So close to the Olympics...
The Olympics. Who hasn't dreamed of what it would be like to be a participant? In March I got to experience how close one can come to making it - without actually getting there.
I joined the U.S. U-23 Men's National Team as press officer for their two-game series against Colombia's U-23 team to see which country would claim the final spot in the men's tournament at the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Twenty three players and about 15 staff members gathered in Miami on March 20 for a couple of days before flying to Barranquilla, Colombia. On March 25, the guys pulled an upset in the first leg by tying Colombia 1-1 at Estadio Metropolitano Roberto Melendez under some rather extreme conditions. We took a charter flight after the game to Dallas, Texas for the second leg on March 29. However Colombia proved to be the better team, winning the second leg 2-1 and taking the overall series 3-2.
For me, it was my first trip to Colombia, making the 42nd country I've visited, and 21 in which I've attended a soccer game.
