Analysis of the 2024 Olympic Team Members List

on monday, Head Coach of the U.S. Olympic Team Marko Mitrovic The team has announced its roster for the Paris 2024 Olympics. It will be the first time in 16 years that the men's team will compete in the tournament, and the team's goal is to win a medal and to put its players in a position to compete for a place on the men's national team.

The roster of just 18 players is unusually small for a tournament with a group stage and subsequent knockout tournament, but a recent rule change allows the four substitutes a little more freedom to be swapped in and out of the roster.

This lineup was the culmination of a short cycle in which the team only had four camps, with Mitrovic ultimately coming up with a lineup made up of 15 age-restricted players and three overage players. However, little changed throughout the cycle: of the 15 age-restricted players in the lineup, 13 had attended the team's first camp (the two exceptions being Griffin Yeo and Gaga Slonina).

But the players in this cycle are very different from the players many would have predicted just a few years ago. Matthew Hoppe, Conrad de la Fuente, Owen Otasowie, Ury Llanes, George Belloand Chituru Odunze During Berhalter's first tenure, all players were called up to the USMNT on official FIFA dates and were age-eligible for the squad, but none were promoted to the squad.

Also, among the players who met the age limit, there were many who made it to the full national team and were part of the team that recently failed in the Copa America.Johnny Cardoso, Christopher Lund, Gio Reyna, Joe Scali, Yunus Musa, Ricardo Pepi, Malik Tillmanand Folarin Balogun However, the latter two are taking part in Olympic qualifying matches against other countries, meaning there are issues with their eligibility.

Due to changes in the player base and conflicts with the national team,

2024 U.S. Olympic Team

(Club; Place of Origin)

Goalkeeper (2)Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew, St. Charles, Missouri), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG, Addison, Illinois)

Defender (6)Maximilian Dietz (Greuther Fürth/GER, Frankfurt, Germany), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union, Oldsmar, Florida), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati, Arlington, Massachusetts), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls, Chatham, New Jersey), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC, Atlanta, Georgia), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC, Lawrenceville, Georgia)

Midfielder (5)?Gianluca Busio (Venice/ITA, 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/ITA, Birmingham, Ala.).

Forward (5):Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht/NED, Medford, NJ), Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht/NED, Eden, Utah), Duncan Maguire (Orlando City SC, Omaha, Nebraska), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER, South Riding, Virginia), Griffin Yeo (KVC Westerlo/BEL, Clifton, Virginia)

Alternative (4): Josh Atencio (midfielder, Seattle Sounders FC, Bellevue, Washington), Jacob Davis (defender, Sporting Kansas City, Rochester, Michigan), Johan Gomez (forward, Eintracht Braunschweig/Germany, Keller, Texas), John Parskamp (goalkeeper, Sporting Kansas City, Bakersfield, California)

Player Release Challenges

Most teams face difficulties putting together Olympic rosters because clubs have the automatic right to refuse to release players who are participating in the Olympics.

Mitrovic had to deal with rejection, but it could have been a lot worse. He earned an impressive release. Tanner Tessman, Gianluca Busio, Miles Robinson (He was also a member of the Copa America team.) Griffin Yeo, Taylor Booth, Paxtin AaronsonAnd most surprisingly Kevin Paredes Last season, he played in 28 Bundesliga games, 15 of which were as a starter.

However, the players that Mitrovic missed out on were a blow given the lack of depth at those positions. For example: Aidan Morris Morris was a key player throughout the cycle, but was not released due to his recent move from Columbus to Middlesbrough, and his potential backup, Obed Vargas, was with the team at the start of the cycle but left the U.S. program for Mexico in May, making the loss of Morris even more costly.

Yo was released from the tournament, but his teammate Brian Reynolds Reynolds had always been the team's starting right-back, but the move Natian Harriel He took the top spot.

The most difficult to release was the third overage spot, designed for an attacker. Walker Zimmerman and Miles Robinson In order to strengthen their central defense, which was a major weakness, the club was given two overage slots. Haji Wright Coventry and Brandon Vasquez He was denied release in Monterrey.

As a result, Mitrovic was left without an experienced player at the front of his team.

Lack of midfield defense

The biggest concern for this Olympic team is their defensive midfield, with Tesman starting as a number six and being the best defender in the midfield, but the rest of the midfield behind Tesman is made up of playmakers like Busio and box-to-box midfielders. Jack McGlynnand Benja Cremaschi People with aggressive mindsets.

Tesman has an incredible amount of defensive responsibility on this team to protect the team's backline. The chemistry he and Busio had at the club will have to carry over to this team in order to be successful. However, if something were to happen to Tesman and he is unable to take the field, this team could have problems defensively.

One option to watch in pre-Olympic camp is whether Maximilian Dietz could join Tesmann in defensive midfield. Dietz has only played as a center back for the U.S. U-23 national team, but has played occasional defensive midfield roles for second-division Bundesliga club Greuther Fürth and at youth level.

Either way, the key for the U.S. team to advance will depend on all of its midfielders defending well.

Various options for attack

Mitrovic will likely deploy Tesman and Busio behind the midfield triangle, but he has a variety of options up front and in the No.10 position as well.

Djordje Mihajlovic is likely to start in the No.10 position, as an over-age player is usually named as a starter for the Olympic team, with Paxton Aaronson behind him, who can also play as a winger.

Wings are key for this team. Paredes, Aaronson, Booth and Yeo are the options on the wing. The good news for Mitrovic is that all four have been in good form since January, with Yeo in particular being one of the team's most surprising breakout players.

But the big factor in this team's play is Duncan Maguire He is the team's only centre-forward and Maguire's style of play for the Olympic team is different to that in Orlando. Under Mitrovic, he drops further back in midfield, looking to hold onto the ball and make passes to the wingers.

If Mitrovic wants to play without Maguire (as he has done at times this season), he would have to operate in a “false nine” formation, which places one of his wingers (probably Aaronson) in the middle of the front nine.

But bringing in just one No. 9 is risky.

But another big way this team can attack is through set pieces and with Zimmermann, Robinson, Harrier, Maguire and Tesman all excellent in the air, this team will need to exploit this aerial potential in France.

Luna comes out on top in toughest cut

Besides the players who weren't released, there were also players who simply weren't selected. With an 18-man roster, teams are constructed differently. Versatility is valued, and backup positions are often given to players who can fill multiple roles.

This team has had some very tough cuts.

Diego Luna It was the toughest and most controversial cut: Real Salt Lake's creative playmaker was informed last week that he would not be selected for the team despite being one of the most in-form players in the Olympic player pool.

Jalen Neal Neal was left out of the team. The LA Galaxy center back is one of the best players over the age limit at his position, but with Myles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman joining the team as overage players, Neal lost his backup center back spot, mostly due to Dietz, who can also cover defensive midfield, taking the position.

Cade CowellThe Chivas winger has featured well for most of this cycle, even scoring a big goal against France in a friendly in March, but he has been overshadowed by Booth, Yeo, Paredes and Aaronson, and his absence is surprising given his ability to back up the centre-forward position.

Cole BassettThe Colorado Rapids attacking midfielder is having a great season with his hometown club, but like Luna, he too has fallen victim to a crowded position.

Daniel Edelman: The 2023 U.S. U-20 captain had reason to make the squad given that the waivers of Aidan Morris and Obed Vargas leaving the program were overruled. Edelman could have provided more of a defensive presence in the midfield.

Esmir Bajraktarević: The Bosnian-American is one of the youngest players on the Olympian roster and will be available for the next Olympics. The talented winger showed flashes of potential in New England but lost out to a more established winger. It will be interesting to see if he stays with the U.S. team or accepts a move to Bosnia, where he has openly courted the option.

Damion DownsIt is not clear whether this is a matter of redundancy or cuts, but the FC Köln centre-forward was not selected for the squad last season despite scoring two Bundesliga goals as the club was relegated. His absence leaves the club short on centre-forwards.

MLS Academy Connection

The roster is a mix of internationally and domestically based players, as expected, but only Dietz has never been with an MLS team at any point in his career. Taylor Booth has never signed with an MLS team, but has spent significant time in MLS academies. Among those who weren't released, ties remain strong with players like Aidan Morris and Bryan Reynolds.

MLS teams continue to invest in their youth academies, which will develop many of the best young players in the country. While many of these players will eventually transfer, the MLS academies will be important to the youth national teams.

With that in mind, one of the most notable members is teenager Benja Cremaschi from Inter Miami, the only one of the final squad to have played one full cycle and who is eligible to compete in the 2025 U-20 World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games.

Kremaschi flourished under Mitrovic when he was head coach of the U.S. U-19 national team and has adapted well with the U-23s. Whether this is the best use of Kremaschi remains to be seen. Kremaschi will miss the upcoming U-20 World Cup qualifiers, where he would have been a starter but will likely be a reserve for the U-23s.

But it's a huge vote of confidence from the federation and Mitrovic in the opinion of Kremaschi, who has previously played for Argentina's Under-20s and has performed very well for Inter Miami this season with and without Lionel Messi in the side.

If Cremaschi can take advantage of this opportunity, he's well positioned for the future as one of the top American teenagers in baseball.

Conclusion

Overall, this lineup has strengths but also weaknesses. Mitrovic has brought in some veteran overage players to strengthen the team's central defence (its biggest weakness among the age-restricted players), but will it matter much if the midfield doesn't hold up? This question will determine success or failure in France this summer.

Tesman and Maguire are so important to this team and without them both performing well, it's difficult for the team to be successful. There are no back-ups in the defensive midfield and forward positions and everything hinges on these two players.

If both players perform well, it is easy to imagine that the US team will be a formidable force.

Whether this team pans out will depend on luck, but if they do, it could help build enthusiasm for the program after the senior team's underperformance at the Copa and help more players join the national team player pool and compete for playing time there.