NCAA Isn't the Only Tournament This Week: We Welcome Olympic Qualifiers

Get ready America! We are just over 24 hours away from the USMNTs first competitive matches since losing in the Gold Cup final vs Mexico in July of 2019. I'd argue we are only 24 hours away from the most important matches the USMNT has played since losing to Trinidad & T

obago to be knocked out of the World Cup. We cannot miss another tournament! Twenty months without a match titled "friendly" is a long time and we have to wonder if this young team is up for the task. While the Olympic Qualifiers is often looked at simply as a path to the Olympics, it should also be looked at as a competitive tournament where silverware is on the line. With that comes pressure, not just from the intense matches that will come but also being the United States, a country sick of losing on the men's side of tournaments, aside from the occasional Gold Cup.

The United States has not won this tournament since 1992, five years before the oldest player on this squad was born! For context, the qualifiers do have a max age of 23 on most occasions but this year being that the tournament should have taken place in 2020, each player must have been legal to play in it last year, so you will see plenty of 24 year-olds in this tournament. The draw was not very friendly to the United States, being given back to back champions, Mexico, in their group. It will be tough to beat the team Mexico is bringing but we do have the players and experience across the board to do so. Lets take a look at the squad:

Goalkeepers:

JT Marcinkowski, 23 (San Jose Earthquakes)

Matt Freese, 22 (Philidelphia Union)

David Ochoa, 20 (Real Salt Lake)

Defenders:

*Julian Araujo (LA Galaxy)

Justen Glad, 24 (Real Salt Lake)

*Aaron Herrera, 23 (Real Salt Lake)

Henry Kessler, 22 (New England Revolution)

Mauricio Pineda, 23 (Chicago Fire FC)

*Sam Vines, 21 (Colorado Rapids)

Midfielders:

*Johnny Cardoso, 19 (Internacional/BRA)

Hassani Dotson, 23 (Minnesota United FC)

*Ulysses Llanez, 19 (Heerenveen/NED)

*Djordje Mihailovic, 22 (CF Montreal/CAN)

*Andres Perea, 20 (Orlando City SC)

Sebastian Saucedo, 24 (UNAM Pumas/MEX)

*Jackson Yueill, 23 (San Jose Earthquakes)

Forwards:

*Jesus Ferreira, 21 (FC Dallas)

*Jonathan Lewis, 23 (Colorado Rapids)

Benji Michel, 23 (Orlando City SC)

*Sebastian Soto, 21 (Norwich City/ENG)

*Previously capped by USMNT Senior Team

This Is a team to get very excited about with young but experienced players up and down the roster, with players who have already played for the senior squad at every level of the pitch besides keeper. This will be a great advantage to the US considering the only other country with any senior players on their squad is rive Mexico, with 12. An advantage like this will prove difficult to beat across most of the group stage.

Schedule

Thursday, March 18th: Costa Rica, 3:30 PM EST @ Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara

Sunday, March 21st: Dominican Republic, 7PM EST @ Estadio Akron in Zapopan

Wednesday, March 24th: Mexico, 9:30 PM EST @ Estadio Jalisco in Guadalajara

Semi-Final

Group Winners: Sunday, March 28th: 6pm EST, if we finish in 2nd we will play at 9pm EST

Final

Tuesday, March 30th: 9pm EST @ Estadio Akron in Zapopan

All games will be televised live on Fox Sports 1

The games come quick in a tournament like this, playing three matches over seven days, meaning between the Costa Rica and DR match we should be seeing a lot of sq

uad rotation so that Manager Jason Kreis can figure out who is ready for what many predict to be the group winner match with Mexico next Wednesday night. As many of you know from listening to "Yanks in Europe" I am usually pretty pessimistic when it comes to the USMNT, where it's going and where its dreadfully never been, but this squad is built to man handle these first two matches by halftime. Costa Rica has a very MLS proven midfield with Loria, Leal and Diaz, if we are able to handle them they are no match, the same goes for DR in matchday 2, this is the Dominican Republics first time competing in this tournament. The coaching staff will very much look at the first to matches as a dry run for what matchday three, a hopeful semi-final and final could produce. The other group in this tournament is anyone's guess with three sides who will be very competitive with one another. Canada, El Salvador and Honduras should all be winning their matches with Haiti making the games with one another that much more important. Going off squad depth I'd say Canada is in the prime position to win this group making El Salvador vs. Honduras on March 22nd all that more important.

I hope you all are excited, I'm for sure excited. If you've got the time over this busy couple weeks to take a break from college basketball head on over to FS1 and watch the future of the USMNT battle for the rights to play in the Olympics this summer. There are a lot of questions to be asked and answered over just a two week period and I can't wait to see them answered. Remember, the ultimate goal here is to take home the trophy at the end of it all but making it to the cup final automatically qualifies us for the Olymp

ics, some silver lining if we don't take home glory.

Thanks as always,

David Mains

Yanks In Europe