Mexico retain CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship title as US keep Rio 2016 hopes alive

Mexico secured their second straight CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship crown with a 2-0 win over Honduras ©Getty Images

Mexico’s under-23 side successfully defended their CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship crown with a comfortable 2-0 victory over 10-man Honduras in the final, while the United States beat Canada by the same scoreline in the third place play-off to set up a Rio 2016 showdown with Colombia.

United States’ clash with Colombia will reportedly be a two-game home and away series, not a one-off as had been previously believed.

The Mexicans took the lead in the final in fortuitous fashion at the Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah, as Honduran Bryan Acosta inadvertently turned the ball into his own net three minutes before half-time.

Their victory was sealed midway through the second period thanks to Victor Guzman’s stunning 30-yard effort which flew past a helpless Harold Fonseca and into the net.

Things were to get worse for the Honduran side as Kevin Lopez was given a straight red card for a poor tackle on Arturo Gonzalez late on but the damage had already been done by the own-goal and Guzman’s wonder strike.

Both sides went into the match having already secured their place at next year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, where Mexico will have the chance to defend the title they won at London 2012.

This latest win saw them stretch their unbeaten record at the event to 11 matches, with their last defeat at the tournament coming in the qualifying tournament for Beijing 2008 at the hands of Guatemala.

Honduras, meanwhile, had to settle for second once again, just as they did at the 2012 competition after again falling at the final hurdle against Mexico.

The United States will face Colombia for a place at Rio 2016 after they beat Canada 2-0 to claim third place at the CONCACAF Men’s Olympic Qualifying Championship tournament ©Getty Images

America's dream of Olympic qualification remains well and truly alive after they edged a tense affair with rivals Canada, whose task was made even more difficult by Giuliano Frano’s dismissal in the first-half with the scores level.

The US took full advantage as San Jose Earthquakes midfielder Marc Pelosi fired home a deflected effort from just outside the area after the ball had fallen kindly for him from a corner on 69 minutes.

With just seven minutes remaining, the US were given the opportunity to end the game as a contest as Jerome Kiesewetter was brought down in the box by Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau.

German-born Kiesewetter, who plays his club football for VfB Stuttgart, dusted himself off before coolly dispatching the resulting penalty to send his team through to a two-legged play-off with South American outfit Colombia.