PARIS, FRANCE – The United States men’s team is through to the quarterfinals of the 2024 Olympics after a convincing 3-0 win over Guinea on Tuesday in St. Etienne. On Wednesday, the U.S. team travelled to Paris where they will face a very good Moroccan team for a spot in the semifinals. They are seeking their first medal at these games.

The mood of the team following the Guinea win was one of confidence but a lot of respect for their upcoming opponent.

“We’re ready,” said winger Kevin Paredes after scoring two goals in the game. “Straight up, we’re ready.”

“They’re going to be a good team,” echoed team captain Tanner Tessmann. “They won the group, with Argentina in there, so we have to prepare for them.”

With that said, here are some thoughts on the win over Guinea and where it has the team moving forward.

Front three will be key

Against Guinea, the big talking point was just how well the front three of Griffin Yow, Paxten Aaronson, and Kevin Paredes played. Guinea was not prepared for their press and their relentlessness to immediately get the ball forward.

After Duncan McGuire started the first two games, head coach Marko Mitrovic opted to replace McGuire with a “false nine” formation as Aaronson moved from the wing to the middle and Yow came into right wing.

The change left Guinea without answers as Paredes had two goals, Aaronson had an assist, and Yow was the most dangerous player on the field.

“We can possibly make a lot of a lot of issue with our dynamic moments with this front three guys,” Mitrovic said after the game. “And, I mean, sometimes those ideas are good, sometimes it works, sometimes they don't. But today it worked, and it was good.”

That leaves the big question of how the team will play against Morrocco. Morocco is a very well coached team who will now have film to study on the two looks the U.S. team has shown. Given the success of the team against Guinea, it seems likely they will be preparing for it.

Mitrovic will have a tough decision whether to keep this formation intact, or change things up slightly to be able to provide a different look.

The backline’s growth

Another big takeaway is that Walker Zimmerman was terrific against Guinea and he delivered in a way you’d expect an overage player with World Cup experience to play. From his clearances, dual winning, aerials, and passing, he was very important to the win.

But the most important story is that Miles Robinson had his best game. The second overage player was brought into this team due to his chemistry with Zimmerman and his big game experience. After a shaky effort against France, he improved against New Zealand. But against Guinea, it looked like Robinson was finally starting to hit his stride.

As for the fullbacks in John Tolkin and Nathan Harriel, the two have been rock steady. Tolkin gets involved in the attack a lot and is dangerous – despite not having any goal contributions yet. Harriel has simply been very steady. He had a few tough moments against Guinea, but has otherwise been very consistent.

Right now, the defense appears to be growing into the tournament ahead of their second most difficult challenge (after France) against Morocco.

Midfield questions

Most of the biggest questions and causes for concern are in the midfield. Against Guinea, the U.S. team didn’t really engage Guinea’s midfield much (especially after Guinea upgraded their squad with quality overage midfielders). Instead, the U.S. team played extremely directly with most possessions going into the attack as soon as possible.

Right now, we don’t know the health of Gianluca Busio. The Venezia midfielder is one of the team’s better players but his defense is consistent. He was moved off the roster for Guinea after picking up an injury against New Zealand. He was then replaced by Josh Atencio.

In one of the more surprising moves, Busio was replaced by Max Dietz in the starting lineup and not Jack McGlynn (who was effective in subbing in for Busio against New Zealand). McGlynn can pass well and has a great vision, but Dietz brings defense and athleticism.

With Dietz coming into the starting lineup, it reflected that Mitrovic prefers defensive quality and athleticism in the midfield when his team is playing directly. McGlynn is an ideal player for a possession game when he has defensive support in the midfield.

Against Morocco, expect Mitrovic to again prioritize defense and athleticism in the midfield behind the No. 10 in Mihailovic. Morocco is going to have more speed and more quality than Guinea and not having that edge in the midfield could hurt.

Another possibility could be Josh Atencio, who came into the team. He is also a candidate to start with Tessmann as he can defend and pass. But the health and status of Busio is a big question mark.

Another question for this team will be Tessmann, who has played every minute of these games and was involved in the closed-door friendlies and the June camp. This is on the heels of a nearly 4000-mintue season in Serie B where he helped Venezia to promotion.

Looking back/looking ahead

Morocco will be a very tough test for the U.S. team. This team will be able to handle the U.S. team’s press better and they won’t make the mistakes that Guinea made. They will also have more quality in the final third than Guinea or New Zealand.

The conditions will be hard. The temperatures will be hot in Paris and the crowd at the Parc des Princes will be very pro-Moroccan.

With the U.S. team growing in confidence, it’s hard to see Mitrovic changing up too much. If he has a formula that is doing well, there is a risk with changing things too much.

One area of concern with the U.S. team will be how they have not been at their best in the last 20 minutes in either of the three games. The team has started off well but has found themselves on their heels leading up to the final whistle, even in the wins over New Zealand or Guinea.

If the U.S. team can’t build up a lead early, it will be a test if they can be strong for the full 90 or 120 minutes.

Still, these are all good problems to have right now. The U.S. team is in the quarterfinal of a FIFA tournament after having won two straight games. U.S. Soccer has had a tough year on the men’s side of the program, but this team has a chance to build up a lot of enthusiasm for the program two years out from the World Cup.

The Olympics has a way of captivating the American public in a unique way. Mitrovic’s team now has an opportunity to take advantage of that spotlight.