Jordan Morris proved once again to be a scoring machine as he scored two goals to lead the United States Under-23 MNT to a 3-1 victory over Canada in the opening game of the 2016 Olympics qualifying.
The first came in the first minute of play when he headed in a cross from Jerome Kiesewetter, and the second off a steal and a feed from Wil Trapp. The third goal came in the closing minutes of the game on a penalty kick by Luis Gil after Kiesewetter was taken down in the penalty area.
Next up is a Saturday game against Cuba, while tied Panama 1-1 in its opening game in Group A. Canada will play Panama in its second of three group games. It was announced before their game that four players from Cuba had left the team and defected to the United States.
The U.S. game against Canada was played before a sparse crowd at Sporting FC Stadium in Kansas City.
Four years ago the U.S. U-23 men bombed out of CONCACAF qualifying in Nashville, Tenn., missing the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
“I think especially for the team, scoring so early is big,” said Morris, the 20-year old Stamford University star and the only non-professional on the U.S. team. “It’s easier when you got up 1-0, especially in the fist minute of the game. It’s great to build that confidence and hopefully we can keep going, scoring some more goals.” The top two teams in each group advance to the semifinals. Semifinal winners earn CONCACAF’s two berths in the Olympics. The third-place finisher will play Colombia in a one-game playin for a third berth.