Both the United States and Mexico are just one game away from securing their spots in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics men’s soccer tournament. Sunday’s semifinals may not be the last hurdle in CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying, but reaching the final in Mexico would be sufficient to guarantee their places in Japan this summer.
Group A winners Mexico will take on Group B runners-up Canada as they target a place in their home final, while Group B winners Honduras hope to stage an upset against the Stars and Stripes.
What TV Channel is CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying on?
Both of Sunday’s Olympic qualifying semifinals will be available to watch via TUDN for viewers in the United States. You can live stream international matches on fuboTV.
CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying: Semi-Final Schedule
Sunday, March 28
Honduras vs. United States (TUDN), 7 p.m. ET
Mexico vs. Canada (TUDN), 10 p.m. ET
Finishing second in their pool may not have been part of the plan for Jason Kreis & Co. coming into this competition. However, it at least puts them within reach of a first appearance in the men’s soccer tournament at a Summer Games since 2008.
The United States was consigned to a second-place finish in Group A after Uriel Antuna scored the only goal in their meeting with Mexico, their first time dropping points in the contest:
⚽️ ¡Gol de @miseleccionmx! 🇲🇽 Uriel Antuna abre el marcador poco antes del final del primer tiempo. | #CMOQ pic.twitter.com/aWHlLmqaLP
— Concacaf (@Concacaf) March 25, 2021
Norwich City’s Sebastian Soto will be particularly motivated to make up for his unforced error that led to Antuna’s goal, though it’s possible he’ll return to the bench at the Estadio Jalisco, where both of Sunday’s semis will be held.
Honduras’ under-23s have beaten the U.S. in each of their last two meetings (once in extra time), the most recent of which just happened to be at this stage of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying back in 2015. Kreis will be desperate to avoid a repeat of that result against a Honduras team chasing its fourth consecutive appearance at the Summer Games.
Mexico, meanwhile, face an opponent to whom they have never lost in Canada, who took second in Group B after drawing 1-1 with Honduras in their last pool fixture:
Así narramos los dos últimos goles de la Fase Regular del preolímpico desde Guadalajara.
— Antonio Camacho 1️⃣ (@CantaloCamacho) March 26, 2021
Honduras y Canadá empataron 1-1 y estás son las semifinales que se juegan el domingo.
HON 🇭🇳 vs 🇺🇸 USA
MEX🇲🇽 vs 🇨🇦 CAN
Lo vivirás por @TudnRadio pic.twitter.com/O5WrROtCBC
The expectations will be high surrounding Mexico after they took nine points from nine during the first round, scoring more goals than any other team (eight) and conceding a joint-low of one to live up to their billing as favorites.
The script appears written for 2012 gold medal-winners Mexico to make it to Japan considering Canada have never qualified for the Olympics. The odds are stacked against for that to change in 2021.