Colorado Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihajlovic (10) looks for a pass during a 2-1 win against Sporting Kansas City at Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Thursday, July 4, 2024. (Photo by Zachary Spindler Craig/The Denver Post)
After he and the U.S. Men's Youth National Team failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics four years ago, Djordje Mihajlovic never thought he'd get another chance.
He grew up watching the Olympics and aspired to step onto an Olympic field, but Olympic registration rules limit the number of players to three over the age of 23, significantly reducing the Rapids midfielder's chances of making the national team this year.
Mihajlovic, now 25, defied the odds, joining Nashville's Walker Zimmerman and Cincinnati's Myles Robinson as the team's over-age players, the U.S. Soccer Association announced Monday. Mihajlovic has 10 goals and nine assists in 21 games, the seventh-highest goal contribution in MLS history this season.
He is just the second current Rapids player in franchise history to represent the United States at the Olympics, the first being Joey DiGiamarino in the 2000 Olympics.
“It's hard to put into words how I feel,” Mihajlovic told The Denver Post. “The disappointment (of not qualifying for Tokyo) in my age group was tough. In this sport, you don't get many chances to make this dream come true. It's always been a goal of mine to go to the Olympics and it's a special moment for me, my friends and family, as well as representing the Rapids and my teammates.”
“When (Olympic coach Marko Mitrovic) called and told me the news, I was shocked, excited, and at the same time disappointed that I was the only one going and not Cole (Bassett), who I thought definitely deserved to go.”
Clubs can, and some have, refused to send players to Paris because of domestic fixtures or team needs, and the Colorado Rapids could have easily asked the 25-year-old to remain in the United States, with three games against MLS' top teams to be played during the Olympics, followed by the League Cup.
When Mitrovic came calling about signing the Rapids star, the choice was easy for manager Chris Armas and the club.
“The players' dreams are our dreams as a club and as a coaching staff,” Armas told The Post. “All in all, this is what's best for Jorge. … I'm really proud to be on this journey with him and to be able to support him. This is great. We should be very excited for him and that's how we see it.”
So when a club has the power to not send a player to the Olympics, they have to walk a fine line: on the one hand, if the player goes to the Olympics, the team's performance may suffer in his absence, and on the other hand, the emotional impact of being rejected by your own team to go to the Olympics may far outweigh any short-term benefit of staying with the team for a month.
From the Rapids' perspective, they will certainly miss an offensive engine in a tough stretch of games, but Bassett proved he is a worthy replacement for the time being, scoring a goal and assist in Sunday's 4-1 win over St. Louis City, especially with a player as competitive as Parise.
In the long run, Mihajlovic getting some Olympic-level competition experience won't be a negative for the Rapids.
“He's a difference-maker. He's going to come into his own. He's healthy, strong and sharp right now,” Armas said. “He's dangerous in terms of goals and assists and his set-piece delivery is top-class. I think he's going to turn a lot of heads on the world stage and maybe even earn a full call-up to the national team.”
It will no doubt be something that will be in the back of Mihajlovic's mind when he steps off the plane in Paris.
He has earned 11 caps for the senior team over the past five years, appearing in two friendlies and two CONCACAF Gold Cups, most notably his performance in the 2023 Gold Cup, where he led the team to a 6-0 win over St. Kitts and Nevis in the group stage before losing to eventual runners-up Panama in the semi-finals.
There's a lot of uncertainty and turmoil surrounding the U.S. Men's National Team after they were eliminated in the group stage of the Copa America, with the future of the senior team unclear, and with the World Cup not coming to the U.S. for two years, Mihajlovic could put himself in the running with a quality performance on the world stage.
“I was one of the players who narrowly missed out on qualifying for the World Cup (in 2022), at least that's what they told me,” Mihajlovic said. “It's very painful, but you have to quickly forget about it because this sport moves so fast. When a new coach comes, you never know what's going to happen. At the same time, as a player you can't think too much about it.”
The U.S., which hasn't qualified for the Olympics since 2008, will play its first group stage match against host France on July 24 at 1 p.m.
The United States as a country has never won an Olympic medal in soccer.
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