USMNT New Zealand Preview: A Must Win Game at the Olympics

PREVIEW – Colorado Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailović and his posse of red, white, and blue teammates have their backs to a stone wall, and it is only the second round robin game play in this summer’s Olympics tournament. 

The Under-23 Yanks took a big bow to their collective solar plexus region during their opener against a relentless France team.

Soon after halftime, the Frenchman came out and scored three unanswered goals. They went on to shut out the United States 3-0, who had their chances but were unable to convert even one credible attack into a goal. 

Currently, the Americans are at the bottom of their group. They will face a strong New Zealand team that is managed by former Colorado Rapids’ assistant coach Darren Bazeley in Marseille, France, tomorrow. The All Whites defeated New Guinea, 2-1 in their opening game.

Should the Stars and Stripes outright lose, they will pack their suitcases and return stateside with their tales between their legs. A high-scoring victory would put them into second place with one game to go against New Guinea. The knockout round is on deck next week.

Head coach Marko Mitrovic spoke with the press after the team’s last practice before the match.  He was both reflective and optimistic, “We play the game, we give everything, we learn and we move forward. We are now two days after the game, and no matter what the score or outcome for certain games, there is a moment where we have to stop thinking about that and just move forward.”

U.S. fans hope that he will mix a few capable finishers in his starting lineup, and install matchday tactics that will generate a handsome win.

This is the first meeting between the U.S. and New Zealand at the Olympic Games. It’s also the first time that the USA will face a team from Oceania at the Olympics.

The U.S. Under-20 Men’s Youth National Team faced New Zealand in the Round of 16 at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup, a 4-0 victory for the USA

Kickoff from Stade de Marseille in Marseille, France Set for July 27 at 11 a.m. MT. USA Network, Telemundo, and Peacock will carry the game.

U.S. OLYMPIC MEN’S SOCCER TEAM – ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB/COUNTRY; CAPS/GOALS; HOMETOWN):

Goalkeepers (2): 1-Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; 4/0; St. Charles, Mo.), 18-Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; 0/0; Addison, Ill.)

Defenders (6): 4-Maximilian Dietz (Greuther Furth/GER; 7/0; Frankfurt, Germany), 2-Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; 8/1; Oldsmar, Fla.), 12-Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; 3/0; Arlington, Mass.), 5-John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; 8/0; Chatham, N.J.), 17-Caleb Wiley (Chelsea/ENG; 6/0; Atlanta, Ga.), 3-Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; 5/0; Lawrenceville, Ga.)

Midfielders (5): 6-Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; 7/1; Greensboro, N.C.), 15-Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; 5/1; Key Biscayne, Fla.), 16-Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; 8/0; Queens, N.Y.), 14-Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids; 10/0; Jacksonville, Fla.), 8-Tanner Tessmann (Venezia/ITA; 11/0; Birmingham, Ala.)

Forwards (5): 11-Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht/NED; 6/1; Medford, NJ), 10-Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht/NED; 5/0; Eden, Utah), 13-Duncan McGuire (Orlando City SC; 6/1; Omaha, Neb.), 7-Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; 3/0; South Riding, Va.), 9- Griffin Yow (KVC Westerlo/BEL; 4/1; Clifton, Va.)

Alternates (4): Josh Atencio (Midfielder, Seattle Sounders FC; 0/0; Bellevue, Wash.), Jacob Davis (Defender, Sporting Kansas City; 0/0; Rochester, Mich.), Johan Gomez (Forward, Eintracht Braunschweig/GER; 7/2; Keller, Texas), John Pulskamp (Goalkeeper, Sporting Kansas City; 3/0; Bakersfield, Calif.)

Photo Credit: John Babiak

Thank you for reading Burgundy Wave. Support us via our Patreon starting at $5/month. We’re always looking for new talent. Let us know if you’re interested in covering Colorado Soccer.