United States Olympics qualifiers: Route to Tokyo games explained as Pulisic, McKennie & Reyna face missing out

It has been nearly a year since CONCACAF's Olympic qualifiers were postponed, but the U.S. Under-23 men's national team is now set to begin its push towards earning a spot in Tokyo this summer.

Originally set for March 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced the postponement of qualifiers and, ultimately, the Olympics, which will instead be held this summer.

And, to book their spot at the games, the U.S. will need to navigate a tricky group as they look to earn a spot in the game's premier U23s competition for the first time since 2008.

How do CONCACAF Olympic qualifiers work?

CONCACAF's Olympic qualifiers feature two groups of four teams each, with all matches set to be held in Guadalajara, Mexico.

The first group features three of the region's heavy-hitters, with the U.S. set to battle Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico in that order.

Group B, meanwhile, includes Honduras, Canada, Haiti and El Salvador.

Following the group stage games, the top two teams in each group will advance to the semi-final round, where the winner of Group A will take on Group B's runner-up and vice versa.

The winner of each semi-final will book their place in the final, and more importantly, the Olympics, while the two losing teams will see their hopes of heading to Tokyo come to an end.

What is the U.S. U23s' qualifying schedule?

The U.S. U23s will open up qualifying on March 18, when they take on Costa Rica in their first game of the group stage. 

They will then face the Dominican Republic on March 21 before meeting Mexico three days later.

Should they finish in the top two spots of their group, the U.S. will then move on to the semi-final round, which begins March 28.

The final, which is largely symbolic with the two semi-final winners heading to the Olympics regardless, is set for March 30.

Who is in the U.S. squad?

U.S. Soccer

The U.S. squad features a total of 20 players, with a majority of the roster being made up of MLS-based call-ups.

Only four players from the squad play for clubs outside of MLS, while a total of 11 players in the squad have previously earned senior caps.

Due to the original tournament's postponement, players born on or after January 1, 1997, are age-eligible for the competition.

Where are Pulisic, McKennie and Reyna?

Because the Olympics and Olympic qualifiers are youth tournaments, clubs are under no obligation to release players to participate.

As a result, the U.S. is without several top stars, such as Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Gio Reyna, despite them being eligible for this summer's Olympics.

The squad, therefore, is made up mostly of MLS players, with the season not set to begin until April, as well as four overseas-based players - Sebastian Soto, Uly Llanez, Sebastian Saucedo and Johnny Cardoso - that have been released by their club teams.

Should the U.S. qualify for the Olympics, there is a chance that some of the team's top stars will be sent to the Olympics, which has traditionally served as a fantastic launching pad for players like Lionel Messi.

However, with the U.S. also facing the Nations League, Gold Cup and World Cup qualifying in 2021, Gregg Berhalter and Jason Kreis will be forced to pick and choose which players to send where as the U.S. looks to balance a chaotic schedule.

Berhalter has stated that he understands that players will likely be limited to either the Nations League, Gold Cup or Olympics as he looks to balance results, rest and, ultimately, the USMNT's relationships with their stars' clubs.

The USMNT's main core is largely made of U23s players, which could open the door for a strong Olympic team should Berhalter prioritize this summer's event in Tokyo.

When was the last time the U.S. U23s qualified for the Olympics?

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The U.S. has fallen short in qualifying each of the last two cycles, making their last Olympic appearance in 2008.

In 2012, the U.S., coached by current Columbus Crew boss Caleb Porter, failed to make it out of the group stage, finishing behind Canada and El Salvador after a disastrous three-game run.

Their Olympic dreams ended after a 2-0 loss to Canada and, ultimately, a 3-3 draw with El Salvador, with a 94th-minute Jaime Alas goal sealing their fate.

Three years later, the U.S. looked to qualify for the 2016 games, and looked to be well on their way after winning all three of their group stage games with a +11 goal difference.

However, matched up with Honduras in the semi-final round with an Olympic spot on the line, the U.S. were defeated 2-0, with former Houston Dynamo star Alberth Elis netting the two goals.

As a result, you have to go all the way back to the 2008 Olympic games for the team's last appearance, which featured a squad that included Michael Bradley, Brian McBride, Jozy Altidore and Freddy Adu.

That team was ultimately knocked out in the group stages, with Nigeria topping the group with seven points and the Netherlands' five-point haul giving them one more than the U.S. team.

In the end, Argentina went on to claim the gold medal, led by a team that included young stars like Messi, Angel Di Maria and Sergio Aguero as well as the legendary Juan Roman Riquelme