NBC Universo to Air CONCACAF OLYMPIC QUALIFYING, 10/4

NBC UNIVERSO, the modern sports and entertainment cable channel for Latinos, will telecast live in Spanish the thrilling CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament starting Oct. 1 through Oct. 13. The round-robin tournament, which determines which national under-23 age group teams qualify for next year's Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, will feature defending Olympic Soccer Gold Medal Winner Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Haiti, Honduras, Panama and The United States.

On Sun., Oct. 4, NBC UNIVERSO's telecast will feature the Mexico National Team as it resumes its journey to compete in the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and attempt to repeat as gold medal winners. This year's El Tri squad is experienced, as many of its players have already played plenty of top level soccer for clubs around the world. Several Mexico National Team standouts include Raul Gudino, a 19-year-old who plays for Porto in Portugal; a super defender Carlos Salcedo, a 21-year old who currently plays for Chivas de Guadalajara (opponents have not been able to score when Salcedo is on THE PITCH for Mexico); midfielder Erick Gutierrez, a 20-year old who captained Mexico's U-20 team this past summer and possesses the skill of a veteran when it comes to short passing game; and 21-year old midfielder Arturo Gonzalez, who was a member of Mexico's under-17 World Cup winning squad in 2011.

Mexico's CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying competition roster comprises players in the under-23 age group (listed below):

The Mexico National Team Full Roster:

GOALKEEPERS:
Raul Gudino (Porto)
Luis Cardenas (Monterrey)
Gibran lajud (Tijuana)

DEFENDERS:
Carlos Salcedo (Chivas de Guadalajara)
Hedgardo Marin (Chivas De Guadalajara)
Luis Lopez (Monterrey)
Rodolfo Pizarro (Pachuca)
Victor Guzman (Pachuca)
Jordan Silva (Toluca)
Josecarlos Van Rakin (Pumas)

MIDFIELDERS:
Arturo Gonzalez (Atlas)
Raul Lopez (Chivas de Guadalajara)
Erick Aguirre (Morelia)
Erick Gutierrez (Pachuca)
Luis Lorona (Chiapas)

FORWARDS:
Hirving Lozano (Pachuca)
Daniel Alvarez (Atlas)
Alfonso Tamay (Puebla)
Erick Torres (Houston Dynamo)
Marco Bueno (Leon)

NBC UNIVERSO's first-day coverage of competition on Oct. 1 will feature the United States seeking to settle the score with the Canadian national team. The Canucks surprised the Stars and Stripes with a 2-0 victory back in 2012, which knocked team USA out of the Qualifying Tournament and denied them a spot at the London Olympic Games.

Award-winner and internationally acclaimed sportscaster Andrés Cantor will bring his unique style and soccer expertise to the broadcast booth for NBC UNIVERSO during the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying competition. He will headline a talented roster of sports broadcasters, including Emmy-award winner Sammy Sadovnik; and former Mexican soccer players Carlos Hermosillo and Manuel Sol. The broadcast team will deliver a distinctive blend of knowledge, grace and passion that are synonymous with world-class soccer.

NBC UNIVERSO's telecast of CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying competition includes:

Panama vs. Cuba - Thur., Oct. 1 at 6:30p ET / 3:30p PT
USA vs. Canada - Thur., Oct. 1 at 9:00p ET / 6:00p PT
Honduras vs. Haiti - Fri., Oct. 2 at 9:00p ET / 6:00p PT
Haiti vs. Mexico - Sun., Oct. 4 at 7:00p ET / 4:00p PT
Canada vs. Cuba - Tue., Oct. 6 at 7:00p ET / 4:00p PT
USA vs. Panama - Tue., Oct. 6 at 9:30p ET / 6:30p PT
Costa Rica vs. Haiti - Wed., Oct. 7 at 7:00p ET / 4:00p PT
Mexico vs. Honduras - Wed., Oct. 7 at 9:30p ET / 6:30p PT
Olympic Qualifying Third Place Match - Tue., Oct. 13 at 7:00p ET / 4:30p PT
Olympic Qualifying Final Game - Tue., Oct. 13 at 10:00p ET / 7:00p PT
Viewers can check their local TV listings, or visit, to find channel information for NBC UNIVERSO on their cable, satellite and telco systems. Subscribers can also live stream the match on the NBC UNIVERSO NOW app.

The qualifying tournament is made up of national teams from the North American Zone (NAFU), Central American Zone (UNCAF) and Caribbean Zone (CFU), which are all part of the CONCACAF region. The eight teams are placed into two groups. Only the top two teams in each group have a chance to reach Rio in 2016. The third placed team will advance to the CONCACAF-CONMEBOL Playoff where it will play Colombia in March 2016.