1988 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament
| Tournament details | |
|---|---|
| Dates | 5 September 1987 – 25 May 1988 |
| Teams | 6 (from 1 confederation) |
| Tournament statistics | |
| Matches played | 11 |
| Top scorer(s) |  Brent Goulet (6 goals) |
← 1984 1992 → | |
The 1988 CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament was the seventh edition of the CONCACAF Pre-Olympic Tournament, the quadrennial, international football tournament organised by the CONCACAF to determine which national teams from the North, Central America and Caribbean region qualify for the Olympic football tournament.[1]
United States and Guatemala qualified for the 1988 Summer Olympics: Mexico had originally qualified, but were disqualified after receiving a two-year suspension by FIFA arising from the Cachirules scandal.
Qualification
Qualified teams
The following teams qualified for the final tournament.
| Zone | Country | Method of qualification | Appearance1 | Last appearance | Previous best performance | Previous Olympic appearances (last) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North America |  Mexico
|
First round winners | 4th | 1976 | Winners (1964, 1972, 1976) | |
| United States
|
First round winners | 4th | 1980 | Runners-up (1972, 1980) | ||
| Central America |  El Salvador
|
First round winners | 2nd | 1968 | Final round winner without outright champions (1968) | |
 Guatemala
|
First round winners | 4th | 1976 | Runners-up (1976) | ||
| Caribbean |  Guyana
|
Second round winners | 1st | 0 (debut) | Debutant | |
 Trinidad and Tobago
|
Second round winners | 2nd | 1968 | Final round (1968) |
- 1 Only final tournament.
Final round
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 4 | +9 | 8 | Qualification to 1988 Summer Olympics |
| 2 | Trinidad and Tobago
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 2 | |
| 3 | El Salvador
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 | −6 | 0 |
Source: CONCACAF
| United States | 4–1 | Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|---|
Referee: J. Chinchilla (Guatemala)
| Trinidad and Tobago | 0–1 | United States |
|---|---|---|
Referee: R. Paz Escoto (Honduras)
| El Salvador | 2–4 | United States |
|---|---|---|
Referee: D. Douglas (Canada)
| El Salvador | 0–1 | Trinidad and Tobago |
|---|---|---|
Referee: D. Brumitt (Canada)
| United States | 4–1 | El Salvador |
|---|---|---|
Referee: E. Codesal (Mexico)
Note: The match between Trinidad and Tobago and El Salvador scheduled for 29 May 1988 was scratched by mutual agreement between the two countries.
Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mexico
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 1 | +15 | 8 | Disqualified |
| 2 | Guatemala
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 4 | Qualification to 1988 Summer Olympics |
| 3 | Guyana
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 20 | −20 | 0 |
Source: CONCACAF
| Guyana | 0–9 | Mexico |
|---|---|---|
Referee: F. Fuksman (United States)
| Mexico | 2–1 | Guatemala |
|---|---|---|
Referee: L. Sirjuesingh (Trinidad and Tobago)
- Notes
- The match between Mexico and Guyana, scheduled for 9 December 1987, was abandoned after fifteen members of the Guyanese squad defected and asked for political asylum while on a training camp in California, leaving them unable to field a team for the match. Mexico were awarded a 2–0 victory by CONCACAF.
- As Mexico were disqualified after their federation received a two-year suspension by FIFA, Guatemala took their place in the final tournament.
Mexico's disqualification
References
- ^ "About". CONCACAF. Archived from the original on June 28, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2021.