This summer was shaping up to being one of the most miserable periods in recent memory for the United States men’s national team.
The Copa America on home soil in June and July ought to have provided a talent-rich generation of American players the opportunity to show they can thrive on the highest international stage; that they are ready to ready to rub shoulders with the likes of Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay ahead of the 2026 World Cup, which they will co-host alongside neighbours Canada and Mexico.
But that couldn’t have been further from the case as matters transpired. The USA were dumped out of their own tournament at the group stage and head coach Gregg Berhalter was subsequently sacked.
And initially it seemed as though the Olympics would follow in a similar vein when Marko Mitrovic’s collection of under-23 hopefuls plus three MLS veterans were thrashed 3-0 by France in the opening game.
But after they rebounded to win their next two games and sew up a place in the quarter-finals, doing so in impressive style with a handful of young stars coming to the fore, the clouds are beginning to lift on US soccer’s dark summer.
It took the USA just half an hour of their second group game, against New Zealand in Marseille, to eradicate the goal-difference deficit inflicted upon them by France. Two of the team’s over-age stars got the ball rolling: Colorado Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic fired home an eighth-minute penalty before 31-year-old Nashville centre-back Walker Zimmerman prodded goalward after a scramble following a free-kick just four minutes later.
And while Mihailovic has impressed enough at the tournament to earn consideration for an increase on his modest haul of 11 senior USMNT caps – he also scored a stunning free kick in the 4-1 victory over Guinea that sealed the States’ progress – it is the youngsters of the squad who’ve emerged to provide hope beyond the Paris Games.
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Venezia’s 22-year-old midfielder Gianluca Busio showed a new dimension to his game as he helped his Italian club earn promotion to Serie A last season, posting a career-high return of seven goals. He continued to demonstrate his new knack in front of goal by adding the USA’s third against New Zealand.
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Paxten Aaronson – the younger brother of Leeds midfielder Brenden Aaronson – scored the fourth in the 4-1 victory. The 20-year-old has struggled to break through consistently at his Bundesliga club since moving from Philadelphia Union in January last year. But he did well on loan with Vitesse over the back half of last term, scoring four goals in 14 games. And at the Olympics, Aaronson has given the USA a degree of tactical flexibility that could soon prove extremely handy at the senior level, with the attacking midfielder operating as a false 9.
The Guinea game saw another of the USA’s Bundesliga youngsters take a starring role. Kevin Paredes of Wolfsburg scored twice in the 3-0 win. Like Aaronson, the 21-year-old also boasts a level of tactical malleability invaluable within tournament squads, able to play at full-back, wing-back or as an out-and-out winger on either flank.
Aside from the scorers, several other American youngsters have accounted themselves admirably in France. A Venezia team-mate of Busio’s, captain and central midfielder Tanner Tessmann has shown why he’s drawn interest from Inter Milan and fiorentina of late, while Philadelphia duo Jack McGlynn and Nathan Harriel, Griffin Yow of Belgian side Westerlo and New York Red Bulls full-back John Tolkin have all impressed.
And so the USA have reached the knockout rounds of the Olympic football tournament for the first time since the Sydney Games in 2000. And the positivity shouldn’t end there. On Friday, they will contest a place in the last four with Morocco; a winnable fixture for a side with serious momentum behind them.
The one key advantage of having faced favourites France in the opening round is that the States are now on the opposite side of the bracket to the hosts. The US will not have to face them again until a hypothetic rematch in the final. Thierry Henry’s side, on the other hand, will take on the next-strongest team at the tournament in the quarters in Argentina, meaning one of the top dogs will be heading home before the semis.
The States’ path to progress is no cakewalk by any means. Their wins thus far have been against opponents they have very much been expected to beat; the challenges ahead grow significantly stronger but are by no means insurmountable. Get past Morocco and it’s either Japan or Spain in the final four. While Spain were a frightening, free-flowing force as they romped to Euro 2024 glory at senior level just last month, the Olympic iteration of La Roja have been less impressive to date, finishing second in their group behind Egypt.
A deep Olympic run – and even perhaps a first football medal since 1904, a time that pre-dated organised international football and, with only three participating teams, medals were essentially participation prizes – could not alone heal the wounds the Copa America catastrophe; questions over coaching, infrastructure and talent development are not going away any time soon.
But Mitrovic’s men have, at least, made steps towards redeeming US soccer’s lost summer.