CONCACAF women’s Olympic qualifying tournament to wrap up in Carson
The semifinals and final of the CONCACAF women’s qualifying tournament for next summer’s Olympic soccer tournament will be played Feb. 7-9 at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, the confederation announced Thursday.
The eight teams in the tournament were drawn into two groups, one made up of the U.S., Costa Rica, Panama and Haiti and the other consisting of Canada, Mexico, Jamaica and St. Kitts and Nevis. Round-robin group play will open Jan. 28 in Houston and Jan. 29 in Edinburg, Texas, with the top two finishers in each group advancing to the semifinals.
The winners of those matches will qualify for the Tokyo Olympics, regardless of what happens in the final.
“It’s always great when your path to your goals becomes clearer, so I know everyone is excited for our new challenges in 2020,” newly appointed U.S. coach Vlatko Andonovski said in a statement. “It’s a nice thing to see some of the smaller soccer countries get the chance to pursue their dreams as well.
Jill Ellis is a soccer legend. Her journey to consecutive World Cup victories began with 12 years at the helm of UCLA’s women’s soccer program.
“In our group, we have opponents that we’ve faced in the past in qualifying competitions, so we’ll be well-prepared as these teams want to go to the Olympics as much as we do.”
Half of the 12-team Olympic field is already set, with host Japan, Brazil, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden and New Zealand already in.
The top-ranked U.S., winner of the last two Women’s World Cups, was eliminated by Sweden in the quarterfinals of the 2016 Rio Olympics, the team’s earliest-ever exit. The Americans made it to the gold-medal game of the first five Olympic tournaments, winning the title four times.
No. 7 Canada, meanwhile, has won bronze medals in each of the last two Olympic tournaments.
Ticket information, kickoff times and TV information will be released at a later date.
The schedule
Group A
BBVA Stadium, Houston
Jan. 28
Costa Rica-Panama, U.S.-Haiti
Jan. 31
Haiti-Costa Rica, Panama-U.S.
Feb. 3
Panama-Haiti, U.S.-Costa Rica
Group B
HEB Park, Edinburg, Texas
Mexico-Jamaica, Canada-St. Kitts and Nevis
Feb. 1
St. Kitts and Nevis-Mexico, Jamaica-Canada
Feb. 4
Jamaica-St. Kitts and Nevis, Canada-Mexico
Semifinals
Dignity Health Sports Park
Feb. 7
1B vs 2A, 1A vs. 2B
Feb. 9
Final
Dignity Health Sports Park
