The gravity of being selected to the United States men’s soccer team for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris did not fully hit John Tolkin until he hung up the phone with head coach Marko Mitrovic, who had just told him he made the squad, and called his mother.
“I think it hits my parents more than me because I’m living through it every day,” the gifted 21-year-old defender for the New York Red Bulls said on Monday. “Everything comes at you so fast and it’s hard to slow down. After I got off the phone with Marko, I called my mom and told her I made the team and she just started crying because of all the hard work that we put in and where we started to where we are now. I think then I kind of realized how deep it really goes and it was a humbling moment, to be honest.”
The Chatham, NJ native’s journey to Team USA might not have as many miles logged as some of his peers. He joined the New York Red Bulls academy in his home state as a 13-year-old and has never left the organization — rising through its ranks to become one of the most promising young defenders in the country.
With the Red Bulls, Tolkin is an invaluable left-back and already an established leader on a roster that boasts international stars like Emil Forsberg and Lewis Morgan. He is a resolute defender, an imposing talent from the free-kick spot, and a visionary playmaker. His 15 assists already rank second in Red Bulls history by a defender.
“It’s kind of trippy. Five years ago I started playing professionally and if I thought this would happen down the line, I would probably laugh at myself a little bit,” Tolkin said. “It’s surreal being here and getting to prepare for the first game. It’s really cool and it’s an honor.”
Tolkin arrived in Bordeaux, France for Team USA’s two-week Olympic training camp on July 10. On Thursday, the Americans will face Spain in a pre-tournament friendly before taking part in the opening match of the competition on July 24 against the hosts, France, led by a world soccer legend Thierry Henry, who spent the latter parts of his famed career in New York with the Red Bulls.
“He’s a legend of the game and for him to be the coach and the quality on the French side as well, it’s a massive challenge,” Tolkin said. “But it’s also a challenge that we’ve all been preparing for.”
This will be the American men’s first time competing at the Olympics since 2008 — one of just 16 teams that are in the tournament. Along with France, they will face New Zealand on July 27 and Guinea on July 30. The top two teams in each of the four groups will advance to the quarterfinals.
“The biggest thing is getting in that mindset that every game is a must-win for us,” Tolkin said.
As much as the focus is on helping to navigate the USA through to the knockout stages of the competition, there is also the recognition of opportunities that potentially await Tolkin after the Olympics. Opportunities that should only continue to provide more stamps in his passport.
In just two years, the United States will host and compete in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. While Tolkin already broke into the senior side last year (the Olympics require countries to field rosters of players who are 23 and younger), establishing himself on the Mitrovic’s roster and a strong showing in Paris will continue to build an already appealing resume for the US Soccer Federation as they move toward a new era following the sacking of Gregg Berhalter.
It should also continue piquing the interest of larger European clubs. Tolkin has been linked to transfer rumors overseas in recent years and a move to a more prolific league is only a matter of time — something that even Red Bulls head of sport Jochen Schneider admitted last year.
“Honestly, one day, his way will lead him to Europe,” Schneider said. “This is something he deserves. We as a club should enjoy every day he’s with us… I cannot say at what time he’ll leave the club but that day will come and we shouldn’t be sad. We should be happy for the time he’s spent with us. So we’ll see. I hope he will stay for a certain period of time with us.”
Consider this to be extra motivation for Tolkin and his American teammates representing the Stars and Stripes in France later this month. It is a notion that has already been hammered home by the program itself
“That was one of the conversations we had within the group,” Tolkin said. “[Former USMNT member] Sacha Kljestan, last camp before this, he came and talked to us because he played in the Olympics. He was telling us that a lot of guys on his team used it as an opportunity to go into the senior team in the future and make moves to new clubs. He established the importance of it and how big of an opportunity it is. I think everyone took that to heart and I think everybody knows that here.”
