The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro are fast approaching, and when the U.S. women's team for the event was unveiled Tuesday there had to be at least a little sadness felt by fans who were reminded that the U.S. men will not have a team at the Games for the second straight tournament.
A disastrous Olympic qualifying campaign saw the Americans stumble in the CONCACAF tournament before falling to Colombia in a playoff in March. Colombia was a worthy victor, and the reality is the Americans should have handled business last fall in the qualifying tournament and failed.
We will never know what sort of showing a U.S. men's team might have had in Rio, but it's worth taking a moment to consider the talent in the Under-23 player pool, and the possible overage player options.
The three overage player slots would have been a bit tricky to fill because of the Copa America Centenario. Players like Clint Dempsey, Michael Bradley and Geoff Cameron were never going to be Olympic options, and even age-eligible players like John Brooks and DeAndre Yedlin would likely have been ruled out because of their place as first-choice starters for Jurgen Klinsmann.
As much as the Copa America was a priority, Klinsmann would have had to consider using some of his bench players from the tournament as starters in the Olympics, which could have meant a chance for Tim Howard to start in a major tournament one more time. It could also have meant potential double duty for a player like Darlington Nagbe, who was used sparingly at the Copa America but who would have been a perfect overage option for a U.S. Olympic team.
So what would a U.S. men's Olympic team have looked like this summer? Consider this squad:
GOALKEEPERS
Tim Howard, Ethan Horvath
With only two goalkeepers needed on the 18-man Olympic roster, we go with Howard and 21-year-old Horvath. With Brad Guzan the first-choice starter at Copa, Howard would have been available to be the Olympic No. 1. This would have to be appealing for Howard, who was a backup on the 2000 Olympic team. He was behind overage player Brad Friedel back then, and this time around he would be the veteran captaining a defense that wouldn't necessarily have any overage players on it.
Horvath's inclusion might not have been so simple, not with his club — Norwegian side Molde — in season. Horvath hasn't started either of Molde's matches since the club returned from its break for Euro 2016. If Horvath wasn't available, then Zack Steffen could have been an option.
DEFENDERS
Walker Zimmerman, Tim Parker, Matt Miazga, Keegan Rosenberry, Kellyn Acosta, Jorge Villafana
The center back position is one that is deeper right now, with more quality young options than people realize. Matt Miazga and Cameron Carter-Vickers are two highly regarded prospects seen as the future of the position, but neither has played in months and there is no guarantee Chelsea or Tottenham would release them for the Olympics. Miazga would still have likely earned a nod, but it's tough to see both he and Carter-Vickers chosen.
Also, there MLS starters in midseason form and playing well. Leading that group is Zimmerman, who is a key reason why FC Dallas has the best record in MLS. Tim Parker showed well in Olympic qualifying and has continued to start for the Vancouver Whitecaps. Rookie of the Year contender Jonathan Campbell and breakout Real Salt Lake defender Justen Glad would have been two other very strong options as well.
Could Klinsmann have considered an overage player option in central defense? Given the number of good age-eligible options it wouldn't have been a sure thing, but it's a safe bet Omar Gonzalez would have been up for a place on the Olympic team if asked.
The fullback positions would have been tougher to cover, which is why Villafana would be a good pick as a starting left back option. Kellyn Acosta is highly regarded in the U.S. national team setup, but he's been shaky as a left back so Villafana would be the perfect option. Rosenberry is having an outstanding rookie season for Philadelphia, having recently been named to the MLS All-Star game, and would be a worthy starter at right back.
It would have been interesting to see if Yedlin might have made it onto the team. Tottenham is looking to sell him, and might have been open to letting him play in both the Copa America and the Olympics if a transfer wasn't already close to being finalized before the Summer Games.
MIDFIELDERS
Emerson Hyndman, Wil Trapp, Luis Gil, Fatai Alashe, Darlington Nagbe
Any U.S. Olympic midfield would have started with a Hyndman and Trapp combo, assuming Hyndman could have secured his release for the tournament after having just recently moved to English side Bournemouth. Nagbe would have been the perfect pick to play alongside Hyndman and Trapp in a three-man midfield, and given how little he played at the Copa America it's a safe bet Klinsmann would have been OK with Nagbe playing in the Olympics rather than the Copa.
Alashe is a good defensive midfield option, but you wonder if Perry Kitchen might have earned an overage-player nod to offer some more experience and quality to that position. Danny Williams and Alfredo Morales are two other potential overage options here. One age-eligible central midfielder to consider is Caleb Stanko, who recently earned promotion to the German Bundesliga with Freiburg. Matt Polster would have been in the mix but only recently returned from a lengthy injury layoff.
And what of Gedion Zelalem, the Arsenal midfielder who spent the past season on loan at Scottish side Rangers? He didn't really stand out with the Under-23 team in his call-ups, and at 18 he's eligible for the next Olympic cycle, so his time should come down the road.
FORWARDS
Jordan Morris, Christian Pulisic, Rubio Rubin, Jerome Kiesewetter, Paul Arriola
When Morris was left off the Copa America roster there was plenty of anger among U.S. fans. That anger might have been mitigated a bit if there had been an Olympics for him to play in — Morris would clearly have been a starter on a U.S. Olympic team.
Would Klinsmann have brought Pulisic to the Copa America if he were going to be in the Olympics? Perhaps the better question: Would Borussia Dortmund have been OK with its prized prospect playing in two international tournaments this summer? Probably not. Much like Nagbe, Pulisic played a modest number of minutes at Copa, and would have been much better served as a starting winger in the Olympics, which is what likely would have happened.
Remember Rubin? A year ago he was starring at the Under-20 World Cup and looking like a future U.S. standout. A broken foot cost him most of the next season with Dutch side Utrecht, but he would have been healthy for the Olympics.
The Olympics could also have been a very good showcase for Arriola, who impressed in his senior national team debut back in May, as well as Kiesewetter, who was one of the team's bright spots in the Olympic qualifying tournament.
One name not on this list is Julian Green, who was on the team that lost to Colombia but failed to play a minute. Needless to say, he has fallen quite a bit down the pecking order since scoring that goal against Belgium at the 2014 World Cup.
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