The United States Under-23 Men’s National Team kicks off its Olympic qualifying journey on Thursday in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Originally slated for 2020, the pandemic has shifted both the qualifying competition and Olympics to this March.

Jason Kreis named a 20-man roster for the tournament, which was announced by U.S. Soccer last week. Eight teams are in Mexico, competing for the two slots on offer for the trip to Tokyo. Placed into two groups, the top two each advance to the semifinals; the winner of each semifinal books one of the spots at the Olympics.

MORE: Four key players for the United States Under-23 MNT

The United States is seeking a return to the first Olympics for the first time since 2008 in Beijing. Can this group pull it off?

Group A Schedule

March 18 – vs. Costa Rica, 5:30 p.m. (FS1, TUDN)

March 21 – vs. Dominican Republic, 7 p.m. (FS1, TUDN)

March 24 – vs. Mexico, 9:30 p.m. (FS1, TUDN)

Looking at the way the group is mapped out, Thursday’s opener against Costa Rica is crucial. A win, followed up with the full points against the Dominican Republic, would secure progress through to the semifinals for the United States. Having Mexico last in the group can be an advantage, or as a disadvantage. Dropping points in the first two games could mean that a result is needed against El Tri in order to progress. On the flip side, full points from the first two games would have the team poised for success.

Key Questions

-Who will step up in a leadership role on the field?

One of the tricky elements to gauge when looking at a youth national team is how the leadership piece fits into it. Will someone like Jackson Yueill or an experienced player like Justen Glad step into the gap? Appointing who is captain is a touch overrated, but there’s not doubting that they’ll need a voice or two on the field to communicate, share encouragement, and ensure heads don’t drop in case the U.S. concedes an early goal. An Under-23 squad tends to feature more experienced professionals and this group is no different. Someone is going to have to step up.

-How will the delayed start to preseason impact MLS call-ups?

Sixteen of the players on the U.S. roster join up from MLS sides. Due in part to labor negotiations, and part attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic (though essentially one goes hand-in-hand with the other), the contingent of U.S. players traveling to Mexico haven’t experienced any training sessions or preseason preparations with their clubs. For a league that continues to prop itself up as a growing incubator of domestic young talent, it will be notable if a rusty and listless side comprised mostly of MLS players is on display. And while the team has been in Mexico for a couple of weeks, player sharpness might be in a different place if the owners hadn’t leveraged the pandemic to seek labor gains, which has the potential to impact this U.S. team negatively. That’s not to say it will come to pass, but it’s something to keep in mind when things kick off. Even if it’s fair to say that a delayed MLS start could’ve happened simply due to the pandemic, and not the labor forces as well.

-Who starts in goal?

There’s no clear starter in goal heading into the tournament, and all three goalkeepers have shown flashes of quality and caliber. Matt Freese has earned a handful of appearances for the Union in his two seasons in Philadelphia after he left Harvard for a Homegrown deal. J.T. Marcinkowski has logged almost 1,500 minutes in goal for the Quakes and boasts USL and youth national team experience. He’s likely the best of the three with his feet, and showed well in his action with the Quakes in 2020. David Ochoa rounds out the group, and he’s been more about potential and promise than delivering for Real Salt Lake. Mostly a mainstay for the Monarchs, if he wins the job and shows well, it would certainly open the door for Ochoa to move somewhere.

-Does the U.S. qualify for Tokyo?

This is a tricky one. Unlike the past two Olympic cycles, the talent pool for the men’s national team is trending positive. They aren’t about to compete with the best in the world, but there is high level talent in Europe eligible for this squad that look to have full team potential. Whether or not this group makes it to Tokyo isn’t going to the same kind of setback that it was in 2012 or 2016. Jason Kreis has a lot to prove as well after underwhelming managerial stints at Orlando and New York City FC. But there are questions here facing the team in Mexico that suggest qualification won’t happen after a loss to Costa Rica on Thursday.

-What is the strongest XI?

Without insight into training sessions and the preparations, it’s hard to know what the strongest lineup on this team without knowing where the march sharpness of someone like Ulysses Llanez is or who the top goalkeeper is. That aside, here’s a projected look at the strongest XI.

Editor's Note: Tanner Tessmann has replaced Uly Llanez on the roster, and this graphic has been updated to reflect that.