Duncan McGuire on his Olympic experience: 'It's unreal'

By Jon Nyatawa

In early July, Duncan McGuire saw that he had an incoming FaceTime from the head coach of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Soccer team.

This is either going to be really, really good, McGuire thought. Or really bad.

The former Creighton soccer star quickly found a quiet spot to answer the call.

Coach Marko Mitrović was smiling. And McGuire knew it.

He was going to Paris.

“I couldn't stop smiling for like six days,” McGuire said. “I wanted to jump up and down like a little kid. But yes, it was an awesome phone call to get and an unreal thing I'll never forget.”

It marks yet another milestone in a whirlwind stretch of soccer success for the former Bluejay.

In 2022, McGuire won the MAC Hermann Trophy, set Creighton’s single-season goals record (23) and led the Bluejays to their sixth College Cub appearance in program history. Orlando City selected him sixth overall in the 2023 MLS Superdraft and he’s scored 23 goals for the club (sixth-most all-time) in just 1-½ seasons.

Now, he’s an Olympian. The U.S. is making its first men’s soccer Olympic appearance in 16 years and McGuire is hoping to help his country medal in this under-23 event for the first time. Check out the match schedule.

During a Zoom press conference before the Games, McGuire shared some insight on his Olympic preparations, his soccer journey and his admiration for Creighton. The following questions and answers have been edited for clarity.

How would you summarize your past two years?

It’s been a little wild, going from not thinking I was going to get drafted at all to having a good college season (in 2022), getting drafted, winning the MAC Hermann Trophy and having a really good (MLS rookie) year. It's been wild, to be honest. And then, getting invited to these (U.S. national team) camps and now two years later getting invited to Paris to represent our country in the Olympics. It's been a crazy two years.

You’re an Olympian. How does it feel?

As we get closer to our first game, it's starting to become more real and starting to hit a little bit harder. It’s been exciting and it's been a great experience so far with the guys.

How do you balance your competitive goals to win this event with your personal gratification of making the team and representing your country at the Olympics?

The environment that we've created has allowed us to place our full attention and focus toward (on-field preparation), with 100% effort in practices. And the environment's allowed us, off the field, to enjoy moments with one another and create memories that we're going to have for a long time. It’s been an unreal experience so far.

What are you looking forward to most about competing in the Olympics?

Hopefully, scoring and winning a gold medal with the guys, honestly. That would put a cherry on top of all this. The goal for us is to compete and bring a medal back.

At Creighton and Orlando City, you’ve been known to sometimes celebrate goals with cartwheels and flips. Any planned goal celebrations for France?

I've thought about a few with some of the guys. You’ll have to wait and see. It is a surprise. But hopefully I have a reason to pull out a celebration.

How did your time at Creighton help you prepare for success on the big stage?

I didn't play my first three years, which was understandable. I wasn't ready. But I feel like the coaching staff really got me into a place where I felt comfortable and felt ready to be the starting striker for the Creighton team (in 2022). And I think that's what really helped me. It’s prepared me well for this situation.

What does it mean to you, someone who grew up going to Creighton games as a kid, to be mentioned as one of the program’s all-time greats?

Honestly, I try not to think about it, but it is weird when you walk into Morrison (Stadium) and see pictures of yourself up there. It's something you dream of as a kid. To see that, it means a lot for my hard work (to pay off). That program means everything to me, so I'm just glad I was able to represent them in the best way I could.