The United States drew a favorable path to the semifinals of CONCACAF Olympic qualifying on Tuesday, getting put in Group A with Canada, Cuba and El Salvador. Group A's games will take place at LP Field in Nashville, Tenn. The full schedule for the qualifying tournament will be released later this week, according to CONCACAF.
The United States avoided having to face Honduras, likely the top challenger aside from Mexico, in the group stage. If the U.S. Under-23 team can muster a top-two finish in Group A, it will advance to the semifinals at Livestrong Sporting Park, where a win is the final requirement for Olympic qualification. The trade-off for not having Mexico or Honduras in the group is that either of the two is likely to be a potential semifinal opponent.
According to a U.S. Soccer release, U-23 coach Caleb Porter will be holding a domestic training camp in Sarasota, Fla., from Dec. 15-23, with a roster announcement expected in the coming days.
Here are the two groups for CONCACAF Olympic qualifying:
GROUP A (LP Field) – United States, Canada, El Salvador, Cuba
GROUP B (Home Depot Center) – Mexico, Honduras, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago
What do you think of the draw? Which teams do you see advancing to the semifinals?
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