On Friday, the U.S. Under-23 team took on Colombia for the Olympic qualifier and the match resulted in a draw. Seattle Sounders rookie Jordan Morris started in the game and put in 90 minutes on the field. The draw ended with a score of 1-1. Morris did not make the only US goal, however; that was scored by former Real Salt Lake midfielder Luis Gil. Juan Quintero put Colombia’s point on the board in retaliation with a penalty kick. On his Twitter page, Morris said, “Proud to be part of this team. Huge result last night! One more game to qualify for Rio.” The U.S. has not made it into the Olympic soccer games since 2008, so it would be very cool if Morris and company keep moving forward. The next portion of the qualifiers will be at the Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas on Tuesday.

Even with Clint Dempsey on it, the U.S. national team does not have equally positive news to share. On the contrary, the team lost 2-1 against Guatemala in their qualifier for Rio during the game in Guatemala City. It was the first time a team has lost against Guatemala since 1988. The next qualifying match against Guatemala will be at MAPFRE Stadium in Columbus, so stay tuned to see how they do.

In other news, analysts are speculating on what, exactly, Hercules Gonzalez will be bringing to the team. He’s not young, and he’s not that seasoned as a player, with fewer than 30 matches a year under his belt in the past few years. He’s no Obafemi Martins. That said, he has keen reflexes, doesn’t cost the team an arm and a leg and he’s on Nelson Valdez’s level, and he’s been in enough national team matches to be an asset in a general level. He’s no secret weapon, but he gives the team more depth and strength, which may be just what they need right now.

Have you seen any qualifying matches? Let us know about your experience in the comments. The next Sounders home match will take place on Saturday, April 2. It will be in Seattle and against Montreal Impact. Tickets are still on sale online so grab them while they last. Can’t make the game? Tune in to Q13 Fox, Univision Seattle, ROOT Sports (if you are outside Seattle), KIRO Radio 97.3 or El Rey 1360 to catch the game.

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia