'A great feat': Stillwater native Rokas Pukstas helps US men's soccer return to Olympics

Rokas Pukstas learned to play soccer growing up in Stillwater.

"Me and my dad would just go out and kick the ball around," the 17-year-old Pukstas said. "That's how it all started. He coached me. We would watch YouTube videos."

Today, Pukstas is a midfielder on the United States under-20 national team that defeated Honduras, 3-0, Friday night in the semifinals of the Concacaf under-20 tournament in Pedro Sula, Honduras.

The victory qualified the Americans for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. It will be the United State's first appearance in Olympic soccer in 16 years.

"First time since 2008 is a great feat," Pukstas said in an interview with The Oklahoman on Saturday over Zoom. "It was cool to see the team do well."

Team USA faces Dominican Republic in Concacaf under-20 finals

The United States, seeking its third consecutive Concacaf under-20 title, will meet the Dominican Republic in the finals on Sunday.

An afterthought in the pre-tournament forecasts, the Dominican Republic defeated Guatemala in a shootout, 4-2, in the other semifinal after coming back from a two-goal deficit in regulation for a 2-2 draw.

All four semifinalists also qualified for the U-20 World Cup as the Concacaf tournament served as a dual qualifier for both.

Pukstas had to watch from the sidelines Friday night as the Americans secured their spot in the Concacaf tournament and the Olympics.

He injured his foot in the previous match and is wearing a boot, which will also force him to miss Sunday's finals. He plans to get an MRI on the foot when he returns to Oklahoma. 

"It's real disappointing," Pukstas said of not being able to finish the tournament.

Rokas Pukstas will miss Sunday's final with foot injury

Pukstas doesn't think the injury is serious and expects to playing soccer again soon. He plays professionally for the Hajduk Split in the Croatian First Football League. He will be getting ready for the season after Concacaf concludes.

Pukstas was born and lived in Stillwater until moving to Kansas City in 2018 to join Sporting Kansas City's youth academy. 

He comes from a family of Lithuanian athletes. His father, Mindaugas Pukštas, was a Lithuanian marathon runner in the 2004 Summer Olympics.

"He is still running," Pukstas said of his dad. "He is in great shape."

His mother, Zivile Pukstiene, is a former Lithuanian national triple jump champion who competed collegiately at SMU. She is now an assistant track and field coach for the OSU Cowgirls, primarily assisting in jumps and sprints.

Pukstiene was Lithuania’s national champion in the triple jump in 2001 and 2003. She set the Lithuanian junior national record in the triple jump in the under-18, under-20 and under-23 divisions.

Pukstas hopes to continue his family's Olympic tradition by being a member of the United States soccer team in the 2024 Olympics. But since those Olympic Games are two years away, that it is not a certainty.  

Usually, the qualifying tournament involves under-23 teams, but Concacaf decided to switch to a younger age group, and hold the event earlier in the four-year Olympic cycle.

Even if he is not a member of the 2024 Olympic squad, Pukstas will always be part of the squad that got the Amercans there. 

"I am real proud of the boys," he said. "We're the group that qualified."

Reporter Ed Godfrey looks for stories that impact your life. Be it news, outdoors, sports — you name it, he wants to report it. Have a story idea? Contact him at egodfrey@oklahoman.com or on Twitter @EdGodfrey. Support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today.