The road to Tokyo begins this afternoon for Megan Rapinoe and the United States Women’s National Team as they face Haiti at 5:30 PM PT in the first day of the group stage in Concacaf Women’s OIympic Qualifying. Before that game, the other match in Group A features Costa Rica versus Panama at 3pm pacific. Both games will be broadcast on FS2.

Group B play begins tomorrow in Edinburg, Texas, featuring Canada vs. Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Mexico vs. Jamaica. Canada’s Christine Sinclair needs only one more goal to tie the all-time international goalscoring record currently held by Abby Wambach.

The Americans, ranked No. 1 in the world, are aiming to become the first team to ever win Olympic gold in the year following a World Cup win, but first they must qualify for the Olympic tournament. That task shouldn’t be too difficult. Concacaf qualifying features a group stage with eight teams divided into two groups of four; the top two teams from each group advance to the knockout round and the two winners of the semi-final games will qualify for Tokyo.

U.S. Head Coach Vlatko Andonovski called in a familiar roster for this tournament, electing to keep most of the World Cup-winning squad intact. He brought in two new players – Lynn Williams and Andi Sullivan – and dropped five, including Reign FC’s Allie Long.

Haiti, ranked 68th in the world, reached the tournament by winning their group in the Caribbean qualification round. This is their third appearance. They were led in qualifying by Nérila Mondésir, who scored four goals and plays for French club Montpellier HSC in Division 1 Féminine.

This match should not be particularly challenging for the USWNT but they must be careful not to underestimate their opponent. Haiti drew Canada, 1-1, in a closed-door match in Austin, TX last week during preparation for this tournament. The US and Haiti have faced off six times, with the Americans winning every game to date. Their most recent meetings came in a pair of friendlies during the 2015 World Cup Victory Tour, which the US won 5-0 and 8-0.

After Haiti, the U.S. will face Panama on January 31 and Costa Rica on February 3.

How to Watch

Costa Rica vs. Panama
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 28, 3pm PT
Location: BBVA Stadium, Houston, Texas
TV: FS2
Streaming: Fox Sports Go

United States vs. Haiti
Date/Time: Tuesday, January 28, 5:30pm PT
Location: BBVA Stadium, Houston, Texas
TV: FS2
Streaming: Fox Sports Go (English), TUDN XTRA 4 (Spanish)

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