Before Landon Donovan was a MLS star or World Cup hero, he was an Olympian.
The American soccer icon was an 18-year-old member of the US team at the 2000 Sydney games, helping the US to a surprise Bronze Medal in Australia. He reflected on that experience on Tuesday in Beverly Hills as part of the Olympic Media Summit ahead of this summer’s games in Rio de Janeiro, speaking with The Salt Lake Tribune’s Chris Kamrani about the US U-23s’ chances in their upcoming Olympic qualifying playoff series against Colombia.
“I hope they get to Rio,” Donovan told the Tribune. “Aside from just being successful in qualifying, the Olympic experience is unlike anything you’ll ever go through in your life. I hope for those guys, they get that opportunity.”
The US finished third at the CONCACAF Olympic Qualifying Tournament last fall, setting up their home-and-away series against Colombia. The first leg will be played in Barranquilla, Colombia on March 25, while the decisive return leg is scheduled for March 29 at FC Dallas’ Toyota Stadium.
Donovan acknowledged that advancing past the South American nation would be very difficult, but said that failing to make the Olympics would be a big blow for the US program.
“At this point in our history, any tournament we don’t qualify for is a failure,” he said. “We should be, in this region, we should either be the best or very close to the best team in the region, so it’s important for us. It’s important for us to continue qualifying for these events. We have to.”
Donovan, who is part of an athlete advisory commission aiming to further the LA2024 bid for the Summer Games eight years from now, also commented on MLS’s recent struggles in the CONCACAF Champions League and shared his thoughts on what US Soccer needs to accomplish in the current World Cup cycle.
