MADRID (AP) - Fans in the Dominican Republic won't get to watch the country's powerhouse baseball team at the Paris Olympics after the sport was left off the 2024 slate.
The Dominican men's soccer team is hoping to fill the void.
The Caribbean nation is days away from an unexpected Olympic debut in the sport, bolstered by a roster with several players who have played in European leagues. Most of them will represent the country for the first time in France.
"I have a chance to represent my roots, and at the end that is what's in my blood," said Oscar Urena, born in Spain to Dominican parents. "They are very happy and proud of me for going."
The Dominican team, known as "Sedofutbol," hired Spaniard Ibai Gomez last February. Gomez, who played for nine professional teams, including Athletic de Bilbao and Alaves, retired in November 2022 and began his coaching career with Santutxu in Spain a year ago.
"The truth is that I was surprised by the call. I played for 14 years, but my career as a coach is just starting," Gomez said in an interview with the Associated Press.
Before taking on the challenge, Gomez analyzed over 100 player videos to assess their level and said "we saw a chance to do good things." He accepted the role to try to "put my grain of sand in the soccer evolution of the Dominican Republic."
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Gomez is finalizing a roster loaded with dual-nationality players, including Edgar Pujol, Rafa Nunez and Junior Firpo, whom "already possess the tools to work in Europe and are more evolved in that sense."
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For those players, the Olympics will be their first official contact with the Dominican national team, which qualified on the strength of its under-20 club.
Urena, who plays for Leganes, is another of those players. He is the youngest of three brothers and the only of them who was born away from the Dominican. He was born in Figueras, where his parents migrated to.
"A big reason to go is because Ibai, who reached out to me and said that it was important and that I was going to enjoy it," Urena told AP.
The Dominicans surprised many by qualifying in the CONCACAF U20 tournament where Mexico, one of the favorites, was eliminated.
In Paris, the team will play against Egypt, Spain, and Uzbekistan in Group C.
"Every day soccer is more even and it's hard to win games," Gomez said. "I think it's going to be an interesting competition."
Even though Gomez's coaching career is just beginning, he was coached by Marcelo Bielsa, Ernesto Valverde, Marcelino and Joaquin Caparros. Gomez and his team met for the first time last March when they practiced together for 10 days, and they split a two-game series against Paraguay.
"I truly enjoyed the experience. We made a good group, and I can't wait to come back," Urena said.
Gomez said the main goal for this first experience with the team will be to make it out of the group stage, but some of the players have bigger expectations.
"I would love to say that not only I have played in the Olympic Games, but also that I was able to win a medal," Urena said.
In a country where baseball rules and competing in soccer in a World Cup is just a dream for now, the striker thinks that Paris 2024 could be the turning point to increase the sport's popularity in the Dominican Republic.
"There's a lot of talent and in the future, we can achieve great things," Urena said. "If we played good in the Olympics, it will be motivation for the children to play soccer and to represent the Dominican team."
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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