After a decisive 3-0 victory against Guinea on Tuesday, Men’s USA Soccer has reached the quarterfinals for the first time in 24 years.
Team USA ended a 24-year wait to reach the quarterfinals of the men's Olympic soccer tournament by beating Guinea 3-0 on Tuesday.
Victory in Saint-Etienne saw the U.S. reach the knockout phase of the Games for the first time since Sydney 2000, and it will play Morocco in Paris on Friday.
The Americans — playing in the Olympics for the first time since Beijing 2008 — responded impressively to their opening 3-0 loss to France by winning back-to-back games against New Zealand and Guinea.
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WATCH HERETake a look at how Team USA got to this point, what their schedule could be going forward, and how to watch the men's team in action.
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SIGN UP U.S. men's soccer remaining schedule:
Next up is a Morocco team that finished atop Group B and beat Argentina along the way. Team USA plays Morocco on Friday at 9 a.m. EST.
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A win against Morocco would see the U.S. emulate its performance in Sydney when it reached the semifinals.
Should Team USA win, it would play again in the semifinals in the afternoon of Monday, Aug. 5. From there, another win would put them into the gold medal match on Friday, Aug. 9. A loss would get them a spot in the bronze medal matchup at 11 a.m. Thursday.
Who did Team USA beat to make it into the quarterfinals?
It wasn't a smooth start for the Americans in the 2024 Olympics, falling to host nation France 3-0 in their first game on Wednesday, July 24.
The United States came within the width of the crossbar from taking the lead early on. But just moments later, France had the ball in the back of the Americans' net — and soon after, the French had added another one and were on their way to a three-goal win.
In what was nearly a do-or-die game with their backs up against the wall, Team USA pounced early in a 4-1 victory over New Zealand on Saturday. A loss could have ended the Americans’ chance to advance to the knockout round, but a converted penalty in the eighth minute gave the U.S. the lead, and they never looked back.
Then Tuesday's win cemented Team USA's place in the quarterfinals. Two goals from Kevin Paredes and a brilliant free kick from Djordje Mihailovic secured the victory that meant the U.S. advanced in second place behind Group A winner France, which beat New Zealand 3-0.
“Right now I’m living this moment and we’ll analyze what it means once we are done with it,” U.S. coach Marko Mitrovic said.
Has the U.S. ever won a medal in men's Olympic soccer?
Short answer: Not really.
The only time an American men's soccer team would've placed in medal contention was in the 1904 Games in St. Louis. But there should be a major asterisk attached to that: Those Olympics were held before the formation of a true national team.
Instead, soccer at those Olympics was played between three club squads: One from Canada, and two from the U.S. The Canadian club took the gold, while the two American teams took second and third.
What would be considered national teams started in the next Olympics in 1908. The U.S. did not field a team until 1924, and despite playing in 13 Games since then, has never earned a medal.
The closest Team USA has ever come to a modern Olympic medal in soccer was in 2000, when they finished fourth, losing to Chile in the bronze medal match after a loss to Spain in the semifinals.
How to watch U.S. men's soccer:
Team USA's match on Friday against Morocco can be streamed here, and also on Peacock.
