United States to face Honduras with Olympics berth on line
The Tokyo Olympics have been delayed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
(Reuters) – Looking to reach the Olympics men’s soccer tournament for the first time since 2008, the United States Men’s National Team under-23 squad will face Honduras on Saturday with a trip to Tokyo on the line.
The United States finished second in Group A play at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament at Mexico, following a 1-0 defeat to the host country on Wednesday. Honduras won Group B following a 1-1 tie against Canada on Thursday.
Since the top two teams in the tournament advance to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics, the semifinal matchups actually decide who will advance. The Tokyo Olympics have been delayed a year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The USA’s U-23 team will take on Honduras in the first semifinal Sunday at Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara, Mexico. In the second semifinal matchup, Mexico will face off against Canada.
In 2015, the United States had a chance to earn an Olympic berth with a victory but fell 2-0 to Honduras. Mexico won the gold medal at the London Olympics in 2012, while Canada has never advanced to the Games. The U.S. failed to advance out of group play at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Even though the two semifinal winners advance to the Tokyo Olympics, they still will meet in the tournament championship game on Tuesday.
