OLYMPICS SPOTLIGHT: Meet the young US talent set to use Paris Games as an audition for the 2026 World Cup: Five players that could launch their USMNT careers to new heights

The Olympics are now just fifteen weeks away and Mail Sport looks ahead to the Paris Games with a series of interviews, flashbacks and deep dives…

The Olympic Games have always been a great place for athletes in all sports to make themselves a household name while showcasing their skills for the whole world to see.

Among those numerous sports is football, where the emphasis is on giving younger players the opportunity to shine and prove they are capable of becoming future superstars within their national teams.

Recent examples of this include Richarlison at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo and Serge Gnabry at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio – while this year’s Games celebrate the 20th anniversary of Argentina taking the gold and introducing the world to a young striker named Carlos Tevez.

While those same expectations may not fall on the United States, this is proving to be a prime opportunity for a number of players to prove their worth to future national teams – and even make their case for the World Cup in two weeks. years of time.

Mailsport takes a look at five players looking to make their mark at the Summer Olympics in Paris.

Gaga Slonina, goalkeeper

Chicago native Gabriel ‘Gaga’ Slonina has the potential to be the next great American goalkeeper, joining the likes of Brad Friedel, Casey Keller and our very own columnist Tim Howard.

Slonina was the only American featured on Goal.com’s NXGN list of the 50 best young players in 2023 – and was also the only goalkeeper mentioned.

He signed for his hometown club, the Chicago Fire, in 2013 and made his senior debut in August 2021.

After just 34 appearances between the posts, Chelsea signed Slonina to a deal worth a reported $10 million. This season he was loaned to Belgian side Eupen, where he kept four clean sheets in 28 games.

He made his international debut in January 2023 in a match against Serbia, after choosing to represent the United States over his grandparent’s native Poland. Now that he had the chance to shine on the world stage, he could prove that he really had made the right choice.

John Tolkin, full-back

Like ‘Gaga,’ the next player on our list prefers to go by a nickname instead of his first name.

When he was younger, John Tolkin’s uncle nicknamed him ‘JMi’ – a portmanteau of his first and middle name (John Michael). To this day, his teammates and family call him JMi and he says he doesn’t answer to John.

Regardless, JMi is one of the most promising defensive talents in the US Olympic camp – a true modern fullback capable of shutting down opponents and contributing to the build-up.

The New York Red Bulls considered him such an important part of their team that they were unable to part with him this winter, despite rumors of interest from clubs in England such as Sheffield United and West Brom.

Fullback is a position with a lot of interesting names and faces for the USMNT going forward. JMi has already made four senior appearances and perhaps a strong performance in Paris could see him remain as one of the key options for the future.

Gianluca Busio, midfielder

When he signed for Serie A side Venezia in 2021, Gianluca Busio had made a name for himself as the most promising player within Sporting Kansas City’s ranks.

He signed a homegrown player contract in 2017, becoming the youngest player to sign with an MLS club since Freddy Adu.

Since then, Venezia have dropped to Serie B, but Busio’s quality has not diminished in the lower leagues.

He has proven to be a more than capable box-to-box midfielder and should play a similar role to Tyler Adams within the US Olympic team – not only in his play on the pitch, but also in his position as captain of this team.

Busio is a relatively experienced member of the USMNT, having made thirteen appearances in three seasons. But he appears to have fallen out of favor with Gregg Berhalter, having not played under the manager since World Cup qualifying in March 2022. Maybe this summer he can prove that he belongs in the USMNT more often.

Paxten Aaronson, attacking midfielder

The younger brother of Union Berlin midfielder Brenden Aaronson came through the same MLS team as his older sibling, the Philadelphia Union.

Now he plays across the pond for Vitesse of the Eredivisie, on loan from Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt.

In eight appearances in the Dutch top flight, he scored two goals in eight appearances – far better than the only assist he scored in just 95 minutes in the Bundesliga.

On this team, Aaronson can fill a role similar to Gio Reyna on the USMNT. He can play wide, but is equally well served as the creative engine of the attack.

It seems that with Paxten it is more a question of if, and not when, he will be brought into the senior team. He made just one appearance for the senior national team in the same January 2023 camp as Slonina, but is likely to return once he gains more experience.

Cade Cowell, winger

The battle between the United States and Mexico for dual nationality players is not a concept exclusive to this Olympic team. The Americans still believe they have found a serious gem in Cade Cowell.

Convincing the California native to stay with the United States was relatively easier as he had represented the US at U-16 and U-17 levels before making his debut with the senior team.

That happened in 2021 – when he was only 18 years old. Since then, he has made a total of eight appearances, including playing in every match at last summer’s CONCACAF Gold Cup.

Cowell could prove to be an integral part of the United States in the years to come – something Berhalter is all too aware of.

While Christian Pulisic, Gio Reyna, Timothy Weah and even Brenden Aaronson precede him in the pecking order, a stellar performance in Paris could force the issue of Cowell being included in the 23-man USMNT squad more often.