Going for gold: US men’s soccer names experienced roster for Paris Olympics

Defenders Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman, along with forward Đorđe Mihailović, are the three players with an age difference on the 18-man U.S. men’s Olympic soccer team roster. They were not used by the first team at the Copa América.

Olympic men’s soccer is largely limited to players under 23, although each team is allowed three players over the age limit. FIFA does not require clubs to release players for the Olympics, but all players named to the U.S. roster are expected to obtain clearance from their clubs.

Maximilian Dietz, a defender for German second division club Greuther Fürth, was added by U.S. coach Marko Mitrović after missing training camp in June before a 2-0 loss to Japan. He was with the U-23 team in October and March.

Ten players were cut from the June squad: defenders Jalen Neal, Bryan Reynolds and Jonathan Tomkinson; midfielders Cole Bassett, Aidan Morris and Rokas Pukštas; and forwards Esmir Bajraktarevic, Cade Cowell, Damion Downs and Johan Gomez.

The U.S. men are making their first appearance at the Olympic soccer tournament since 2008 and will train in Bordeaux starting Tuesday. They will open on July 24 against host France and then play New Zealand and Guinea. The top two teams in each group will advance to the quarterfinals. Kylian Mbappé, who says he is eager to play at his housewill not be in the France squad after Real Madrid rejected his release.

Fifteen players from the US national team played a total of 114 times for the national team.

Zimmerman is the headliner for the U.S. He has 42 international caps and last played for the U.S. against Canada in the Concacaf Nations League final in June 2023. At the 2022 World Cup, Zimmerman has played in all four games, starting three. Robinson, from Cincinnati, is also an experienced player. He was named to the U.S. roster for the 2024 Copa América but did not see any playing time before the Americans were eliminated in the group stage. He has 29 international caps and scored the extra-time goal that defeated Mexico in the final of the 2021 Concacaf Gold Cup. He missed the 2022 World Cup while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon.

Others with national team experience include midfielder Gianluca Busio (13 games); defender John Tolkin (four); defender Kevin Paredes (three); forward Taylor Booth, midfielder Tanner Tessmann and defender Caleb Wiley (two each); and forward Paxten Aaronson, defender Benjamin Cremaschi, midfielder Jack McGlynn, forward Duncan McGuire and goalkeepers Patrick Schulte and Gabriel Slonina (one each).

Dietz, defender Nathan Harriel and forward Griffin Yow have never played for the first team.

The roster is a balance of players who play in MLS domestically and young players who play abroad. Ten players play in MLS, two from recently promoted Venezia in Italy and the Dutch Eredivisie, and one each from the Premier League, the German Bundesliga, the German second division and the Belgian top division. All but Dietz have played in MLS or an MLS development academy at some point.

The players missing include Chicago Fire goalkeeper Chris Brady, Real Salt Lake midfielder Diego Luna and FC Dallas winger Bernard Kamungo.

Tessmann will be crucial to the US hopes. The midfielder was the driving force behind Venice’s promotion to Serie A last season. He is now in negotiations to join Internazionale He will be given a permanent contract worth $8 million, after which he will be loaned to Venezia to gain experience in the Italian top division.

Unlike the U.S. women’s team, the U.S. men have never won Olympic soccer gold. Their best performance came in 1904, when club teams competed and the U.S. won silver and bronze at the St. Louis Games.

In their last appearance, in Beijing, they did not get past the group stage.

US Men’s Olympic Team

Goalkeepers: Patrick Schulte, Columbus Crew; Gabriel Slonina, Chelsea.

Defenders: Maximilian Dietz, Greuther Fürth; Nathan Harriel, Philadelphia Union; Miles Robinson, FC Cincinnati; John Tolkin, New York Red Bulls; Caleb Wiley, Atlanta United; Walker Zimmerman, Nashville SC.

Midfielders: Gianluca Busio, Venice; Benjamin Cremaschi, Inter Miami; Jack McGlynn, Philadelphia Union; Djordje Mihailović, Colorado Rapids; Tanner Tessmann, Venice

Attackers: Paxten Aaronson, Utrecht; Taylor Booth, Utrecht; Duncan McGuire, City of Orlando; Kevin Paredes, Wolfsburg; Griffin Yow, Westerlo.