France vs USA preview: Olympics begin for US men's soccer team

The USA men have qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2008, but it faces a major task when it takes on host nation France. The first of three group-stage games can set the tone for the rest of the Olympic soccer tournament. Additionally, these significant games against top opposition are important for the development of a youth side for US Soccer.

Some hope that qualifying for 2024 before hosting 2028 will be as important as qualifying for the 1990 World Cup before hosting in 1994. How will the US fare in their group in Paris? They could get a quick education when they open up against France.

US squad calls on familiar names for youth development

When the US roster for the Olympics was announced, the news of who wasn’t on it overshadowed who was. Diego Luna was a big part of the team qualifying for the Olympics and is having a banner year for Real Salt Lake. Unfortunately, he was only offered a spot as an alternate, which he declined.

Despite being a U23 tournament, manager Marko Mitrovic has managed to call in some players with senior national team experience. The three overage players are Walker Zimmerman (a 2022 World Cup veteran), Miles Robinson (3 goals in 29 senior caps), and Djordje Mihailovic (9 caps for the senior national team).

But it isn’t just the overage players with full national team experience. Midfielder Gianluca Busio was part of the Gold Cup-winning team in 2021. Defender John Tolkin earned three senior caps last year and one this year. And while midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi may only have one senior appearance to his name, he’s spent the last year at his club playing with Lionel Messi, bagging six goals for Inter Miami.

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Building on the soccer momentum for the United States

This year presented the Summer of Soccer with Euro 2024, Copa America, and the Olympics happening. It meant a huge opportunity for the game of soccer in the United States.

Unfortunately, the USMNT squandered much of that opportunity when it fell during the Copa America group stage. That disaster led to the dismissal of Gregg Berhalter as national team coach.

Fortunately, the Olympics provide an opportunity to regain that momentum. Should the US men (and US women) perform well, the excitement would be ramped back up ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

France should be toughest opponent for the USA at Olympics group stage

The US opens up its Olympics campaign against France. Thierry Henry manages the host nation. It is a way for US Soccer to get a firsthand look at what the Frenchman brings to the table from a managerial perspective. Henry is one of the candidates

But his task right now is to guide France to a good showing on home soil. And despite not having the biggest names in French soccer, the roster is still talented.

Where the French might not have an advantage over the US is in full international experience. It seems that only their captain, 33-year-old Alexandre Lacazette, has full international experience. But his last cap for France came in 2017.

Where France does have the advantage is most of their players playing at big-time European clubs. The bulk of the squad is domestically based but there are several players in other countries. Defender Castello Lukena plays for RB Leipzig. Defender Loic Bade plays for Sevilla. And forward Jean-Philippe Mateta plies his trade for Crystal Palace.

Fans in the United States can watch the USA U23 side compete against France at the Olympics on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET. Coverage is available on USA Network. However, fans can also watch on NBC’s streaming service, Peacock. It will have coverage of every soccer game at the tournament, including the knockout stages. Telemundo will have Spanish-language TV coverage of the USA against France at the Olympics.

After playing France, the United States will turn its attention to New Zealand on Saturday. Then, it rounds out the group stage against Guinea on Tuesday, July 30.

PHOTOS: IMAGO