Six USMNT players who can boost their World Cup prospects at the Olympics
The failure of the US national team to qualify for the group stage of the Copa América on home soil has plunged American soccer into crisis.
An antidote to the negativity surrounding the team could soon arrive, however, with the Olympic football tournament kicking off in France this afternoon. Participating nations are only allowed to field squads that are primarily made up of players under the age of 23, with just three exceptions for overage players.
And the U.S. national team roster features a handful of rising stars who could soon fill positions the U.S. needs ahead of the 2026 World Cup on home soil.
Gianluca Busio
The goals haven’t exactly been coming together for the USMNT in recent years. At the 2022 World Cup, they scored just three goals in four games. While they’ve since put up big scores against international soccer minorities like Grenada (7-1), Saint Kitts and Nevis (6-0), Trinidad and Tobago (6-0) and Oman (4-0), they’ve struggled to score against stronger teams. In games this year against Serbia, Slovenia and Germany, they’ve either drawn clean sheets or scored just once. In their final pre-Copa friendlies, they were defeated 5-1 by Colombia and drew 1-1 with Brazil.
The one major positive to come out of the disastrous Copa campaign was the emergence of Folarin Balogun as a genuine top-level threat in attack, and in captain Christian Pulisic they have a reliable goal threat from wide.
However, there is a glaring lack of scoring ability among the midfielders Berhalter currently has at his disposal. That problem could be remedied by Gianluca Busio.
The former Sporting Kansas City midfielder heads into the Paris Games on the back of the best club season of his young career to date. The 22-year-old from Gainsborough, North Carolina, scored seven goals and provided five assists to help Venezia, with whom he signed a $10.5 million deal three years ago, earn promotion back to Italy’s top division via the Serie B play-offs.
Busio has 13 caps to his name and scored his first USMNT goal last year in a 6-0 Gold Cup win over Trinidad and Tobago.
Tanner Tessmann
Tanner Tessmann, a teammate of Busio’s in Venice, possesses a skill set that not only allows him to score in the USMNT’s midfield, but also, at 6’3″, possesses a physical level that Berhalter currently can’t match.
The 22-year-old from Birmingham, Alabama, can play as a defensive midfielder or slightly higher in a box-to-box role and has shown in 99 appearances for Venezia that he is composed in possession and has good defensive instincts. He also showed a fresh twist to his game last season with a personal best of seven goals in the Italian second division, along with three assists.
Tessmann’s performances may not have been enough to earn his first selection for the U.S. national team since October 2023, but they did attract the attention of Serie A champions Inter, who are reportedly close to completing a deal to sign the former FC Dallas youngster.
Gaga Slovan
The US has produced more top goalkeepers than any other position in the past 30 years. Players like Kasey Keller, Brad Friedel and Tim Howard have achieved a level of stardom in European soccer that few American outfield players before the current generation have ever achieved.
And the position hasn’t been a cause for concern over the past four years, since Matt Turner emerged and cemented his status as the U.S. national team’s number one option between the posts.
But Turner fell out of favour at Nottingham Forest last season and replacement Ethan Horvath looked doubtful when he replaced the injured Turner during the Copa America defeat to Panama.
At the Olympics, 23-year-old Columbus Crew goalkeeper Patrick Schulte will get a chance to prove he’s ready to compete for a starting position at senior level. And his second-in-command in France may yet be a promising prospect.
Gaga Slonina only turned 20 in May, but the young goalkeeper already has an impressive amount of first-team experience. He broke into MLS with the Chicago Fire when he was just 17. And after 34 first-team appearances, he earned an $11 million transfer to Chelsea in 2022.
Slonina has yet to play for the Premier League club, but he impressed last season while on loan at KAS Eupen in the Belgian top division. Despite his team’s relegation to the second division, he kept five clean sheets.
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Kevin Paredes
Kevin Paredes’ greatest asset, which should ensure that the 21-year-old can look forward to a long career at senior international level, is his versatility.
With limited roster numbers at major international tournaments, having a high-level player who can operate in multiple positions is a huge advantage, and the 21-year-old Wolfsburg youngster offers just that.
Quick, dynamic, creative and hard-working in whatever role he plays, Paredes is at ease anywhere on the left side of the pitch, whether as a full-back, wing-back or winger. He can also slot into a front-three further up the pitch on the right.
Paredes moved to the Bundesliga club from DC United in a $7 million deal two years ago and has made 55 first-team appearances since then. He has also made three first-team appearances for the USMNT and the fact that the 2024 Olympics could be a springboard to a World Cup spot has been made abundantly clear to the Virginia-born star.
Benjamin Cremaschi
The fact that 19-year-old Benjamin Cremaschi has already carved out a prominent role within MLS’s most star-studded and talented rosters suggests the midfielder has the potential to develop into a star at club and international level in the near future.
And the Inter Miami teenager – who holds dual American and Argentine nationality – is said to have caught the eye of his most famous team-mate, with Lionel Messi reportedly impressed by the youngster during their collaboration.
And as an energetic and versatile central midfielder, Cremaschi has shown an ability to get forward and create in the final third for Tata Martino’s team, scoring three goals and an assist in nine MLS appearances to date. He also ranks in the top 10% in MLS in touches inside the opposition penalty area, progressive passes and expected assists. But where Cremaschi has grown the most is off the ball, showing discipline and maturity beyond his years in completing the defensive duties required of his position.
With his international allegiances nurtured by Argentina, Cremaschi was handed a senior debut by the US last September after coming on as a substitute in a 1-0 friendly win over Oman. A string of impressive performances in France could catapult the teenager into a more prominent role as the USMNT begin their preparations for the 2026 World Cup.
Caleb Wiley
Teenage left-back Caleb Wiley is one of the most talked about players on the Olympic soccer squad, having signed for Chelsea for $11 million this week.
The 19-year-old has made over 80 appearances for Atlanta United and has impressed with a positional maturity that belies his years. He also has technical quality that makes him a threat for the future as a goalscorer and a driver. He has six goals and six assists for the Five Stripes to date.
Fulham’s Antonee Robinson currently commands the left side of the USMNT defensive line, with the 26-year-old one of the team’s most important players in both defence and attack. But Wiley’s emergence and impending move to Europe – where he will initially spend a one-year loan spell with Chelsea’s sister club Strasbourg – will provide healthy competition and a bright future at the position.