CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship – Matchday 3 preview

The USA and hosts Mexico will skirmish for the first position in Group A while Group B remains wide open as Canada, El Salvador, Haiti and Honduras all still have a chance to qualify to the semifinals.

Mexico and the USA secured their berth in the Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship semifinals after winning their first two Group A games against Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic, respectively. Moreover, Mexico sits above the U.S. with just one more goal in goal differential and the same number of points – six. The two neighboring nations will meet on Wednesday at 9:30 p.m. ET in Jalisco to settle which of the two will win the group and go against Group B's runner-up in the semifinals.

Tabla de posiciones tras la actividad del día de hoy en el grupo A. @miseleccionmx y @USYNT con paso perfecto | #CMOQ pic.twitter.com/xCoRtHn63b

— Concacaf (@Concacaf) March 22, 2021

On the other hand, Group B participants have allocated their points in a way that each of the four teams has a chance of making it to the semifinals. 

Honduras and Canada enter Matchday 3 holding the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, with four points each. Only one goal separates the two as two-time champions Honduras leads the pack. However, The Canucks and Los Catrachos will hope for El Salvador and Haiti – both sitting with one point at the bottom of the group – to draw on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET. A draw between the Salvadorians and Haitians would grant the Canadians and Hondurans an automatic berth to the semifinals.

Group B standings after the second round of Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying matches. #Canm23 #CMOQ pic.twitter.com/YyEorvUNDD

— Canada Soccer (@CanadaSoccerEN) March 23, 2021

All in all, making it to the semifinals will not be enough to clinch a spot in the 2020 Men's Olympic Soccer Tournament in Tokyo as only two Concacaf teams will receive berths.

Group A winners will face Group B runners-up, and Group B winners will face Group A runners-up on Sunday, March 28, at Jalisco. The winners of each game will qualify for the Olympic Games and meet in the Concacaf Men's Olympic Qualifying Championship final on Tuesday, March 30, at 9 p.m. ET at Estadio Akron in Zapopan.