San Pedro Sula: The United States beat Honduras 3-0 in the semifinals of the CONCACAF Under-20 Championship on Friday to secure a berth in the 2024 Paris Olympic football tournament.
The Dominican Republic also punched their ticket to Paris, beating Guatemala 4-2 in a penalty shootout after the teams played to a 2-2 draw.
For the Dominican Republic it will be a first appearance in the Olympics, while the United States will return to the Games for the first time since 2008.
The USA took control early, with goals from Paxten Aaronson in the third minute, Alejandro Alvarado in the 22nd and Quinn Sullivan in the 43rd giving them a 3-0 lead.
They made it stand up against a determined Honduras side, who saw Jefryn Macias sent off in the 87th minute.
In the first semifinal, Guatemala grabbed a 2-0 lead with a goal from Arquimides Ordonez in the 23rd minute and an own-goal from Dominican defender Sebastian Manon in the 29th.
The Dominican Republic scored two goals in three minutes in the second half as Guillermo De Pena struck in the 62nd and Edison Azcona made it 2-2 in the 64th.
After neither team could find a decider through extra time, it went to the shootout in which Adhonys Maria converted the winning shot. — AFP
