No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeNewsCosta RicaUSA, Mexico and Costa Rica meet in 'Group of Death' of Concacaf...

USA, Mexico and Costa Rica meet in ‘Group of Death’ of Concacaf Olympic qualifier

Drawn into the same group, the United States, Mexico and Costa Rica are set to begin the battle for the two spots in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games that are allotted to CONCACAF.

The tournament will be played between March 18-30 by eight teams in two groups. The top two of each group will advance to the semifinals, and the two winners of these, in addition to going to the final, will be awarded a spot in Tokyo-2020.

Group A comprises the United States, Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Costa Rica.

Group B comprises Honduras, Haiti, Canada and El Salvador.

A group of death

The US team is presented with a roster in which the presence of players of Mexican origin such as Julián Araujo, Ulysses Llanez, Sebastián Soto, and Sebastián Saucedo.

“Qualifying is a challenge we are prepared for,” said Jason Kreys, the United States Under-23 coach since 2019. “This group is capable of qualifying for the Olympics.”

For Kreis and his team, this Pre-Olympic is special because the United States hasn’t won it since 1992. In fact, the U.S. didn’t qualify for London-2012 and Rio de Janeiro-2016.

The pre-Olympic tournaments bring back bad memories for Mexico, especially due to the painful eliminations it suffered before Sydney-2000 and Beijing-2008, but for this edition, coach Jaime Lozano hopes to take advantage of a good generation of footballers and playing at home.

“We will do everything in our power to put the name of Mexico very high,” said Lozano.

The Costa Rican team will try to return to the Olympic tournament, something they already experienced in Athens-2004. In the current team, midfielders Randall Leal and Luis Díaz, players in the MLS, stand out.

The Tico team has a promising generation of young footballers led by Douglas Sequeira who pointed out that “making the list was not easy; with them we are going to face a short and intense tournament with a dream that no one is going to take away from us.”

The Dominican Republic, the team that completes Group A, is led by Jacques Passy; his management began as head of the senior team, but later he was also assigned the U-23.

Passy aspires to debut against Mexico and achieve at least a tie.

“Costa Rica, the United States and Mexico think more about the confrontations between them and little about us, but by winning a point in the first game we turn everything upside down,” he said.

Honduras hopes to continue streak

Since it debuted in the Olympic tournament at Sydney-2000, the Honduran team was only absent in Athens-2004. In this Pre-Olympic, the catrachos are going for their fourth consecutive classification, and they will look for it under the Uruguayan Fabián Coito, who led them to win the silver medal of the Pan American Games in Lima-2019.

In Coito’s squad, Douglas Martínez, forward for Real Salt Lake in the MLS, may be of vital importance.

In contrast, Haiti has never qualified for the Olympic soccer tournament, while El Salvador has only arrived once — Mexico City in 1968.

Canada has qualified for two Olympic tournaments, in Montreal-1976 and Los Angeles-1984, but in this qualifier they will not be able to count on their great figure, Alphonso Davies. In the absence of Bayern Munich’s left-back, the North American team will have the leadership of central defender Derek Cornelius, of the Vancouver Whitecaps.

The 15 games of this Pre-Olympic will be played in two venues in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco (west of Mexico): 10 at the Jalisco World Cup Stadium twice and five in the modern Akron Stadium.

Trending Now

Juanes Lands in Costa Rica to Shoot Videos for New Tracks

Colombian singer Juanes has arrived in Costa Rica, turning our country's landscapes into backdrops for his latest music videos. The artist, known for hits...

Costa Rica TSE Seeks to Lift President Chaves Immunity

Costa Rica's electoral tribunal has stepped up pressure on President Rodrigo Chaves by asking lawmakers to strip his immunity over claims of political interference...

Family Beach Day in Costa Rica Exploring Tidepools and Wildlife

My two sons couldn’t be more different. They look completely different. They act completely differently. They eat different foods. They have different interests. This...

Costa Rica Ranger Trapped After Falling off Cliff on Cocos Island

Rescue teams in Costa Rica continue their efforts to save a park ranger who fell down a 40-meter cliff on Isla del Coco. The...

Riu Guanacaste Hotel Reopens in Costa Rica After Renovation

The Riu Guanacaste hotel in Costa Rica has reopened after a complete renovation, welcoming guests back to its beachfront spot on Matapalo Beach. The...

Costa Rica Nominates Rebeca Grynspan for UN Secretary-General Role

Costa Rica has put forward Rebeca Grynspan as its candidate for United Nations secretary-general, a move that highlights the nation's push for stronger Latin...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica