The U.S. men’s national team is back in Olympic action for the first time 2008 and aspirations are high in Marko Mitrovic’s squad.
The Americans open their group stage schedule on Wednesday against Olympic hosts France, the favorites of the tournament. After 16 years away from Olympic play, the USMNT brings several players with senior experience to the table including overage players Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, and Djordje Mihailovic.
All three will be fighting to use this opportunity to springboard themselves back into the senior national team picture this fall, with a new head coach set to be named the near future.

In addition, many young players are seeking to make their mark in the competition including goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, midfielder Jack McGlynn, and forward Duncan McGuire. All three have quickly become new starring faces in MLS, similar to several of their international teammates who now play abroad.
The talent and determination are visible in the group and a strong showing against Les Bleus is what the Americans hope will be a starting point en-route to a gold medal.
“I think once we reflect on our lives in the future, we will be proud that we play this game,” Mitrovic said Tuesday to reporters. “We are very grateful to play that game tomorrow. It’s going to stay forever for us, but it’s only one of three games that we have in the group stage and the points of the game count the same as in the other games.”
“This tournament can be a stepping stone in many people’s career, not only with the senior team but just in a career as a whole,” Schulte said in a press conference. “But everyone here knows that the collective goal is to win a gold medal, and if we can do that, if we can put a good showing together, then the sky’s the limit for players here in this group.”
France, New Zealand, and Guinea will oppose the Americans in group stage play over the next seven days.
I think it’s time for US Men’s Soccer Teams to stop with the talk of “winning it all”. Let’s get back to “one game at a time” talk. This goes for all tournaments. Be humble about the ones they compete regularly for hardware and certainly stop setting any public goals in big international tournaments that are beyond the next game because guess what? The team hasn’t come close to their lofty goals. Remember how the federation was going to compete for Gold Medals and World Cups by 2010? That didn’t pan out did it? Remember when they failed to qualify for a WC out of CONCACAF eight years later? Remember when they haven’t even qualified for an Olympics since 2008? Remember when they were the first host nation not to get out of their group at a Copa America? All I want to hear out of US Men’s Soccer players and coaches is how they are going to win the next game. They all seem to say the same thing these days: “We can do special things.” Show us by playing the game that comes next with heart, focus, determination, scoring goals and getting a win – not thinking about winning the tournament or making “at least the semifinals”. Ugh…show some humility and realization of where this program is actually at. Maybe then something special will happen.
Oblivious, maybe you didn’t read the djorde article, but our Olympic coach has won a big tournament with a small country. A team can only win if they believe they can win. This is true in all sports. That Serbia team that won the u/20 World Cup did beat the USA along the way to their title.
I don’t know, maybe after project 2010, the federation should have formed a new project 2031 with the objective of winning a World Cup by 2031. We have two more chances, with one on home soil, and 2030 being played in I don’t know how many different countries and on multiple continents. There is always two sides to the coin. USA has made it out of the group stages in our last three world cups. Some people might call that being competitive. If a team is not shooting to win it all, what’s the point? It is a fine line between confidence and over confidence.
Have the private goal of winning it all but don’t make a fool of yourself over and over and over. Men’s US Soccer, it’s players and fandom has gotten to 2000s Mexico levels of ridiculousness considering their body of work. The next game is all that matters.
MotO,
“I think it’s time for US Men’s Soccer Teams to stop with the talk of “winning it all”. Let’s get back to “one game at a time” talk. ”
?? I have followed this team for a very long time. I’ve never heard them talk about “one game at a time”. They were always very much THE punching bag and then THE underdog( slightly more status there) until the 2002 World Cup.
That got them a bit more respect. But not that much.
By the end of the 2010 World Cup we had cemented our standing as lacking quality but still being a hard team to beat. You saw that in 2014 as well but the foundation had already rotted, talent had dried up over the years, and this prevented further advancement. This was ironically demonstrated by bringing back insensitive and inappropriate Bruce, who for all his bluster, couldn’t get it up anymore.
Then the talent spigot got turned back but it still needs some time to get back to where it was, relative to the rest of the world, which, for the most part, has grown more competitive over the years.
“This goes for all tournaments. Be humble about the ones they compete regularly for hardware and certainly stop setting any public goals in big international tournaments that are beyond the next game because guess what? The team hasn’t come close to their lofty goals.”
The USSF pay people to overhype the team. I wouldn’t take it personally but I also don’t much attention to it. Over hyped American soccer stars (Caden Clark, Andrew Carleton, Wil Trapp, etc.,etc.) are like American Idol contestants, some become stars but most don’t. Why listen to the hype around the team? If you knew even a little about soccer around the world , you knew it was, and still is, mostly bullshit.
I’m an American. I rooted for them because they are the only team America has. And honestly, if you are an American soccer fan, for a very long time, the USMNT was the only American men’s team you could consistently follow no matter where you were in the world.
And, as a real fan, I expect them to get reasonable results ( like getting out of the group in this last Copa America) but I have no illusions about their ability to play “beautiful football” while getting the reasonable results. I get that a lot of you love to talk tactics but with the USMNT for the most part it was like casting pearls before swine, or like having champagne taste on a beer budget. It’s kind of ironic but one thing you can say about Gregg, you got what you paid for.
Pulisic aside ( and that is a big maybe ) none for our guys are close to being able to claim a full time starting job for Real Madrid or Manchester City, Some of our guys could play some games for them and maybe do okay but none of them are consistent enough to hold off all the competition they would face for PT there all season long, fulltime. Except, very much maybe, CP 11.
I do believe that if you are any team and you enter any tournament you HAVE to believe you can win it, otherwise why bother entering?
The USMNT CAN win the 2026 World Cup.
It would require that they have a great draw , play the tournament of their lives, and have a lot of breaks along the way but sure, they CAN win it.
However, possible is one thing.
Probable is another thing.
They probably are not going to win that tournament. But it is best to truly believe you can until you can’t. I just wouldn’t make a big deal about it.
Lil larry, never! Although you did name about half the starting squad, and every player that scored. Throw an over age player a bone, and voila, you almost can’t miss, well, we’ll call it 50/50.
who did you think was the best performer?
Larry, I thought the hungry beast was our strongest player at the 2008 Olympics. Sacha wasn’t far behind. We lost that Nigeria game, and they ended up in the finals against Messi and argentina. Tough way to go out, McBride should not have been on that team. I’m not sure a 38 year old otimendi is going to be good for Argentina in this tournament. How much injury time are they giving in that Argentina v Morocco game? Crazy!
I think it’s McBride that D is looking for, who was definitely overage, well established, and I believe already playing in England. I admit I don’t remember that tourney well, but I feel like it was Klejstan that played like our best player?
Rooting for the team to do well. Been a long time since our last appearance and we will be host in 2028. So two tournaments in a row! 2028 team could potentially be stacked.
Ok soccer ‘experts’ from sbi. Give one name, and one name only. Best player for the USA at the 2008 Olympics. We’ll assume nobody is gonna name the lb.
I was 15 during that Olympics, but thought Kljestan was the best that tournament. Holden and Altidore were solid. Parkhurst was coming off a great MLS season too heading into the tournament.
Don’t hate me!