OBETZ, Ohio – Justin Meram says his Olympic dream is still up in the air.
The Columbus Crew SC midfielder – who plays internationally for Iraq, where his parents were born – and Columbus boss Gregg Berhalter told assembled media at 974345695" tabindex="0">Wednesday’s training session that the club could not reach an agreement with the national team that would allow Meram to leave for the Rio Olympics.
But now, Meram says things still aren’t certain.
“I got a call this morning,” he said after training 974345696" tabindex="0">Thursday. “So it looks like I could be back in it. I don’t even know the details, but there’s a possibility. Right now I’m on the outside looking in, but I got a call. So I still want to see.”
Berhalter said he hadn’t heard of the new developments.
“We’ll deal with it when it comes across our desks, but so far there hasn’t been anything,” he said.
Meram isn’t quite sure what’s happening. On paper, he would be the fourth player over the cutoff age of 23 on the squad if added, unless one of the three overage players currently on the 18-man squad were replaced. Olympic rules only allow three overage squad members.
His hope is that despite the fact that he would be missing their Olympic training camp, Meram’s skills are enough to warrant his call directly before games begin, which would seem to appease Berhalter, who said he “absolutely” tried to compromise on the time Meram would be away.
“Through their training camp, there might be a hole they wanted to fill with me from the beginning and I haven’t been able to make any training camp,” Meram said. “So right now, as I stand, I’m out. But (from) the phone call today, they’re going to work really hard with the guys here and see what’s a possibility.”
Though he understands Meram’s interest, Berhalter has a thin squad and cites the increasing lack of respect club teams give to the Olympics as reasons for not allowing Meram, an “important” player, to leave.
“I’m caught in between,” the coach said. “On one side, I understand where the player is coming from. On the other side, you look at a team like Argentina – no clubs are letting their players go – it just shows you the hierarchy of where the Olympics are in world soccer.”
But Meram doesn’t care about the likes of Argentina or other players who aren’t as interested. Iraq hasn’t seen an Olympic soccer competition since 2004, and Meram wants to help give them success in Brazil.
“Four years from now, I’ll be 31, so this is basically my best shot in my prime,” he said. “So if everything stays the way it is, I’ll be heartbroken. … It’s a youth event, but Neymar is going and all these big-time players. You don’t look at it like that. It’s the Olympics.”
