1996 saw both the advent of Major League Soccer in the United States as well as the return of the Summer Olympic Games to the country for the first time since Los Angeles in 1984. Held this time around in Atlanta, Ga., the 1996 Summer Games gave many young U.S. professional soccer players an opportunity to compete at a high level internationally.
While the Americans ultimately failed to reach the quarterfinals in that tournament, they certainly had their moments. In the team’s opening match against Argentina, Claudio Reyna scored only 31 seconds after kickoff, albeit in what would become a 3-1 defeat to the eventual silver medalists.
The squad then bounced back in the form of a 2-0 victory over Tunisia, as Jovan Kirovski and Brian Maisonneuve scored. Needing a win against Portugal in their final Group A encounter to reach the knockout round, the USA played Portugal to a 1-1 draw, with Maisonneuve scoring the lone goal.
Here’s how that group of players used the 1996 tournament to help advance their careers both in early days of MLS and beyond.
Goalkeepers
Kasey Keller - By 1996, Keller, then 26 and an overage player, had established himself as a top-flight goalkeeper for club and country. At the time, he was backstopping for Millwall (England), but would go on to spend time at England’s Leicester City, Tottenham, Southampton and Fulham, Rayo Vallecano in Spain, and Borussia Monchengladbach in Germany before ending his career with the Seattle Sounders in MLS. Keller guarded the goal 102 times for the USMNT and was a member of three FIFA World Cup squads (1990, 1998, 2002). He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 2015.
Chris Snitko - Snitko didn't see any action during the Olympics while serving as Keller's backup, but went on to have a five-year MLS career with the Kansas City Wizards, Chicago Fire, and Dallas Burb.
Defenders
Alexi Lalas - With one FIFA World Cup (USA ‘94) and a Summer Olympics (1992) under his belt, Lalas - then 26 - was used as an overage player. After playing with Padova for two Italian Serie A seasons, Lalas was competing for the New England Revolution at the time of the Atlanta games in 1996. He’d go on to play for the MetroStars and Kansas City Wizards before finishing his career with the LA Galaxy in 2003. Lalas, who scored 10 goals in 96 appearances for the USMNT, is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and now serves as a commentator for FOX Sports.
Matt McKeon – McKeon had already secured his place in U.S. soccer history prior to being named to the U.S. Men’s Olympic team after becoming the first selection in MLS' inaugural college draft in 1996. McKeon was taken by the Kansas City Wizards following his collegiate career Saint Louis University. McKeon would appear 144 times for the Wizards from 1996-2002, with a 1999 stint with the Colorado Rapids in between. He returned to KC to be part of its 2000 MLS Cup winning side, and retired after the 2002 campaign with two national team appearances to his name.
Clint Peay - As a D.C. United defender, Peay was part of two MLS Cup winning sides in 1996 and 1997. After spending a year with the Charleston Battery in USL, he returned to United to play for a third league championship team in 1999. He played with D.C. through the 2000 season, before beginning a career in coaching. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the New England Revolution.
Brandon Pollard - One of six former University of Virginia players on the team alongside Peay, Damian Silvera, A.J. Wood, Bill Walsh and Claudio Reyna, Pollard was the third overall selection in the 1996 MLS Draft by the Dallas Burn, for whom he’d go on to appear 114 times over five seasons.
Eddie Pope – Pope went just ahead of Pollard in the 1996 MLS Draft, being selected second overall by D.C. United. His first pro season ended with a bang, as he connected on the winning goal in the 1996 MLS Cup for D.C. United. He quickly became one of the league's best center backs, helping to anchor the backline for three MLS Cup championship sides (1996, 1997, 1999). He would also play with the Metrostars and Real Salt Lake. By the time of his retirement in 2007, Pope had played in 254 matches, while earning MLS Best XI honors four times and the 1997 MLS Defender of the Year award. Pope competed at the 1998, 2002 and 2006 FIFA World Cups, making 82 international appearances for the U.S. and scoring eight times. A 2011 inductee into the National Soccer Hall of Fame, Pope is now the sporting director of Carolina Core FC (MLS NEXT Pro).
Midfielders
Imad Baba - Selected in the second round of the 1996 MLS college draft by the New England Revolution, Baba was another one of the 16 Olympians who began their pro career that year in the new league. He’d scor 24 goals in 104 matches with the Revs from 1996-2002, before closing out his career with the Colorado Rapids. He played once with the senior team in 1999.
Frankie Hejduk - After playing three years and earning All-American honors under legendary head coach Sigi Schmid at UCLA, Hejduk received an opportunity to compete professionally when the Tampa Bay Mutiny chose him in the seventh round in the 1996 MLS college draft. He played three seasons in Tampa, scoring five goals in 57 appearances. After a standout showing in the 1998 World Cup, Hejduk signed with Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen in 1999. He returned to the states in 2003 to played eight seasons with the Columbus Crew and finish his career with the LA Galaxy in 2011. Hejduk played 85 times for the USMNT, additionally representing his country at the 2000 Olympics and 2002 World Cup.
Miles Joseph - Selected by the MetroStars in the second round of the 1996 MLS SuperDraft after a stellar career at Clemson University, Joseph played five seasons in the league, totaling 11 goals and 22 assists over 96 games. He also played for the Columbus Crew and Dallas Burn before retiring in 2003. After retiring, he became an assistant coach with Real Salt Lake, New York City FC, Orlando City SC and the Portland Timbers, and is currently the associate head coach of Charlotte FC this year.
Brian Maisonneuve - In a rarity, Maisonneuve spent his entire nine-year MLS career with one team - the Columbus Crew (1996-2004). The former University of Indiana standout tallied 23 goals in 172 league appearances after he was allocated to the Crew at the league’s inception. A reliable presence at midfield, Maisonneuve was a member of the team's 2002 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup champion side. He was a 1999 MLS all-star and played 13 times for the USA, including all three games at the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Claudio Reyna - One of the most accomplished players in USMNT history, Reyna wore the No. 10 uniform at the 1996 Summer Games. Playing abroad for Germany’s Bayer Leverkusen at the time of the Atlanta Games, Reyna had already represented the U.S. at the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona and had been part of the 1994 FIFA World Cup squad. On the club level, he’d go on to play for VFL Wolfsburg as well as Scotland’s Rangers and both Sunderland and Manchester City of the English Premier League before returning stateside to end his career with the New York Red Bulls. Overall, Reyna was a member of four FIFA World Cup teams (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006), captaining the side at both the 2002 and 2006 tournaments. He earned 112 U.S. caps, and scored eight goals en route to a National Soccer Hall of Famer induction in 2012.
Damian Silvera - Silvera won three NCAA Division 1 titles at the University of Virginia before being allocated to the MetroStars in 1996 at the outset of Major League Soccer’s first season. He then played for the Kansas City Wizards in 1997 after being part of a trade between the two clubs. He went onto coach youth soccer before unfortunately passing away in 2010.
Rob Smith - Taken in the second round of the 1996 MLS supplemental draft by the Columbus Crew, Smith forged a five-year career in the league. He scored four goals over 92 appearances before joining the Indiana Blast of the USL in 2000. After retiring, Smith held several coaching and youth soccer positions. That included the Ohio South Olympic Development Program and a University of South Carolina assistant coach.
Billy Walsh – Walsh was the lone active college player on the 1996 Olympic squad, attending Virginia prior to a transfer to Rutgers University in 1997. Walsh was picked by the NY/NJ MetroStars in the second round of the 1998 MLS college draft and played primarily as a defensive midfielder. He made 73 appearances, scoring 10 goals. Walsh also competed with the Chicago Fire in 2002 before retiring. He coached at his alma mater, Chatham High School, and Manhattan College.
Forwards
Jovan Kirovski – At the time of the 1996 Summer Games, Kirovski had been playing for Manchester United’s youth sides since joining as the club’s first-ever American-born signee in 1992. He’d previously made his U.S. debut as an 18-year-old in 1994. Kirovski’s club journey following the 1996 games saw him make stops at Borussia Dortmund and Fortuna Köln in Germany, Sporting CP in Portugal, and both Crystal Palace and Birmingham City in England. He returned to the States in 2004 to play in MLS for the LA Galaxy, Colorado Rapids and San Jose Earthquakes, calling it a career in 2011. Kirovski wore the USA jersey 62 times, recording nine goals.
Nelson Vargas – The fourth-youngest U.S. debutant ever, Vargas was selected to the 1996 Olympic roster after previously earning his first senior cap as at 17 years and 39 days old in a 1991 friendly against Jamaica. Upon being selected in the 1996 MLS Draft, he played his entire five-year MLS career in Florida spending the 1996 and 1997 campaigns with the Tampa Bay Mutiny (three goals in 20 appearances) and the next three seasons with the Miami Fusion (two goals in 54 games) before retiring.
A.J. Wood - After playing on four NCAA Division I championship sides with the University of Virginia, Wood was selected by the MetroStars on the fifth round of the 1996 MLS college draft. Following the games, he’d go on to perform for the Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire and D.C. United, with whom he won the 1999 MLS Cup. He retired after the 2001 season, accruing 35 goals in 129 MLS appearances, and going on to coach in youth soccer.
