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CONCACAF has presented the schedule for March's Olympic qualifying tournament, and Mexico will be facing Trinidad & Tobago on opening night of Group B play at Home Depot Center.

Honduras will meet Panama in the 6 p.m. opener on Friday, March 23, with El Tri and the Soca Warriors clashing at 8. Doubleheaders also will be played at HDC on Sunday, March 25, and Tuesday, March 27.

Group A, headed by the U.S., will play in Nashville, Tenn., and the semifinals and finals are slated for Kansas City, Kan. The finalists will advance to next summer's London Games.

The full schedule:

• GROUP A (LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.)

Thursday, March 22
El Salvador vs. Canada, 3:30 p.m.
United States vs. Cuba, 6 p.m.

Saturday, March 24
Cuba vs. El Salvador, 1:30 p.m.
United States vs. Canada, 4 p.m.

Monday, March 26
Canada vs. Cuba, 3:30 p.m.
United States vs. El Salvador, 6 p.m.

• GROUP B (Home Depot Center, Carson)

Friday, March 23
Honduras vs. Panama, 6 p.m.
Mexico vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 8:30 p.m.

Sunday, March 25
Panama vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 1:30 p.m.
Mexico vs. Honduras, 4 p.m.

Tuesday, March 27
Honduras vs. Trinidad & Tobago, 6 p.m.
Mexico vs. Panama, 8:30 p.m.

• FINAL FOUR (Livestrong Sporting Park, Kansas City, Kan.)

Saturday, March 31
B1 vs. A2, 3 p.m.
A1 vs. B2, 6 p.m.

Monday, April 2
Semifinal winner, 5 p.m.

All times Pacific

The U.S. under-23 team was drawn Tuesday into Group A for CONCACAF's qualifiers next year, along with Canada, Cuba and El Salvador. Mexico is the top side in Group B. Guess which group will play at Home Depot Center.

That's a no-brainer: We'll be seeing the Mexicans, along with Honduras, Panama and Trinidad & Tobago over three doubleheaders in late March.

The U.S. group will play at LP Field in Nashville, and the semifinals and final will be held at Livestrong Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. The finalists advance to next year's London Games.

CONCACAF said it would announce the tournament match schedule “by the end of the week." Games are slated for HDC on March 23, 25 and 27.

CONCACAF's women's qualifiers will be staged Jan. 19-29 in Vancouver. The U.S. is in Group B with Mexico, Dominican Republic and Guatemala; Group A contains Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba and Haiti. The finalists advance.

Mexico's national team has added another game in the U.S. to its pre-CONCACAF Gold Cup schedule, against New Zealand at Denver's Invesco Field on June 1, the Federacion Mexicana de Futbol and Soccer United Marketing announced Friday.

El Tri, co-favorites with the U.S. in the June 5-25 regional championship, previously announced a May 28 match against Ecuador at Seattle's Qwest Field.

Mexico has already played friendlies this year in Atlanta (beat Bosnia & Herzegovina), Oakland (beat Paraguay) and San Diego (tied Venezuela).

L.A. soccer fans will be rooting for the U.S. and Mexico to mow down the competition, as expected. It's our only chance of seeing either play live.

The draw for CONCACAF's Gold Cup, the region's nations championship, was held Tuesday, and the lone group-stage date at Home Depot Center is a Group B doubleheader. Mexico heads Group A, and the U.S. is in Group C.

Jamaica will face Grenada at 6 p.m. and Honduras takes on Guatemala at 8 p.m. in the June 6 matches at HDC. The June 25 championship game will be played at the Rose Bowl.

The U.S. opens against Canada June 7 in Detroit, then meets Panama June 11 in Tampa, Fla., and closes group play June 14 against Guadeloupe in Kansas City. Mexico's slate: June 5 vs. El Salvador in Arlington, Texas; June 12 vs. Cuba at Charlotte, N.C.; and June 12 vs. Costa Rica at Soldier Field.

Quarterfinals will be staged in East Rutherford, N.J., and Washington, with the semifinals headed to Houston.

The groups and full schedule (all times Pacific):

Group A
Mexico, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Cuba

Group B
Honduras, Guatemala, Jamaica, Grenada

Group C
United States, Canada, Panamá, Guadeloupe

Sunday, June 5 at Cowboys Stadium (Arlington, Texas): Costa Rica vs. Cuba, 3 p.m.; Mexico vs. El Salvador, 5 p.m.
Monday, June 6 at Home Depot Center (Carson): Jamaica vs. Grenada, 6 p.m.; Honduras vs. Guatemala, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, June 7 at Ford Field (Detroit): Panama vs. Guadeloupe, 3 p.m.; U.S. vs. Canada, 5 p.m.
Thursday, June 9 at Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.): Costa Rica vs. El Salvador, 4 p.m.; Cuba vs. Mexico, 6 p.m.
Friday, June 10 at FIU Stadium (Miami): Jamaica vs. Guatemala, 4 p.m.; Grenada vs. Honduras, 6 p.m.
Saturday, June 11 at Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Fla.): Canada vs. Guadeloupe, 3 p.m.; U.S. vs. Panama, 5 p.m.
Sunday, June 12 at Soldier Field (Chicago): El Salvador vs. Cuba, 3 p.m.; Mexico vs. Costa Rica, 5 p.m.
Monday, June 13 at Red Bull Arena (Harrison, N.J.): Guatemala vs. Grenada, 4 p.m.; Honduras vs. Jamaica, 6 p.m.
Tuesday, June 14 at KC Soccer Stadium (Kansas City, Kan.): Canada vs. Panama, 4 p.m.; Guadeloupe vs. U.S., 6 p.m.
Saturday, June 18 at New Meadowlands Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.): Quarterfinals, 2 and 5 p.m. (A2 vs. B2 and A1 vs. B/C3)
Sunday, June 19 at RFK Stadium (Washington): Quarterfinals, noon and 3 p.m. (B1 vs. C2, C1 vs. A/B3)
Wednesday, June 22 at Reliant Stadium (Houston): Semifinals, 4 and 7 p.m.
Saturday, June 25 at the Rose Bowl (Pasadena): Championship, 6 p.m.

Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre's debut Wednesday night as Mexico's national team coach -- with a 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in Atlanta -- offered a few clues on how El Tri will move forward under his direction and who will lead the way.

The former national team midfielder, hired in October from Mexican league power Toluca, fielded a veteran lineup, for the most part, while providing opportunities to a few more inexperienced players. Atlas' Edgar Pacheco took advantage, scoring from Cruz Azul goalkeeper Jose de Jesus Corona's punt to double Mexico's advantage in the 55th minute.

Pacheco, 21, was the lone starter without double-digit caps. De la Torre's lineup was as close to first-choice as any missing New York Red Bulls midfielder/defender Rafa Marquez and West Brom forward Carlos Vela.

De la Torre gave Monterrey midfielder Jesus Zavala, 23, his first cap, Toluca forward Nestor Calderon his second, and Santos Laguna forward Jose Maria Cardenas and Monterrey forward Aldo de Nigris their third off the bench. He also used Monterrey midfielder Luis Perez, who last played for Mexico nearly two years ago.

Manchester United's Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez also scored for Mexico, his 12th goal in 21 international appearances, knocking home the rebound after Bosnia and Herzegovina goalkeeper Kenan Hasagic saved his penalty kick.

De la Torre's verdict: "I think it's a good start. It's always good to start a new project. You have to keep in mind that we had little time together."

Mexico's lineup:

Jose de Jesus Corona/Cruz Azul; Paul Aguilar/Pachuca, Francisco Javier Rodriguez/PSV Eindhoven/Netherlands, Hector Moreno/AZ Alkmaar/Netherlands, Carlos Salcido/Fulham/England; Pablo Barrera/West Ham United/England (Jose Maria Cardenas/Santos Laguna, 68), Gerardo Torrado/Cruz Azul; Israel Castro/Pumas UNAM (Jesus Zavala/Monterrey, 88), Edgar Pacheco/Atlas (Nestor Calderon/Toluca, 73); Giovani Dos Santos/Racing Santander/Spain (Aldo de Nigris/Monterrey, 58), Javier Hernandez/Manchester United/England (Luis Perez/Monterrey, 80).

Jose Manuel "Chepo" de la Torre's first Mexico roster features a healthy share of the regular crew -- the Chicharitos and Giovanis and Torados -- a couple of newcomers among those looking to cement their spot in the player pool, and two old standouts returning to El Tri after absences of almost two years.

Zinha, Toluca's Brazilian-born playmaker, and Luis Perez, a midfielder for Monterrey, were part of Mexico's 2006 World Cup team and contributed during the qualifying campaign for last year's World Cup in South Africa, and their presence for Wednesday's clash against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Atlanta (TeleFutura/KFTR Channel 46, 5 p.m. PT) restores international careers that elapsed when Javier Aguirre took charge in April 2009.

Zinha last suited up for El Tri in a 5-1 romp over Bolivia on March 11, 2009, in Commerce City, Colo. Perez made his last appearance in a World Cup qualifying loss at Honduras on April 1, 2009, two days before Aguirre replaced Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson.

De la Torre, a former Mexican national team midfielder, was hired Oct. 18 to succeed Aguirre, who resigned after guiding Mexico to the World Cup round of 16. Wednesday's match is his first as El Tri manager.

His roster includes 11 players from the team in South Africa -- including star forwards Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez and Giovani Dos Santos, both based in Europe, and captain Gerardo Torrado, the veteran (three World Cups) holding midfielder from Cruz Azul -- and a half-dozen who were on the roster four years earlier in Germany.

A half-dozen players based in Europe have been called in, but not forward Carlos Vela, who was just loaned from Arsenal to fellow English Premier League team West Bromwich Albion, or midfielder Efrain Juarez, who plays for Scottish powerhouse Celtic FC. Their six-month suspensions, for their involvement in a team party following a Sept. 7 match against Colombia in Ciudad Juarez, expire next month.

Hernandez (Manchester United), Dos Santos (Racing Santander, on loan from Tottenham), midfielder Pablo Barrera (West Ham United) and first-choice defenders Carlos Salcido (Fulham), Francisco Javier Rodriguez (PSV Eindhoven) and Hector Moreno (AZ Alkmaar) comprise the foreign legion.

Toluca goalkeeper Alfredo Talavera and Monterrey midfielder Jesus Zavala hope to make their international debuts. Talavera is expected to back up Cruz Azul's Jose de Jesus Corona, who was a backup at the 2006 World Cup. Five others on the roster have played just once or twice for the full national team.

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Mexico's national team is coming to Southern California in March, just not to L.A. El Tri will face Venezuela in San Diego's Qualcomm Stadium on March 29 at 8 p.m. Tickets go on sale Friday through Ticketmaster.

It's the third date on the team's annual U.S. tour, organized by Soccer United Marketing, the marketing arm of Major League Soccer, and it comes on a FIFA international-fixture date, so, theoretically, Mexico will have access to its biggest stars, such as Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez and Giovani Dos Santos, who play in England.

Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre will make his debut as Mexico coach in the tour opener, Feb. 9 against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Atlanta.

Mexico has played 19 games at Qualcomm since the early 1990s, going 13-2-4 and averaging about 40,000 in attendance, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. El Tri last played in San Diego in June 2009, a 0-0 draw with Guatemala.

Mexico's 2011 U.S. tour (all times Pacific):

Feb. 9 vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina at Atlanta, 5 p.m.
March 26 vs. Paraguay at Oakland, 2 p.m.
March 29 vs. Venezuela at San Diego, 8 p.m.

No official word yet on any So Cal appearances, but Mexico's national team is coming to California.

El Tri's preparations for the CONCACAF Gold Cup will include a March 26 date against Paraguay at the Oakland Coliseum. New coach Jose Manuel “Chepo” de la Torre makes his debut Feb. 9 against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Atlanta.

1. U.S.-MEXICO SUPREMACY

U.S. Soccer has avoided scheduling against Mexico's national team in Southern California for obvious reasons, but the federation has no (reasonable) choice this year. Circle June 25 on the calendar: If all follows form, the Yanks and El Tri will renew the region's best rivalry in a packed Rose Bowl with the CONCACAF Gold Cup title on the line. A young version of the U.S. will face Chile at Home Depot Center on Jan. 22, and we're hearing talk of Mexico at the Rose Bowl in March. And the HDC gets a Gold Cup date June 6, but no idea who will play in the doubleheader.

2. GALAXY'S GOAL: A TROPHY

The Galaxy might have answered its biggest need in Major League Soccer's re-entry draft, selecting aging but gifted Colombian striker Juan Pablo Angel. Now they've got to sign him -- and hope Edson Buddle doesn't bolt for England or Scotland. L.A. has come close to After coming close to MLS Cup titles the past two years, losing in the 2009 final and in the 2010 Western Conference title game, and anything other than a trophy in 2011 will disappoint (although getting through the CONCACAF Champions League's group phase might mitigate somewhat). Landon Donovan is nearing 30, David Beckham's contract ends next December, and Angel is a quick-fix kind of addition. The backline is getting younger (and better, it seems), and if Bruce Arena can find a little more speed, L.A. will be tough to beat. But so will Real Salt Lake, FC Dallas and the New York Red Bulls, and maybe reigning champ Colorado if it can keep Omar Cummings from bolting to Europe. Our expectation: a terrific MLS race.

3. THE GERMAN MISSION

The U.S. women haven't won a Women's World Cup title since that delightful summer of '99, and they've since lost the American public's attention, mostly because Mia Hamm (and others) retired and Nike stopped contributing millions to the team's marketing campaign. This group of Yanks will try to restore some of the glitz, but it's not going to be easy. They'll certainly among the teams to beat at the WWC in Germany next summer -- and they might pull it off, if Abby Wambach and Hope Solo are at their best -- but if anyone other than the Germans are celebrating come July 17 in Frankfurt, it's a massive upset.

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Mexico will begin preparations in February for next summer's CONCACAF Gold Cup with a game in Atlanta.

The Mexican federation and Soccer United Marketing, Major League Soccer's marketing arm, announced Thursday that El Tri will face Bosnia and Herzegovina on Feb. 9 at the Georgia Dome.

The partnership between Federacion Mexicana de Futbol and SUM is in its ninth year.

In addition, Barcelona has announced its preseason plans for next summer, which will include games in Washington (July 30 vs. Manchester United), Miami (Aug. 3 vs. AC Milan) and Arlington, Texas (Aug. 6 vs. Club America).

We knew we were getting the final. Turns out only one other date at next summer's Gold Cup will be played in Southern California.

CONCACAF's urge to spread its nations championship to many sites has left Angelenos just two viewing options: A June 6 opener at Home Depot Center -- it'll be a doubleheader -- and the June 25 title game at the Rose Bowl.

No clue on who will be playing -- seven of 12 qualifiers have been determined and the draw will be held in early February -- but odds are it will be the U.S. and Mexico in the championship encounter.

The U.S. beat Mexico, 2-1, in the 2007 final in Chicago, and Mexico routed the U.S., 5-0, in the 2009 title game in East Rutherford, N.J.

Quarterfinals will be played in East Rutherford and Washington and semifinals in Houston. In all, 13 venues will stage games.

This will be the ninth time in 11 tournaments since the current format was adopted in 1991 that games will be played in Southern California. Five of the first six finals were played at the Rose Bowl or Coliseum, but next year's will be the first since 2002, when the U.S. beat Costa Rica at the Rose Bowl.

Home Depot Center has been the only So Cal venue in the past three competitions.

The U.S., Mexico and Canada automatically are entered into the tournament, and Jamaica, Cuba, Grenada and Guadeloupe qualified from the Caribbean Championship. Five Central American nations will emerge from the Jan. 14-23 Copa Centroamericana in Panama.

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There's always a “Group of Death” in any FIFA competition, or so it seems, and that group at next summer's Women's World Cup in Germany belongs to the U.S.

And to Germany. And to Brazil.

There are three “death” groups in this year's field, product of the rapid growth of women's soccer outside the traditional strongholds of the U.S., Germany, Scandinavia and the Far East.

The Americans, seeded Sunday atop Group C, welcomed North Korea, Colombia and Sweden into their quartet during Monday's WWC draw in Frankfurt. That's three legitimate contenders (for at least semifinal berths) for just two spots in the eight-team knockout bracket. And we'll see about Colombia.

And it gets worse: A quarterfinal awaits with Brazil or Australia or Norway (and we'll see about Equatorial Guinea), and the likeliest semifinal foe are the Germans, prohibitive favorites to win their third successive WWC.

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Mexico avoided Argentina and Brazil, but that doesn't mean El Tri received a favorable draw for next summer's Copa America.

The Mexicans, who join Japan as a guest team in South America's nations championship, were placed Thursday into Group C with Uruguay, Chile and Peru. Uruguay was the top Latin American team at the World Cup in South Africa, reaching the semifinals and finishing fourth behind Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan. Chile reached the round of 16.

Host Argentina is in Group A with Colombia, Japan and Bolivia. Brazil heads Group B, with Paraguay, Ecuador and Venezuela.

The tournament begins July 3.

America is peaking at the best possible time. Toluca is crumbling when it counts. The impact on the Mexican Primera Division's Apertura campaign is massive.

The Aguilas clinched a berth in the eight-team playoff Liguilla with a 1-0 victory at Atlante, courtesy of Matias Vuoso's eighth goal of the season, and head into their final regular-season outing -- against Mexico City rival Pumas UNAM -- with three-game winning and six-game unbeaten streaks.

They've pulled through last month's attacking drought, in which they were shut out by first-place Cruz Azul, second-place Monterrey and archrival Guadalajara, scoring seven times in their past three games -- and that should be eight.

Pavel Pardo converted a stoppage-time penalty kick against Atlante, but referee Paul Delgadillo ordered a retake for encroachment, and Potros goalkeeper Moises Muñoz saved Pardo's second attempt.

America, which is atop Group 2 and fourth overall, behind Santos Laguna on goal difference (plus-8 to plus-7), appears to have shored up its defensive problems, and the relationship among Vuoso, playmaker Daniel Montenegro and former Toluca star Vicente Sanchez has solidified just when it most matters.

“We're there, and we were able to get there,” America coach Manuel Lapuente said after Saturday night's victory, according to Reforma. “We're playing well … we've finished the league well, although we have a game against Pumas to play, and we cannot lose at home. We're going to put a lot of effort into that game. This isn't over until it's over, and we're going to fight to climb one spot higher.”

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All is right again in the women's soccer world. The U.S. national team, stunned last week by Mexico in CONCACAF's Women's World Cup qualifying semifinals, dominated Costa Rica just as expected in Monday's third-place game to keep its Germany 2011 hopes alive.

Actually, hope doesn't begin to describe the Americans' situation or expectations. Not qualifying for the WWC, after winning twice and finishing third three times in the previous five, would be disastrous. Losing to Mexico, in Mexico, might be good for the game and for the U.S. program, but not so failing to reach the sport's most important event.

Hermosa Beach's Abby Wambach scored two more goals -- her seventh and eighth of the tournament and her 116th and 117th in international play -- and former UCLA star Lauren Cheney also tallied in a 3-0 U.S. victory in Cancun. Other locals playing Monday were midfielder Shannon Boxx (Redondo Beach/South Torrance HS) and forwards Amy Rodriguez (Lake Forest/Santa Margarita Catholic HS and USC) and Alex Morgan (Diamond Bar/Diamond Bar HS).

The U.S. will meet Italy in a home-and-home series -- Nov. 20 in Padova and Nov. 27 in Bridgeview, Ill. -- with the winner joining the 16-nation field.

Canada beat Mexico, 1-0, in the final on Christine Sinclair's penalty kick early in the second half. The Canadians and Mexicans claimed CONCACAF's berths for next summer's championship.