USA to face Mexico and Jamaica in Olympic women's qualifying

• by Soccer America , Feb 26, 2008

[DATEBOOK] The USA was drawn into Group A along with Jamaica and Mexico for 2008 CONCACAF Women's Olympic Qualifying Tournament that will take place April 2-12 at the Estadio Olimpico Benito Juarez in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.

The U.S. will face Jamaica on April and Mexico two days later. The top two teams advance to the semifinals along with the top two teams from Group B, which consists of Canada, Costa Rica and Trinidad & Tobago.

The winners of the April 9 semifinals will qualify for the 2008 Olympic women's soccer tournament.

The USA has only faced Jamaica once previously, earning a 10-0 victory 14 years ago in a Women's World Cup qualifying match in Montreal. It has dominated the rivalry with Mexico, winning the first 21 meetings before Mexico earned a 1-1 tie on Oct. 20, 2007.

The USA is preparing for qualifying at the 2008 Algarve Cup to be held from March 5-12 in southern Portugal. Head coach Pia Sundhage named a 20-player roster to face China, Italy and Norway in group play.

SCHEDULE
Group A
April 2 Mexico vs. Jamaica 7:30 p.m. PT
April 4 USA vs. Jamaica 7:30 p.m. PT
April 6 Mexico vs. USA 1:30 p.m. PT
Group B
April 2 Trinidad & Tobago vs. Canada 5 p.m. PT
April 4 Costa Rica vs. Trinidad & Tobago 5 p.m. PT
April 6 Canada vs. Costa Rica 11 a.m. PT
Semifinals
April 9 Winner Group A vs. Runner-up Group B 5 p.m. PT
April 9 Winner Group B vs. Runner-up Group A 7:30 p.m. PT
Finals
April 12 Third-place Game 5 p.m. PT
April 12 Championship 7:30 p.m. PT