KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first time since the 2008 Beijing Games, both the U.S. men’s and women’s soccer teams qualified for the Summer Olympics.
The women’s team has never missed an Olympic Games since the sport was added in 1996, but the men’s team missed out on the last three tournaments.
While the FIFA World Cup is soccer’s premier tournament, the Olympics historically serve as an important springboard. In fact, modern U.S. soccer culture owes its existence, in part, to the 1988 men’s Olympic team, which included Sporting Kansas City manager Peter Vermes.
“Going through the process of qualifying for the Olympics really got us prepared for qualifying for the World Cup,” Vermes said. “Having gone to all those different countries that a lot of us had never been to and having to play in those environments, we knew what to expect and we were hardened for that.”
During the two years after the Seoul Olympics, the U.S. men qualified to the World Cup for the first time since 1950, a span of 40 years.
That led to the U.S. hosting the 1994 World Cup and the founding of Major League Soccer, which is the most successful domestic soccer league in the country’s history.
There will be 30 MLS teams when San Diego FC joins the league next summer, a tribute to soccer’s surge in popularity during the last three decades. But it started with the 1988 Olympics.
“I remember we had so many games to qualify, which were really close, and finally we did,” Vermes said of qualifying for the Olympics. “The fact that we got a chance to go is a dream come true.”
While Vermes was part of a renaissance, KC Current midfielder Desiree Scott — a three-time Olympic medalist — said the Olympics put Canadian soccer on the map, starting with a bronze medal at the 2012 London Games.
“I think 2012 kind of set the tone like, ‘OK , we're here,’ like, ‘Hello, world,’” Scott said. “But we had to prove in 2016 that it wasn't a one off situation. Those four years, we continue to build the squad, build the confidence and grow on the world stage.”
Winning bronze again in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 cemented Canada's place among the world’s elite women’s teams — but Tokyo five years later allowed Scott and her teammates to call themselves a golden generation.
“We wanted to change the color of the medal,” Scott said of the mentality for the 2020 Summer Games. “That was our theme. We were like, Bronze is great, but like, let's go after gold. Let’s hear our anthem play, let's see our flag rise. That was our big motivation.”
Winning the 2020 Games came with another bonus — bragging rights among her Current teammates and fellow Olympians, like U.S. goalkeeper AD Franch and Brazilian star Debinha.
“We’re humble, Canadians,” Scott said with a laugh. “We’re humble. We’re silent killers. So, we'll flash the medal (and) let them know, but we wish them the best of luck.”
Women’s Olympic soccer is a senior national team tourney, while the Olympics are a U-23 team tournament for the men.
The U.S. men’s U-23 team will play a tune up June 11 at Children’s Mercy Park for those eager for an Olympic preview.
Only 16 teams make the Olympics. The U.S. was drawn into a group with France, which is hosting the Paris Games beginning in late July. New Zealand and Guinea also are in the group.
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