The road to the 2016 Olympics will run through Sandy, Utah, multiple sources told American Soccer Now. Andreas Herzog's men will look to erase the disappointment of missing the 2012 games.

BY Brian Sciaretta Posted

March 09, 2015

5:45 PM SHARE THIS STORY



men’s national team will be looking to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro this fall and while the venues have not been announced, multiple sources told American Soccer Now that the semifinal games and the final of the CONCACAF qualifying tournament will take place at Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah—home of Real Salt Lake.

According to an earlier CONCACAF release, the Olympic qualifying tournament is set to be played Oct. 1-13 in the U.S. Under the format of the tournament there will be two groups of four teams competing in a round robin format. The draws for tournament will be conducted at a later date.

The winners of each of the semifinals will qualify for the Olympics and the winner of the third place game will play South American Olympic qualifying runner-up Colombia in a playoff for a spot in Rio de Janeiro.

For men’s soccer, the Olympic tournament is a U-23 tournament and for the 2016 version, and qualifying for it, players must be born on or after January 1, 1993. Among the U.S. players who are age-eligible for the U-23 team are World Cup players DeAndre Yedlin, John Brooks, and Julian Green, as well as MLS regulars like Luis Gil and Wil Trapp.

In 2012, the U.S. U-23 team was a pre-tournament favorite but failed to advance out of its group finishing behind Canada and El Salvador. The U.S. men last qualified for the Olympics in 2008.

Following the disappointment of 2012, U.S. national team head coach and technical director Jurgen Klinsmann has made it clear that Olympic qualifying is a top priority for U.S. Soccer and if it is successful in its mission, its journey will run through Utah. Klinsmann recently named top assistant coach Andreas Herzog to head the U-23 team.

The U.S. U-23s will play tune-up friendlies later this month against Denmark and Bosnia.