US soccer team is knocked out of Olympic contention by El Salvador

The U.S. entered the CONCACAF Olympic qualifying tournament with high expectations. But it's going home empty-handed after Jaime Alas' goal in stoppage time lifted El Salvador to a 3-3 tie in the final game of group play Monday in Nashville, ending the Americans' Olympic soccer dreams.

The U.S. was about a minute shy of the victory it needed to advance to the tournament semifinals as the winner of its group when Alas charged up the center of the American defense and uncorked a blast from 25 yards out that bounced once before eluding backup U.S. keeper Sean Johnson, who got a hand on the shot but couldn't stop it. That not only knocked the U.S. out of the tournament, but also it changed El Salvador's fortunes, with the Central Americans leaping from elimination to the top of the Group A standings ahead of Canada, which tied Cuba, 1-1, in Monday's first game and advances as the group runner-up.

El Salvador, which last qualified for the Olympics in 1968, figures to play Honduras in the semifinals, provided its Central American neighbor gets past winless Trinidad and Tobago on the final day of Group B play Tuesday at the Home Depot Center. Canada is all but certain to face unbeaten Mexico, the probable Group B winner and the dominant team in the tournament so far. The winners of those two games will represent the CONCACAF region in London this summer.

None of that matters to the U.S., which will be watching at home after fighting back from a 2-1 deficit to take a one-goal lead in the 68th minute, only to give it back four minutes into stoppage time and miss the Olympics for the second time in three tries.

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