2012 London Olympics [R]

Eight-team field set for CONCACAF men's Olympic qualifying tournament

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While the draw to create two four-team groups hasn't yet taken place, the field is now set:

Canada, Cuba, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Trinidad & Tobago, United States.

USA draws Canada, Cuba, El Salvador in Olympic qualifying

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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.

CONCACAF releases Olympic qualifying schedule

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CONCACAF OLYMPIC QUALIFYING SCHEDULE (All times Eastern)
GROUP A (LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.)

Thursday, March 22


El Salvador vs. Canada, 6:30 p.m.
United States vs. Cuba, 9 p.m.

Saturday, March 24


Cuba vs. El Salvador, 4:30 p.m.
United States vs. Canada, 7 p.m.

Monday, March 26

Canada vs. Cuba, 6:30 p.m.
United States vs. El Salvador, 9 p.m.

SEMIFINALS (Livestrong Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kan.)

Saturday, March 31


Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up, 6 p.m.
Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up, 9 p.m.

CHAMPIONSHIP (Livestrong Sporting Park)

Monday, April 2

Semifinal winners, 8 p.m.

Ives Galarcep: U-23 head coach Caleb Porter implementing new approach

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US Soccer turned some heads when it hired Porter, 36, a college coach
who has yet to coach a professional team. Despite his lack of pro
experience (Porter turned down the D.C. United head coaching job just a
year ago to stay at Akron), Porter is considered one of the best young
American coaches around, with his attacking soccer philosophy setting
him apart from his contemporaries.

Porter knows there are questions being asked about his lack of
high-level experience, but he is supremely confident that he can handle
the responsibility of leading a team that heads toward Olympic
qualifying with high expectations.

Shea called up to U-23 team for CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers. He could potentially miss the following FCD games:

3/17 Portland
3/25 @SKC
3/30 @DC

Shea, Adu, Agudelo headline U.S. Olympic Qualifying squad

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The United States will kick off its Olympic qualifying campaign on
March 22 in Nashville, Tenn against Cuba. The Americans follow that up
with a game against Canada two days later, and they finish group play
versus El Salvador on March 26.

Should the U.S. team advance out of Group A, the decisive match to
determine if it qualifies for the Olympics would be on March 31 at
Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City.

Porter cites versatility as a key factor for Olympic qualifying success

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With Olympic qualifying set to begin for the United States in
Nashville, Tenn. on March 22, Porter has called in a roster littered
with players who can be deployed at different positions. From Juan
Agudelo being able to play up top or out wide, to Perry Kitchen's
experience at midfield and in defense, Porter has lots of options to
choose from on this U.S. U-23 team.


"We're playing three games in five days in the group stage and five
games in 12 days total, we need versatility," said Porter on a
conference call on Tuesday afternoon. "It's nice to be able to shift
guys in different spots without having to necessarily need specialists
in this group. We've got very few specialists in this group. We've got
guys that can shift different spots all across the board in every
position. We've got a lot of versatility which will help us over the
course of these 12 days.

For those who can only watch the Olympic qualifiers online, Universal Sports has a page with links to live feeds and replays of the USMNT CONCACAF matches, as well as the semis and final. Click on the link below:

Soccer Viewers Guide: 2012 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament

DirecTV has a free preview of Universal Sports channel thing beginning tomorrow and run through April 2nd. That's channel 625.

U.S. suffers shocking loss to Canada in Olympic soccer qualifying

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The United States’ qualifying campaign for the London Games turned
from a gentle stroll into a do-or-die test of will and nerve on Saturday
night.

A 2-0 upset loss to Canada at LP Field in Group A of the CONCACAF
regional qualifiers left a USA men’s side – one flush with talent such
as Freddy Adu and Brek Shea – facing the previously unthinkable
possibility of missing out on the Summer Olympics.

Goals from Doneil Henry and Lucas Cavallini condemned the Americans to a
miserable night that left them needing to beat El Salvador on Monday to
reach the CONCACAF semifinals. Even then, progress would likely be only
as the second-place finisher in Group A, setting up a potential
showdown with rival Mexico.

My heart is breaking for the US...... Thought they had it won.

looks like Brek will be available sooner than we thought! *sigh*

What a heartbreaking finish!

You gotta hand it to El Salvador! They were dirty, nasty, and persistent! In the end that paid off for them!

The USA needs to learn how to play street ball, Latin style!

Honduras does not want to play them because they know how they are!