Josh Atencio will travel to Paris in an unclear role as part of the U.S. men's Olympic soccer team. The 22-year-old was one of four reserves named to the squad, narrowly missing from the 18-man starting roster.
With teams potentially playing six games in 17 days, substitutes are often used, and the rule change seems to make Atencio's presence even more likely. Unlike previous tournaments, if a substitute is called up to the game-day roster, the player they replace can be added back in for future games.
Atencio is scheduled to join up with his teammates after the Seattle Sounders' U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match against Sacramento Republic on Tuesday and then train for two weeks before the team's opener against hosts and championship favorites France on July 24. U.S. Soccer also requested Jordan Morris' eligibility, but sources said U.S. Soccer did not agree, with the Sounders willing to release Morris after their match against St. Louis City on July 17. Even if Morris arrives late, he will still miss the home game against LAFC on July 20 and at least two League Cup group stage games.
After the match against France, the U.S. will face New Zealand on July 27 and Guinea on July 30. The top two teams from this group will advance to the knockout stage to face Group B, which includes Argentina, Morocco, Iraq and Ukraine.
If Atencio plays, he will be the first active Sounders player to play in the Olympics. Kasey Keller played three games for the 1996 Olympic team as an overage player 13 years ago before joining the Sounders, but the team was eliminated in the group stage. Patrick Ianni also played in the 2008 Olympics a year before joining the Sounders. Fellow Washington native Chris Henderson was a member of the 1992 Olympic team but did not play.
Unlike previous U.S. Olympic teams, this one is full of experience: Fifteen of the core 18 players have played at least one senior national team match, four have represented the U.S. at least one Gold Cup or World Cup, and virtually all have also played regularly for their club teams.
It's been an interesting past year for Atencio. He earned a starting spot for the Sounders late in last season and his performance earned him his first cap with the USMNT senior national team. He then began the 2024 season in the starting line-up before losing his spot due to injury and Obed Vargas getting his chance. Atencio has made 16 appearances across all competitions, with 11 starts, but has only played 113 minutes over the past two months.
2024 U.S. Men's Olympic Soccer Team roster by position (club, hometown)
Goalkeeper (2) Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew, St. Charles, Missouri), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea, Addison, Illinois)
Defender (6)Maximilian Dietz (Greuther Fürth, Frankfurt, Germany), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union, Oldsmar, Fla.), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati, Arlington, Mass.), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls, Chatham, New Jersey), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC, Atlanta, Georgia), and Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC, Lawrenceville, Georgia).
Midfielder (5)Gianluca Busio (Venice, Greensboro, N.C.), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF, Key Biscayne, Fla.), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union, Queens, N.Y.), Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids, Jacksonville, Fla.) and Tanner Tessman (Venice, Birmingham, Ala.).
Forward (5):Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht, Medford, N.J.), Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht, Eden, Utah), Duncan Maguire (Orlando City SC, Omaha, Nebraska), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg, South Riding, Va.) and Griffin Yeo (KVC Westerlo, Clifton, Va.).
Alternative (4):Josh Atencio (midfielder, Seattle Sounders FC, Bellevue, Wash.), Jacob Davis (defender, Sporting Kansas City, Rochester, Mich.), Johan Gomez (forward, Eintracht Braunschweig, Keller, Texas), and John Palskamp (goalkeeper, Sporting Kansas City, Bakersfield, Calif.).
