US U-23s to face Colombia in two-legged, home-and-away series for final Olympic berth

US, Colombia to play home-and-away series for final Olympic berth

Jordan Morris plays against Canada in Olympic Qualifiers

The United States' mission to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics will be determined at home.


CONCACAF confirmed on Monday that the playoff between the US and Colombia U-23 national teams for the final berth in the 2016 Rio games will be a two-legged, home-and-away series, with Colombia set to host the opening match and the US scheduled to host the decisive second leg.



The US finished third at the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying tournament earlier this month, forcing the Americans into the play-in series against Colombia, the second-place finisher at the 2015 South American Youth Championship.


The exact dates, times and venues for the playoff matches will be determined by the American and Colombian federations at a later date. FIFA has stipulated that both matches must be completed before the end of March 2016.



Mexico and Honduras qualified directly for the Rio Olympics by finishing first and second, respectively, in the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying tournament. Coach Andi Herzog's US side fell 2-0 to Honduras in the semifinals before beating Canada in the third-place match.


Colombia finished second at the 2015 South American Youth Championship. Argentina won the tournament, joining host nation Brazil as direct qualifiers for the Rio games.