Going to the Olympics for United States a ‘Dream Come True’ for Miles Robinson

July 10, 2024 – Major League Soccer (MLS)
FC Cincinnati News Release

FC Cincinnati’s Miles Robinson will march in the Parade of Nations for the United States this Summer at the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris, France. Well, it’s still being determined if he will actually be with the American contingent on the River Seine, as the soccer team will be located in Marseille for its matches, but he will be an Olympian.

In a historic moment for Robinson, he was named to the US Olympic Squad as one of three overager players for the U23 tournament in Paris this summer, revealed Monday during The Today Show on NBC. Robinson will be traveling to Marseille after FCC’s match with Chicago Fire FC on July 17 to join the squad. The Olympic games on the men’s side of the soccer tournament is considered a youth tournament — so as to not conflict with the best-on-best status of the FIFA World Cup — so teams are restricted to rosters of under 23-year-olds with three “overagers” to augment the roster. Robinson will join Nashville SC’s Walker Zimmerman and Colorado Rapids’ Djorde Mihailovic as the three over-age players this summer in Paris.

“Growing up, I always watched the Olympics, whether it was track or swimming or anything. So I was a fan of the Olympics, but to be a part of a team… I’m just excited to be a part of this group,” Robinson said Tuesday from Mercy Health Training Center. “I’m so excited. It’s definitely a dream come true. I’m excited to get going.”

The United States had not qualified for the Olympic games on the Men’s side since 2008, when the squad went to Beijing and finished ninth. Robinson, 27, was not allowed to join the qualifying effort four years ago to go to the Tokyo Games, but that squad did not qualify regardless. With only 11 qualifying spots total and just two for Concacaf, earning passage to the games is one of the more difficult tournaments to enter in the world.

Similarly difficult is that because the Olympics takes place outside of a formal international window, clubs are not required to release their players to international squads for competition. But despite losing Robinson for the Copa America already this year for service with the Senior Men’s National Team, FC Cincinnati Head Coach Pat Noonan made clear in the leadup to this tournament that FCC would not stand in the way of a player with a rare opportunity to represent their country.

“I think this is just a once-in-a-lifetime type experience and I think FC Cincinnati…