"When we found out, it was a letdown," he said. "It was very disappointing because having played through all of the qualifiers, now not being able to participate in the Summer Olympic Games that was the pinnacle for us as players, representing our country at the highest level at the Olympic Games."
Four decades later, that pain, hurt and disappointment still lives inside the players. Forty years ago. the Moscow Olympic soccer tournament kicked off without the USA (that tournament kicked off July 20 and culminated with Czechoslovakia securing the gold medal Aug. 2).
"It's 40 years," Van Der Beck said. "It could have been 50 years. It never goes away."
Six other countries decided not to participate in the tournament - Ghana, Egypt, Malaysia, Iran, Argentina and Norway. Cuba replaced the USA as one of the Concacaf representatives, joining Costa Rica, and was placed in Group A with the Soviet Union, Venezuela and Zambia. Had there not been a boycott, that group would have consisted of the Soviets, Argentina, Egypt and the USA, which would have been one formidable quartet.
Only the top two countries went through, although the USA-Soviet Union confrontation would have been intriguing, considering what transpired at the Winter Olympics hockey tournament earlier in Lake Placid. The Americans stunned the Soviets in an epic confrontation and eventually captured the gold medal in what was called "Miracle on Ice."
USA players had no delusions of Olympic medals or a "Miracles on Grass." They just wanted to participate and represent their country. President Carter’s decision to boycott the Summer Games because of the Soviets’ invasion of Afghanistan changed all that.
Keough hoped to emulate his father, Harry, a member of the team that upset England, 1-0, at the 1950 World Cup. Harry also captained the USA at the 1952 and 1956 Olympics.
