The U.S. men's national under-23 team will be in Group A at the 2024 Olympics, where they will face host France, New Zealand and the winner of an intercontinental playoff between teams from the Asian Football Confederation and Guinea in the group stage. .
The draw gives the U.S. a high-profile opportunity to qualify for the tournament opener, where it will face a familiar face on the sideline. Thierry Henry, the legendary striker who played and coached in MLS after enjoying success in Europe, will lead the French national team as head coach in this tournament. Henry also appears on CBS Sports' UEFA Champions League coverage.
Unlike the FIFA World Cup, the Olympic men's soccer tournament functions as an under-23 competition, with three overage players allowed in each 18-man team.
This will be the first time since 2008 that the United States will compete in men's soccer at the Olympics.
How was the lottery conducted?
Rather than using FIFA rankings as is tradition for World Cups and continental tournaments, the pot used for the Olympic draw was determined by each country's past performance at the Olympics. The ranking system includes the 2020, 2016, 2012, and 2008 and his 2004 Olympics. As a result, his fourth-place finish for the United States in 2000 was the best in program history, but did not affect the team's ranking position.
The United States was in pot three for this draw, along with Egypt, Mali, and third place Asian qualifiers (to be determined in May). This draw pitted potentially tricky opponents: France and Argentina in Pot 1, and Spain and Morocco (who won CAF) in Pot 2.
When the pot 3 draw began, the Americans caught a breather as the first team to draw (a still-undetermined third-place finisher in the AFC qualifiers) failed to qualify for Group A. As a result, the team was assigned to Group B, the strongest group boasting Argentina and Morocco through the first two rounds.
Rather than face two top-four programs at the 2022 World Cup, the U.S. was drawn into Group A. The United States joins New Zealand, which reached the quarterfinals at the Tokyo Olympics, along with hosts France. And if the winning side wins in the intercontinental play-off between Guinea and the fourth place AFC qualifying team.
Who are the USMNT's enemies?
New Zealand easily made it through the Oceania qualifiers in August and September. They won their first match against Papua New Guinea after their opponent forfeited, then defeated Fiji, Vanuatu and Fiji (second time) by a combined 20-1 margin. Many of the players on the roster play in domestic leagues, but 21-year-old forward Jesse Randall plays for USL Championship team Charleston Battery.
France has boasted one of the best young development pipelines in the world in recent years, and should have a number of promising players under Henry's direction. Among them are Nice midfielder Kefren Thuram, Lyon forward Rayan Cherki, PSG forward Bradley Barcola and Chelsea wing-back Maro Gusto.
In the United States, there are many players who play regularly for senior clubs both inside and outside of MLS. Among the players most likely to be selected are former FC Dallas player Brian Reynolds, New York Red Bulls defender John Tolkien and Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Paxten Aaronsson (on loan at Vitesse). ), including Real Salt Lake playmaker Diego Luna.
Olympic men's tournament all match lottery results:
Group A
- France
- united states of america
- ICP AFC-CAF
- New Zealand (pot 2)
Group B
- Argentina
- Morocco
- AFC3
- ukraine
Group C
- AFC2
- Spain
- Egypt
- dominican republic
Group D
- AFC1
- paraguay
- mali
- Israel
This story will be updated.
even deeper
Our staff reviews U.S. Soccer's “American Classic” and “American Icon” kits
(Photo: Chris Coduto/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)
