March 26, 2008

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Midfielder/forward Dejan Jakovic helped lead Canada's Under-23 National Team to a third-place finish at the 2008 CONCACAF Men's Olympic Qualification Tournament in Nashville, Tenn. Jakovic is one of only a handful of players to have played every minute of every game for his team.

Honduras, meanwhile, defeated the United States to win the championship trophy. Only the top-two teams, Honduras and the United States, qualified for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Canada opened the 2008 tournament in Carson, CA with a draw (1-1 against México), a loss (2-1 to Haiti) and win (5-0 over Guatemala) in Group B action. After losing 3-0 to the United States in the semi-final in Nashville, Canada played to a 0-0 draw with Guatemala in the match for third place. Canada then scored on all five of its penalties to win third place in the eight-team tournament.

For Canada, it was the country's best finish at a men's Olympic Qualification event since 1996 when the CONCACAF tournament was held in Edmonton. That year, Canada finished second behind México. The United States did not compete as they had already qualified as hosts of the 1996 Atlanta Games. Unfortunately, Canada was then eliminated after it lost a two-match playoff with OFC champions Australia.

Jakovic returns for his senior season for UAB in 2008 as the team's leader in points and goals last year. He earned first team all-conference and all-region accolades following his junior year.