NEW YORK, NY – The United States men’s Olympic team is currently in France preparing for the Paris Games which will get underway in less than two weeks. Earlier this week, head coach Marko Mitrovic was in New York for a press conference. Afterward, ASN was able to speak with Mitrovic individually about his roster and his thoughts behind some of the decisions.

The United States was drawn into a group with host France, New Zealand, and Guinea. It will open the tournament on June 24 against France in Marseille.

Last week, Mitrovic named his 18-player roster along with four alternates.

Here is the ASN conversation with Mitrovic after the Monday press conference.

American Soccer Now: Can you elaborate your decision to bring Djordje Mihailovic with one of the three overage spots?

Mitrovic: Djordje is someone that can impact the game, with his goals and assists. Djordje is also very strong in everything - when we do attacking phases. I worked with Djordje for four years. I know Djordje very well. We worked last summer also together during the Gold Cup. He has had a great season so far with Colorado and I trust Djordje. And I think that Djordje is capable of making this team better.

American Soccer Now: Obviously, one of the tougher cuts was probably Diego Luna, because he has continued to play well for Salt Lake. How tough was that to leave him off the team?

Mitrovic: It was. He was doing really good - really good with his team. We were very aware of that. Diego was part of our process. And I always say, once you're part of our family, you stay forever part of our family. I'm happy that Diego is performing well because it's great for him, for his team, for his life, for his future. However, we had to make final decisions. And, yeah, it was not just Diego but several guys that it was a very difficult decision to exclude them from the roster. But we had to make our decisions and to move forward.

American Soccer Now: Obviously you didn't get Aidan Morris released, and he was with the team all cycle from the beginning. His absence leaves a hole in defensively in the midfield. How tough is it to fill that void with Morris not being in that team particularly with the defensive quality in that midfield?

Mitrovic: Like I said, Aidan was part of our process. But we see great balance in the midfield for us. It was a very important part of this team. Like we spoke about all those challenges that we had, Aidan was part of that. On one side, I'm very happy for his next step in his career on the other side, I feel sorry that he's not going to be part of the Olympic team.

American Soccer Now: You're bringing only one center forward in Duncan McGuire. How important is Duncan now with this team? With how? What is the plan if he doesn't play? It must be a false nine?

Mitrovic: We played several games without a central forward. We know that there are several guys on our team that can play in the forward position. If there is a  decision where Duncan doesn't play in any given moment on the field, then you have a replacement for Duncan. These are things that we tried in the camps. Again, when you have an 18-man roster, you have to think about everything. And this is a great question, actually.

American Soccer Now: Was it tough to see Obed Vargas leave the program? I know he filed his one-time switch to play for Mexico, but prior to that he was part of this team and played well in that first camp.

Mitrovic: When high prospects go to play for other countries, we feel it is not easy for us. Obed is a great human being and a very, very, talented player.

American Soccer Now: On the flip side, you were able to get Kevin Paredes released and he played 28 games, including 15 starts, for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga last season. That must have been a boost for you when dealing with the challenges of putting together this roster?

Mitrovic: I met with his club and his club was very, very supportive. We are very happy that we have never been challenged by them. Kevin is important for us. Kevin, again, can play multiple positions. He brings a lot of qualities to this group. Also, he's one very energetic person that boosts the energy off the field. And that's very important in tournaments. We are really happy to have Kevin with us.

American Soccer Now: Since it's been 16 years since the last time the U.S. team has been in the Olympics, this team will be far different than previous Olympic teams. Since 2008, we've seen MLS academies take root and 17 of the 18 players have either played in MLS or have spent time in one of the team's academies. With the exception of Max Dietz, each of the players based abroad has a connection to MLS.  We've seen recent U-20 teams succeed with many players with ties to MLS, but this will be the first Olympic team since the advent of MLS academies. How important is that for you to see that?

Mitrovic: I think it's great. Besides Maxi, all of our guys actually grew through our youth, soccer ecosystem here and through MLS academies. This is a great path. We see results of that. We knew from the very beginning that it's going to be a long process. It's not a year or two. Now we are 15 plus years with MLS academies. But you see the payoff of that investment. Everything you have - infrastructure, coaches - all that effort, it's very positive. This is a great opportunity for the new generation. They can see their path for the future.

American Soccer Now: Historically, the Olympics have been big springboard into the national team. Even in 2008, when they didn't get out of the group stage, a lot of players such as Stu Holden, Benny Feilhaber, Maurice Edu, Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley, Brad Guzan went on to be on the World Cup team two years later. In 2000, it was Josh Wolff, John O'Brien, and Landon Donovan who made similar jumps into the 2002 World Cup team. Do you see that potential with this group in terms of potentially seeing them in 2026 here at the World Cup?

Mitrovic: Definitely, definitely. We speak just about this Olympic age group. We also have to know that in this last Copa America, I think we had seven or eight players that also belong to this age group. It's also a massive achievement. But here we have players that I strongly believe have a fair opportunity to be part of the next World Cup.