Safa Saady is looking to go from Baghdad to Rio by way of Lowell. Greater Lowell United’s Iraqi forward trained with the Iraq Under-23 national team in October and hopes to make the squad that will compete for a place at the Olympic Games, to be held in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

The Iraq Under-23 team will try to qualify for the Olympics at the Asian Football Confederation’s Under-23 championships in Qatar in January. Iraq is scheduled to meet Yemen, Uzbekistan and South Korea in a weeklong span in the group stage of the tournament beginning January 13. Saady was called up to train with the national side in October and joined 25 other prospective players in Basra, where his team drew 1-1 with Mesan Oil Club FC.

A standout forward for GLUFC’s professional-level team in 2015, Saady knows the significance that playing in Rio would have for his fellow Iraqis. The Iraqi Olympic team finished a surprise fourth place in Athens in 2004 and made international headlines.

“It's a great honor for me to represent my country,’ Saady told GLUFC’s Santiago Rodriguez Rey. “I have always had a dream to wear that jersey because my people are going through very tough times right now, and football is their only way out of their worries. It’s their source of happiness, and I love and appreciate that I can be a reason of people’s happiness.”

Iraq coach Abdul Ghani Shahad has slotted Saady in mainly as a winger in training. Saady’s competition to make the squad includes three players who play for clubs in Europe. He has a sense of optimism about his chances to make the final roster: “I definitely would be more than happy to come back for the qualifiers in January,” Saady said, “but depending on the coach's philosophy and strategy, he will make a decision for the best of the team.”

He also feels positive about his team’s chances at the January tournament: “The squad is very deep,” he said. “There are a lot of great quality local players mixed with the professionals from abroad. We have a tough qualifying group, but we have the confidence to get good results out of our group.”

Saady credits his GLUFC experience with helping him get the call-up to the national team and compete for a spot. “Being part of GULFC has given me the composure to face tough opponents like the New York Cosmos, which has definitely helped me gain some experience,” he said.

The GLUFC star says he has his sights set on a professional soccer career. In the meantime, he has been enjoying training with the national team and being a part of the quest for the 2016 Olympics. And should Saady make it to Rio, he’ll bring a little bit of Lowell with him.