Dr. Richard Gayle (Left), with fellow U.S. men’s Olympic soccer team physician, photographed at Stade de Marseille stadium, Marseille, France. Photos in this article are courtesy of Andrea Vilchez / U.S. Soccer and Dr. Gayle.
By Emma Dugas, Vitals contributor
Today the U.S. men’s national soccer team will compete at the Olympics for the first time since 2008. Sutter and Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group physician, Dr. Richard Gayle, will be there to help take care of the athletes.
“It’s an extremely proud moment to support the U.S. men’s Olympic soccer team as one of the team physicians,” the orthopedic surgeon, who is also fellowship trained in sports medicine, said. “It is literally a dream come true!”
Dr. Richard Gayle (left) with other men’s Olympic soccer team physicians.
When asked about preparation for an Olympic match day, Dr. Gayle says he and other medical staff review their protocols and action plan, potential injury scenarios, and make sure everyone is on the same page. “We’re really the team behind the team and we want to make sure we are prepared for everything that could come our way,” says Dr. Gayle.
Stade de Marseille stadium, Marseille, France.
Team USA kicks off its Olympic return July 24 – two days before the opening ceremony – against host country France at Stade de Marseille in Marseille. The U.S. competitors will then take on New Zealand on Saturday, July 27. Finally, team USA will face Guinea on Tuesday, July 30, in Saint-Etienne, in their last scheduled group stage match.
If the USA team is one of the top two finishers from the group stage matches they will advance to the quarterfinals, played on Aug. 2. If successful there, they will have a chance to compete for a medal in the semifinals on Aug. 5. Winning the semifinal would put the team in position to compete for a gold medal on August 9th.
Dr. Gayle’s path to supporting the U.S. men’s Olympic aspirations has been similarly sequential.
In 2017 Dr. Gayle assumed the leadership role of Chief Medical Officer and Head Team Physician for the San Jose Earthquakes professional men’s soccer team that spanned 5 seasons. During that time he became part of the US Men’s National Soccer Youth Team physician pool which included international competitions.
2024 U.S. men’s Olympic soccer team.
His extremely positive impact with those teams led to him being selected to support Team USA when they qualified for the Paris Olympic games. “I am deeply grateful to work alongside these incredible athletes, coaches and athletic training staff. This role allows me to combine my passion for sports medicine with the pride of representing Sutter Health and our country in one of the world’s premier sporting events.”
The culture that surrounds sports keeps Dr. Gayle engaged and eager to balance the demands of caring for professional athletes with the demands of his busy Sunnyvale, Calif.-based practice where he cares for athletes of all levels as well as non-athletes.
“The Olympics is a unique opportunity on a global stage to continue the same principles that a team physician strives for which is to help optimize player safety, performance and recovery, manage injury and illness while being on standby for any medical issues that arise in and out of competition.”
Born in England to parents who immigrated from Jamaica, Dr. Gayle knew he wanted to be a doctor from a very early age. His desire to become an orthopedic surgeon stemmed from his collegiate playing days as a Division One soccer standout at Loyola University of Chicago.
Dr. Richard Gayle photographed with Men’s Olympic Soccer Team player.
“One of players I had competed against in college was playing for the US National Team in the World Cup in Italy and while I was watching the game on television I became curious as to the medical specialty of their team doctor. After I discovered he was an orthopedic surgeon, I immediately knew that it was the specialty path that I wanted to take and achieve; becoming a surgeon and having the opportunity to work with athletes. It seemed like a natural confluence of sports, medicine and surgery.”
Physicians who specialize in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine typically have an interest in caring for teams and athletes, but it’s not always a guarantee. Dr. Gayle’s path to professional sports started during his sports medicine fellowship, offered by the Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group, where he has worked for the past 25 years.
“The incredible fellowship training and mentoring experience provided me the unique opportunity, early in my career, to work fairly extensively with professional teams and elite athletes. It has helped me navigate successfully the unique realm of professional sports in leadership roles.“
After his fellowship, Dr. Gayle continued as a training camp team physician for the Oakland Raiders for several years. In 2017, he was named Head Team Physician and Chief Medical Officer for the San Jose Earthquakes, titles he kept from 2017 to 2021. This year he was appointed Chief Medical Officer and Head Team Physician for Bay FC, the first Northern California franchise in the National Women’s Soccer League. In addition to soccer, Dr. Gayle has served in tournament and team physician roles with professional women’s and men’s tennis, USA Rugby, USA Gymnastics and USA Figure Skating.
Dr. Gayle has a lot gratitude knowing that his Olympic journey did not happen in isolation. “I have had many broad shoulders to stand upon to help me be in this position with a tremendous amount of support from my colleagues, family and office support staff.”
He hopes to inspire the next generation of physicians seeking similar opportunities in the sports medicine realm.
