Jason Kreis: “I don’t think that any of us should feel any real onus about what has happened four years ago and eight years ago.” (Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports)

By Michael Lewis

FrontRowSoccer.com Editor

Jason Kreis sees booking a spot in the Tokyo Olympics as an opportunity.

As it turns out, it would be a big opportunity, considering how the United States has fared in recent qualifying runs.

After participating in seven of the last eight Olympic soccer tournaments, the U.S. has hit a drought, failing to reach the Summer Games the last two times. Failure this time would mean the USA would tie its longest streak of missing the Olympics three successive times (1960 to 1968).

“I see it as opportunity,” the U.S. Under-23 head coach said during a ZOOM call with the media Monday afternoon after he named the team’s roster for the Concacaf Olympic qualifying tournament. “I  presented to the guys that we have a chance to sort [of] almost rewrite history is not the right word but I think make a major step forward. It’s the right word.”

The U.S. stumbled in its attempts to qualify in 2012 and 2016. Adding in the failure to book at spot at Athens 2004, that meant the Americans have participated in the competition three of the last four times.

“I don’t think that any of us should feel any real onus about what has happened four years ago and eight years ago,” Kreis said. “None of us were part of that. For me, [it] is to just kind of right some wrongs.

“The other thing I think is really interesting about this situation with the men’s national team programs, really, us included, we have sort of the first opportunity to make a major step forward in qualifying for a major tournament whereas the full team, they got qualifying coming up at the end of the year. So, we kind of get the first bite at this and that’s another motivating factor.”

The tournament will be held in Guadalajara, Mexico from March 18-30 and the Americans face a difficult group.

The USA meets Costa Rica Thursday, March 18, 5 p.m. ET, the Dominican Republic Sunday, March 21 at 7 p.m. ET and Mexico Wednesday, March 24 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

The top two teams from each group qualify for the semifinals Sunday, March 28. The semifinal winners will clinch a spot in Tokyo. The final will be played Tuesday, March 30.

The schedule (all times ET/local time)

Group Stage

Thursday, March 18 – Jalisco Stadium

17:00/15:00 USA vs Costa Rica

19:30/17:30 Mexico vs Dominican Republic

Friday, March 19 – Jalisco Stadium

15:30/13:30 Honduras vs Haiti

18:00/16:00 Canada vs El Salvador

Sunday, March 21 – Akron Stadium

19:00/17:00 Dominican Republic vs USA

21:30/19:30 Costa Rica vs Mexico

Monday, March 22 – Akron Stadium

18:00/16:00 Haiti vs Canada

20:30/18:30 El Salvador vs Honduras

Wednesday, March 24 – Jalisco Stadium

19:00/17:00 Costa Rica vs Dominican Republic

21:30/19:30 Mexico vs USA

Thursday, March 25 – Jalisco Stadium

19:00/17:00 El Salvador vs Haiti

21:30/19:30 Honduras vs Canada

Semifinals

Sunday, March 28 – Jalisco Stadium

18:00/16:00 1B vs 2A

21:00/19:00 1A vs 2B

Final

Tuesday, March 30 – Akron Stadium

21:00/19:00 Winner Semifinal 1 vs Winner Semifinal 2

Front Row Soccer editor Michael Lewis has covered 13 World Cups (eight men, five women), seven Olympics and 25 MLS Cups. He has written about New York City FC, New York Cosmos, the New York Red Bulls and both U.S. national teams for Newsday and has penned a soccer history column for the Guardian.com. Lewis, who has been honored by the Press Club of Long Island and National Soccer Coaches Association of America, is the former editor of BigAppleSoccer.com. He has written seven books about the beautiful game and has published ALIVE AND KICKING The incredible but true story of the Rochester Lancers. It is available at Amazon.com.