US Prepared to Open Olympic Soccer Qualifying Vs Canada

Andi Herzog has come to understand the importance of the Olympics in the U.S., where national pride swells every four years regardless of the sport taking place.

The newly arrived Olympic flag in front of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 19, 2012. In an attempt to limit ticket scalping, organizers of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics are putting large fines in place on tickets that might be resold after reaching the public through distribution by national Olympic committees. AP Photo/Felipe Dana

KANSAS CITY, Kan.—Andi Herzog has come to understand the importance of the Olympics in the U.S., where national pride swells every four years regardless of the sport taking place.

That what makes the country’s recent history in soccer so disappointing.

The U.S. has missed out on two of the last three Summer Games, getting ousted by Mexico in the quarterfinals of qualifying for the 2004 Athens Games and failing to get out of group play four years ago, despite playing on home soil in an attempt to qualify for the 2012 London Games.

“I think for every athlete the Olympics is special,” said Herzog, coach of the under-23 team that will try to qualify for next year’s Rio Games beginning Thursday night in Kansas City.

It's our job to show the rest of the world that the U.S. has young, talented players.

— Andi Herzog, US Olympic soccer coach