Mexico win Concacaf Olympic qualifying competition for third consecutive time
El Tri will look to replicate London 2012 triumph in Tokyo
Men’s Olympic Football Tournament to take place from 22 July to 7 August
For the third consecutive time Honduras and Mexico will represent the North, Central America and Caribbean region at the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament. And just like London 2012 and Rio 2016 Mexico will be competing on the global stage as the kings of Concacaf.
Mexico will be looking to repeat their 2012 triumph when the likes of Oribe Peralta, Marco Fabian, Raul Jimenez, Hector Herrera and Javier Aquino led El Tri to the gold medal at Wembley, the region’s first top-of-the-podium finish.
Honduras qualified by defeating the USA 2-1 in the qualifying competition’s semi-finals, and while the Stars & Stripes rue a third consecutive failure to make the Olympics, Los Catrachos cement their status as perennial competitors at this level. Mexico beat Canada 2-0 in the other semi-final.
Carlos Obregon of Honduras celebrates with his teammates after scoring the first goal
General view of the empty stands of Jalisco stadium before the game between during the match between Canada and El Salvador as part of the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying at Jalisco Stadium
Tajon Buchanan #07 of Canada reacts during his side’s Tokyo 2020 qualifier against Haiti
Bicou Bissainthe of Haiti fights for the ball with Tajon Buchanan of Canada during the match between Haiti and Canada as part of the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying at Akron Stadium
Jesus Ferreira #09 of USA celebrates after scoring against Costa Rica in a Tokyo 2020 qualifier
Jesus Ferreira of United States battles for the ball against Jose de la Cruz of Dominican Republic during the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying at Akron Stadium
Francisco Figueroa of Canada fights for the ball with Enrico Duenas of Salvador during the match between Canada and El Salvador as part of the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying at Jalisco Stadium
Sebastian Cordova of Mexico fights for the ball with Randall Leal of Costa Rica during the match between Costa Rica and Mexico as part of the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying at Akron Stadium
Sebastian Cordova #17 of Mexico celebrates after scoring against Dominican Republic in a Tokyo 2020 qualifier
Cristopher Melandez of Honduras fights for the ball with Jonathan Lewis of United States during the semifinals match between Honduras and USA as part of the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying at Jalisco Stadium
Kervin Arriaga #15 of Honduras (R) and Ballou Tabla #11 of Canada during their Tokyo 2020 qualifier
Jose Reyes of Honduras fights for the ball with Justen Glad of United States during the semifinals match between Honduras and USA as part of the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying at Jalisco Stadium
Uriel Antuna #15 of Mexico celebrates with his teammates
Honduras players react after their Tokyo 2020 qualifier against Canada
Jose Reyes of Honduras fights for the ball with Jesus Ferreira of United States during the semifinals match between Honduras and USA as part of the 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying at Jalisco Stadium
Honduras v USA – 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Semifinals
Mexico v Canada – 2020 Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Semifinals
Jesus Ferreira #09 of USA and Kevin Chamorro goalkeeper #13 of Costa Rica during the Tokyo 2020 country
Uriel Antuna #15 of Mexico celebrates with his team-mates after scoring against USA in a Tokyo 2020 qualifier
How they punched their tickets
Mexico in cruise control
El Tri set the tone early in the competition. Sebastian Cordova scored a hat-trick in their opening 4-1 win over tournament debutants Dominican Republic.
Jaime Lozano’s side followed that up by keeping a clean sheet and putting in a stylish 3-0 victory against Costa Rica. Their determination to succeed was highlighted by a 1-0 triumph over rivals USA in the group closer with a place in the semi-final already confirmed before the whistle. Finally, they won when the pressure was ramped up and when it mattered most, scoring two second-half goals against a strong Canada side.
The stat: Mexico are record winners in Concacaf Men’s Olympic Qualifying Tournament history with eight championships to their name.
Honduras make it four on the trot
Not even Mexico can say they’ve been to four consecutive Men’s Olympic Football Tournaments. Honduras have now represented the region at Beijing 2008, when they were regional champions en route to China PR, London 2012, when they finished as quarter-finalists and at Rio 2016, where they went all the way to the semi-finals. Will we see Los Catrachos in the Tokyo 2020 decider at International Stadium Yokohama on 7 August?
The stat: Having failed to qualify at all until Sydney 2000, Honduras have now only missed out on the final Olympic competition once since then, at Athens 2004.
Tournament awards
Best player: Alexis Vega (Mexico)
Top goalscorer: Sebastian Cordova – 4 goals (Mexico)
