United States will rue some missed chances in their opening men’s Olympic soccer match against the hosts and tournament favorites France, as Thierry Henry’s side ran out eventual 3-0 winners in Marseille.
Former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette broke the deadlock in the 61st minute after a strong opening hour from a young U.S. team that is led in this tournament by head coach Marko Mitrovic. France’s star power began to show and Michael Olise, who has recently joined Bayern Munich, made it 2-0 not long after. Then the Sevilla defender Loic Bade added a third.
Teams participating in the men’s soccer tournament at the Olympics consist of under-23 sides, with up to three overage players permitted. The tournament begins with a group-stage format made up of four groups of four teams. The top two in each group progress to the quarter-finals, where the tournament becomes a straight knockout format.
France’s win puts them in the driving seat in Group A, while New Zealand are also on three points after beating Guinea earlier on Wednesday.
Jeff Rueter and Greg O’Keeffe analyse the talking points from Marseille…
Young U.S. team can hold their heads high
OK, so in the end the favorites won in Marseille. The hosts are able to get a little bit more excited about their dream of Olympic gold on home soil, after France’s opening win in the tournament.
But make no mistake — Henry’s side had to work for it, and were stretched almost to breaking point by an impressive U.S. team before the experience and class of Lacazette and Olise shone through.
Mitrovic’s young team can hold their heads high after a performance that suggested they can still advance to the knockout stages if they maintain this level.
The U.S. were composed and mature in the goalless first half, with Venezia duo Tanner Tessmann and Gianluca Busio running the show in midfield.
They were canny, stopping service into Olise and even forced Guillaume Restes in the France goal into action thanks to some nimble attacks.
But their restrained approach persisted after the break and despite chances for Djordje Mihailovic, John Tolkin and Paxten Aaronson, they struggled to get much going in the final third. When they tried to step it up in that regard, France pounced on the space and hammered home their extra attacking flair.
A reality check, of sorts, but a performance that Mitrovic can build on against New Zealand and Guinea.
Greg O’Keeffe
Surprise call-up Mihailovic nearly scores wondergoal
As soon as the groups were drawn for the Olympics, it was clear that it would take something special for the U.S. to upset France.
With a relatively deep group of attacking midfielders and wingers to choose from, the hope was that Mitrovic would have the charges needed to threaten a tournament favorite. It came as a bit of a shock, then, that the United States coach opted to use one of three overage slots on Djordje Mihailovic at the expense of under-23 eligible alternatives like Diego Luna and Cole Bassett.
Mihailovic has long been among the most exciting midfielders in MLS since first emerging from the Chicago Fire academy, where he was at one point coached by Mitrovic. The 25-year-old had a brief spell in the Netherlands’ top flight with AZ and has really kicked on since joining Colorado Rapids in January — scoring 10 goals and providing six assists in 21 matches this year.
However, he has never done enough to carve out a regular role in Gregg Berhalter’s USMNT. Mihailovic has amassed just 11 senior caps, scoring three goals for the senior team.
Still, the midfielder nearly had the moment of his international career against France. In the 59th minute, a corner kick ricocheted into midfield, where Mihailovic was lurking. He uncorked a shot from outside the box, that flew past Toulouse goalkeeper Guillaume Restes before coming crashing back off the crossbar.
How different this game could have been if Mihailovic’s effort had just a bit more curl to it. Two minutes later, France found its breakthrough thanks to Lacazette.
Jeff Rueter
Olise’s moment of class
It has been a month to remember after a season Michael Olise will never forget.
Then on Wednesday in Marseille, he produced another moment of magic to live long in the memory.
The 22-year-old’s breakthrough season in the Premier League at Crystal Palace last term produced 10 goals and six assists in just 19 appearances.
It earned him a €60million move to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich a fortnight ago, and he overcame a slow start in France’s opening Olympics match against the USMNT to produce a sensational moment of class.
Olise’s wonderful left-footed strike from outside the area doubled his team’s lead and took the wind out of the sails of a spirited U.S. rearguard. That was his fourth goal in four appearances for this team.
What a strike by Michael Olise! 💥
France double their lead and the home fans are loving it. #ParisOlympics
📺 USA & Peacock pic.twitter.com/QsimLuDvPg
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 24, 2024
🔥🇫🇷 | En daar is ook de heerlijke 2-0 van Frankrijk. Bayern München-aanwinst Michael Olise krult de bal in de hoek. #Paris2024
📺 Stream Paris 2024 op HBO Max pic.twitter.com/4a1X1O8SaL
— Eurosport Nederland (@Eurosport_NL) July 24, 2024
It was a flash of inspiration that his Olympics coach Thierry Henry was capable of delivering, and sets Olise up to make his own mark on the tournament.
Greg O’Keeffe
How do United States build on this?
With the group favorite in the rearview, the United States now has 180 minutes remaining to make its case for a spot in the knockout rounds.
In all likelihood, this was an expected result — France’s line-up is as talented as any at this tournament, and a spectacle like the Olympics carries significant host-country support. Still, a three-goal defeat puts Mitrovic’s side in a difficult spot, as goal difference serves as the primary tiebreaker should teams finish level on points in the group.
Undoubtedly, the United States needs to be more confident when going forward. Their first-half performance was one of a team playing to prevent damage rather than be proactive, evidenced by a 38 per cent possession rate and a mere three shots (one on target) in 45 minutes.
Neither Kevin Paredes nor Paxten Aaronson are confident dribblers on the ball, which limits how they can progress the ball up the pitch. Bringing Taylor Booth into the line-up for Aaronson could go a long way toward that end, as the Utrecht forward is among the pool’s best on-ball operators of any age.
Beyond that, however, it’s unclear to see where Mitrovic will be willing to radically alter his approach against New Zealand and Guinea.
Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman were included among the overage picks to serve as a dependable bedrock at the back throughout the tournament. And in truth, neither was particularly responsible for this defeat. Similarly, Tanner Tessmann and Gianluca Busio have a well-worked partnership from their time at Venezia, leaving little room to tweak the engine room in midfield. Duncan McGuire is the roster’s lone center forward, without a clear out-of-position alternative.
Griffin Yow showed some spark off the bench, and could play as a deep-lying forward to embolden the wingers to bear more scoring responsibility. Caleb Wiley would offer an even more attacking-minded option than John Tolkin at left-back, but is less reliable in his defensive play.
An 18-player squad cap will leave any coach limited for choice. As it stands, most of the players from this defeat will have to shake off the result and focus on getting things back on track for the United States.
Jeff Rueter
What’s next for each team?
United States play New Zealand on Saturday in Marseille, before finishing Group A with a match against Guinea in Saint-Etienne on Tuesday.
France face Guinea on Saturday in Nice, and then take on New Zealand in Marseille on Tuesday.
Two teams from Group A will advance to the quarter-finals, which take place on August 2.
(Nicolas Tucat/AFP via Getty Images)