The USA will face Costa Rica, Mexico and Puerto Rico in Group A play of the 2016 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Championship in February. The eight-team tournament to determine the region's two qualifiers for the Rio 2016 Games will take place in Frisco, Texas, and Houston.
Group B is comprised of Canada, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana. The top two finishers of each group advance to the semifinals. The semifinal winners will represent Concacaf at the 12-team Olympic tournament, for which host Brazil, Colombia, France and Germany have already qualified.
Africa and Asia will each send two teams the Olympics. A third European team will earn a spot from a March tournament contested by Sweden, Netherlands, Norway and Switzerland. New Zealand is the likely qualifier from Oceania.
The USA has qualified for all five previous Olympic women’s soccer tournaments and won gold at all but one, finishing runner-up to Norway in 2000.
The USA, winner of the last summer’s Women’s World Cup, has a 33-1-1 record vs. Mexico and is 10-0-0 vs. Costa Rica. The USA has never played Puerto Rico.
The Frisco games will be played at FC Dallas home Toyota Stadium. BVA Compass Stadium, home of the Houston Dynamo, will host the Houston games, which include the semifinals and final
2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying
(all times ET)
FIRST ROUND
Group A: USA, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Costa Rica
Group B: Canada, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago, Guyana
Wednesday, Feb. 10 (Frisco)
Puerto Rico vs. Mexico
USA vs. Costa
Thursday, Feb. 11 (Houston)
Guatemala vs. Trinidad & Tobago
Canada vs. Guyana
Saturday, Feb. 13 (Frisco)
Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico
USA vs. Mexico
Sunday, Feb. 14 (Houston)
Guyana vs. Guatemala
Trinidad vs. Canada
Monday, Feb. 15 (Frisco)
Mexico vs. Costa Rica
USA vs. Puerto Rico
Tuesday, Feb. 16 (Houston)
Trinidad & Tobago vs. Guyana
Canada vs. Guatemala
SEMIFINALS
Friday, Feb. 19 (Houston)
Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up
Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up
FINAL
Sunday, Feb. 21 (Houston) Semifinal winners
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