USWNT to open Olympic qualifying against Costa Rica on Feb. 10
The 2016 CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying Championship schedule will begin Feb. 10, U.S. Soccer announced in a press release on Tuesday.
The tournament will be held at two Texas venues, the BBVA Compass Stadium in Houston and Toyota Stadium in Dallas.
The eight teams in the tournament will be separated into two brackets for the opening group stage. Group A consists of the United States, Puerto Rico, Mexico and Costa Rica. Group B is Canada, Guatemala, Trinidad & Tobago and Guyana.
The United States will open group play against Costa Rica on Feb. 10. The U.S. has never lost to Costa Rica, beating it 3–0 in 2012 Olympic qualifying.
The U.S. is also slated for matchups against Puerto Rico, which it has never faced, and rival Mexico. The U.S. holds an all-time record of 31–1–1 against Mexico.
The U.S. will look to qualify for its sixth-straight Olympic Games and win CONCACAF’s qualifying tournament for the fourth time in a row. The team won the 2012 Olympic gold medal and, more recently, the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
Schedule
FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, Feb. 10: (Frisco) Puerto Rico vs. Mexico 6 p.m. ET; USA vs. Costa Rica 8:30 p.m. ET
Thursday, Feb. 11: (Houston) Guatemala vs. Trinidad & Tobago 6 p.m. ET; Canada vs. Guyana 8:30 p.m. ET
Saturday, Feb. 13: (Frisco) Costa Rica vs. Puerto Rico 1:30 p.m. ET; USA vs. Mexico 4 p.m. ET
Sunday, Feb. 14: (Houston) Guyana vs. Guatemala 1:30 p.m. ET; Trinidad vs. Canada 4 p.m. ET
Monday, Feb. 15: (Frisco) Mexico vs. Costa Rica 6 p.m. ET; USA vs. Puerto Rico 8:30 p.m. ET
Tuesday, Feb. 16: (Houston) Trinidad & Tobago vs. Guyana 6 p.m. ET; Canada vs. Guatemala 8:30 p.m. ET
SEMIFINALS
Friday, Feb. 19: (Houston) Group B winner vs. Group A runner-up 5:30 p.m. ET; Group A winner vs. Group B runner-up 8:30 p.m. ET
FINAL
Sunday, Feb. 21: (Houston) Semifinal winners 5 p.m. ET
