These two extremely talented sides will face off in the opening game of both of their tournaments at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille, with both sides desperate to start their Olympic campaigns with a win.
The hosts France come into the Olympics as one of the favourites to win the infamous gold medal. Their talented squad mixed with the guidance and management of French legend Thierry Henry puts them in a good place to win their first gold medal since 1984.
However, despite their talented squad, they have not competed in the Olympics since 1996, where they reached the quarter-finals in Atlanta.
Their squad quality speaks for itself. Captained by one of their permitted over-23 players Alexandre Lacazette, he is joined by players such as Michael Olise and Jean-Phillipe Mateta who took the Premier League by storm with Crystal Palace last season.
The youngest player on the squad is Desire Doue, who is one of the highest-ranking prospects in world football with Rennes.
The USA is another nation who have not had much success in football at the Olympic Games. Their last appearance was in Beijing in 2008, but it was a rather underwhelming performance. Their best performance at the Olympics came in 1904, speaking volumes about their recent Olympic appearances.
The Build-Up
France have shown a lot of promise leading up to the Olympics this summer in their warm-up games played recently.
Their most impressive performances came against both Paraguay and Dominican Republic. The Paraguay game saw them run out comfortable 4-1 winners but the Dominican Republic match was where they made a real statement.
They won the game 7-0 with Lacazette and Olise both scoring twice, sending out a message to the rest of the teams competing this summer that they are the favourites for a reason.
The USA have had a lot of issues off the field in the build-up to these Olympic Games. One main issue has been the fans’ criticism of the squad selection for the competition.
With the Copa America falling very close to the Olympics this year, the USA are one of many teams that have not been able to select the players that they wanted to. However, the USA have a bigger issue at hand.
With the Olympics not being a recognized competition by FIFA, domestic clubs have no obligation to let their players leave for the Olympics, in favour of keeping them for either pre-season or in the case of the MLS, the continuation of the current season.
Therefore, with the three overage selections being Walker Zimmerman, Miles Robinson, and Djordje Mihailovic, it has left many fans underwhelmed with the squad ahead of this summer in Paris.
Coach Marko Mitrovic has also been criticised as he has only selected one true striker for his side, with that being Duncan McGuire from Orlando City.
Many fans believed that they needed more firepower in the attacking areas, and many players that they would’ve liked to see have been unfortunately left at home.
Many neutrals and pundits believe that France will almost definitely win this group with ease. Therefore, the USA need to ensure that they are the team in second place in the group so they can progress and continue their journey to what could hopefully be an Olympic medal-winning summer.
Players To Watch
The easy choice for France is the fantastic Michael Olise. Many people questioned Didier Deschamps decision to exclude Olise from his EURO 2024 squad this summer, but this opened the door for Henry to welcome him with open arms into his Olympic squad.
Enjoying another fantastic season with Crystal Palace, Olise managed ten goals and six assists in the Premier League. This fantastic form caught the attention of German Giants Bayern Munich, who decided to bring the player to the Allianz Arena this summer.
His creativity and decision-making in the final third is second to none, and he will be one of the most gifted players at the tournament this summer with ease.
For USA, they still have a great roster despite the complaints from fans.
Gianluca Busio and Tanner Tessmann should bring a fantastic midfield connection from their season at Venezia. The pair had a combined 20 G/A for their side in Serie B this season, ultimately guiding their side back to Serie A through the playoffs.
However, one player who could announce himself on the big stage this summer is Duncan McGuire. McGuire had a fantastic rookie season for Orlando City last year, netting 15 times in a season where they fell just short in the MLS playoffs.
His form had seemingly earned him a move to England as he was announced as a Blackburn Rovers player on deadline day. However, an issue with the paperwork meant the move never got completed and McGuire returned to Orlando.
Since his return, he has scored seven times already this season and has continued to show signs of development. With him being the only striker for Team USA this summer, he could take his opportunity to showcase exactly what he can do in front of a global audience for the first time.
Match Details
The game will take place on Wednesday, July 24th at the Orange Velodrome in Marseille.
The game kicks off at 20:00pm (GMT) and will be available to watch on multiple streaming networks across the world.
For both sides it will represent the official beginning of the Olympic Games, with football and Rugby Sevens being the first two events to start this summer’s games.
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