USA Drawn Into Group C of the 2021 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship Set for May 17-23
USA will Play Costa Rica, Trinidad & Tobago and Turks & Caicos in Group Stage of World Cup Qualifying Tournament in Costa Rica
CHICAGO (March 8, 2021) - The USA will play host Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago and Turks & Caicos Islands in Group C of the 2021 Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship, which will be played from May 17-23 in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
The 12-nation field was divided into three groups at the official draw held Monday from Concacaf headquarters in Miami, Fla. The USA, Mexico and El Salvador were the top-seeded teams for the regional championship that will be played at Costa Rica’s Complejo Deportivo FEDEFUTBOL Plycem. Prior to the start of the tournament, Guadeloupe withdrew, leaving Group A with just three teams.
GROUP A: Mexico, Panama, Belize
GROUP B: El Salvador, Bahamas, Guatemala, Dominican Republic
GROUP C: USA, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands
After round-robin play, the top two teams from each group and the two best third-place teams will advance to the quarterfinals. The two semifinal winners will earn Concacaf’s two berths to the 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup scheduled for August 19-29 in Moscow, Russia.
USA SCHEDULE (TIMES TBD):
Monday, May 17: USA vs Turks & Caicos Islands
Tuesday, May 18: USA vs Trinidad & Tobago
Wednesday, May 19: USA vs Costa Rica
Quarterfinals: Friday, May 21: 1A vs. 3B/3C (Match 19), 1B vs. 3A/3C (Match 20), 1C vs. 2B (Match 21), 2A vs. 2C (Match 22)
Semifinals: Saturday, May 22: W19 vs. W22 (Match 23), W20 vs. W21 (Match 24)
Third Place and Final: Sunday, May 23: L23 vs. L24, W23 vs. W24
Under the direction of former player and new head coach Francis Farberoff, the USA is seeking a second-straight trip to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and sixth appearance in 11 editions. The team qualified for the inaugural 2005 Beach Soccer World Cup in Brazil, as well as in 2006, 2007, 2013 and 2019, when the USA defeated El Salvador on penalty kicks in the semifinals of the Concacaf Beach Soccer Championship in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
In 10 previous World Cup Qualifying tournaments, the USA and Costa Rica have met eight times, with the USA winning the last seven matches. They last faced off in the 2013 semifinals as the USA won 4-3 to clinch a spot at the World Cup in Tahiti. The USA defeated Trinidad and Tobago 5-1 in their only meeting in the 2017 tournament has never faced Turks & Caicos Islands on sand.