But things can change quickly in the competitive arena of soccer. Like the slight difference of a close offside call can have a huge impact, Randolph found himself struggling once he was cut from the Olympic team before qualifying.

After dreaming of reaching that milestone, Randolph was left on the outside; so close and yet so far away from it all.

“It hurt a little bit,” Randolph acknowledged, recalling how he felt when he got the news. “I’m not going to lie. I thought I had it in the bag. Nothing is for sure, apparently.”

Instead of helping the U.S. team qualify, Randolph watched the games on television.

“It was a crushing blow to my confidence,” said Randolph.

Considering how affected Randolph was by his failure to make the Olympic team, it’s perhaps not surprising that the emotional reaction eventually impacted his club form as well. Randolph also had to deal with a new coach who had been training the other Galaxy players in his style while Randolph was away. So Randolph wasn’t up to date on exactly what Ruud Gullit wanted. When the roster for opening day came out, Randolph searched in vain for his name.

“I expected that,” he acknowledged. “I’d been playing not so good since I came back from the Olympics and getting cut from the Olympic team.”

Randolph then did what any reasonable professional player would do. He sucked up the disappointment and decided to prove himself again.

“I sat on the bench and waited for the coach to call my name. He didn’t, but I was ready this game (versus San Jose) and I’m glad that he decided to give me another chance. I was just having problems keeping the ball, but I’m trying to practice more and improve than I have been in the past.”

Granted, Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit was probably inclined to make changes following his side’s 4-0 defeat to Colorado. He was pleased with the outcome.

“I thought the young players did well,” said Gullit.

It was actually Randolph’s hustle that helped set up the opening goal. He made a defensive play deep in his own area and then played the ball long to where Alan Gordon battled for it before Landon Donovan latched on to feed the ball to David Beckham.

Ball control was a key area of improvement for Randolph. 

“I just went back to the drawing board,” said Randolph. “I come in early now, doing a couple of hours before anybody else, just doing things I need to do like juggling, crossing balls, just doing things that I need to do to feel better about myself and my game.”

After the loss versus Colorado, the pressure on the entire Galaxy team was immense.

“It was nerve-wracking,” acknowledged Randolph. “It’s a new season and there are a lot of expectations. Everybody thinks that we should win the whole thing. We’re just trying to play within ourselves. We just did what we had to do to win the game. I’m proud of our team and I’m looking forward to the next game.”

One other element that made Randolph’s first game this season a bit surreal was competing against his former mentor, San Jose coach Frank Yallop.

“It was really weird,” admitted Randolph. “He gave me the chance to start. Because of him, I have gotten to play with the national team and start with this team (Galaxy). I owe him a lot.”

Though his Olympic dream has been derailed somewhat, Randolph hasn’t given up hope entirely.

“Until they actually leave for the Olympics, there’s always that chance,” said Randolph. “Hopefully, things will go my way. I’m just trying to play my game and keep trying to play the way I did last year.”