 23 and wrap up the group stage against Mexico on Thursday, March 26.
2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship
Group A – USA Schedule
|
Date |
Match-up |
|
Friday, March 20 |
USA vs. Costa Rica |
|
Monday, March 23 |
USA vs. Dominican Republic |
|
Thursday, March 26 |
USA vs. Mexico |
The U.S. is aiming to qualify for its first Men’s Olympic Football Tournament since 2008, the top two teams at the Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship will advance to the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The tournament features eight teams from the Caribbean, Central America and North America drawn into two groups of four. The top finisher in each group will play the opposite group’s runner-up in the tournament semifinals. The winners of each semifinal match secure a berth to Tokyo.
|
Group A |
Group B |
|
Mexico |
Honduras |
|
USA |
Canada |
|
Costa Rica |
El Salvador |
|
Dominican Republic |
Haiti |
The USA is 4-5-3 against Mexico all-time at this tournament, last facing El Tri at the 2004 Olympic qualifying tourney. The U.S. is undefeated against Costa Rica at this competition, going 1-0-1 vs. Los Ticos at the qualifying tournament for the 1980 Summer Olympics. The U-23 MNT’s group stage match with the Dominican Republic will be the programs’ first meeting in official competition.
Eight of 16 teams have already qualified for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament. Host Japan qualified automatically, Egypt, Ivory Coast and South Africa punched their tickets at the 2019 Africa U-23 Cup of Nations in Egypt. France, Germany, Romania and Spain earned their berths via the 2019 UEFA U-21 Championship in Italy and San Marino, while New Zealand secured its spot at the 2019 OFC Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Fiji. The 2020 AFC U-23 Championship kicked off yesterday and the 2020 CONMEBOL Pre-Olympic tournament gets underway later this month.