WITH THE RECENT triumph of the United States U-20 team at the CONCACAF Championships, the big story is that it ended U.S. Soccer’s long drought of failing to qualify for the men’s tournament at the Summer Olympics. When the team kicks off in Paris in 2024, it will mark 16 years since its last participation in the 2008 games in Beijing.

After the U-20 team secured qualification, Mikey Varas said it was a selfless act because the Olympic tournament would actually be for an older age group than his U-20 team. He is correct.

The U.S. U-20 team had a birth year cutoff for 2003-born players and younger. This is the cutoff for the 2023 U-20 World Cup in Indonesia.

The U.S. U-23 team that will compete in Paris in 2024 has birth-year cutoff for 2001-born players and younger. Teams will be allowed to include three over-age players.

Varas also said that decisions over when the U-23 team will begin to hold camps and look into hiring coaches is not yet decided. He only vaguely said it would be at a later date. That makes sense as the focus of the federation right now is the World Cup this fall. My personal guess is that it will take place in January after the next cycle starts. We don’t even know who the U.S. national team head coach will be next cycle and with so many big decisions ahead, the Olympics seems rather distant.

Even with the tournament being two years away, it is interesting to think about. I remember covering the Olympic team in 2008 but I suspect there is a huge percentage of the American fanbase where this will be the first time following a U.S. team at this tournament.

The U.S. team can now mark the Olympics on the calendar for 2024 and so here is an early preview of that cycle.

Olympic soccer in general

There are a few things fans should know about Olympic soccer from a broad perspective.

Olympic soccer is a little bit of a misfit in the world of soccer. A lot of what is written about usually takes things to extremes. One popular take is that “most of the world” doesn’t care about Olympic soccer or that it is meaningless. The flip side is that some see it as a major youth tournament.

Neither of these takes are quite accurate. What is true is that European clubs tend to not like Olympic soccer and there is truth to the fact it can be a problem. For example, the men’s tournament in 2024 will take place from July 24 through August 9. It will run right through the heart of preseason in the “Big 5” European leagues.

GOLD????

Brazil defeats Spain in extra time and secures its second straight gold medal in Olympic soccer!???????? pic.twitter.com/KpwRcE6m8N

— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) August 7, 2021

As with all youth tournaments (including the Olympics), releases are completely voluntary on the part of the clubs. So, putting together rosters requires clubs and leagues to be forgiving.

But clubs in smaller leagues tend to be more willing to allow players to go. It does allow players to step into a spotlight and increase their value.

There is also the issue of the continental championships in Europe and South America always taking place during the summer of the Olympics. Clubs almost always tend to refuse Olympic participation if the players plays in the European Championships or the Copa America.

The belief that “most of the world” doesn’t care about the Olympics also falls apart in that South American countries, CONCACAF countries, African countries, and Asian countries all care deeply about the tournament. In Europe, it is mixed. But even when looking at all the difficulties, there is typically enough opportunities to allow talented teams to participate.

Neymar the hero as Brazil beat Germany on penalties to win their first ever #Olympics football gold medal! #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/RQAo8SXYbn

— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) August 21, 2016

But for players it is very popular, and some top players go through huge efforts to get released. Neymar famously struck a deal with Barcelona by agreeing to opt out of the Copa America Centenario in exchange for a release for the Olympics. Mo Salah lobbied Liverpool for a release in 2021, but was unsuccessful. Lionel Messi’s saga vs. Barcelona to participate with Argentina in 2008 was well documented, and he eventually won.

When you look at the Olympic rosters since 2008, they are generally strong. With the overage exceptions, you get some big players (Dani Alves captained Brazil last year). It is more than enough to make for a talented tournament.

Finally, the rosters for the 2024 Olympics will return to being just 18 players, according to the Olympics website. In 2021, it was amended to allow 22 players on a roster but historically it has been just 18 players. This makes it the smallest roster for a FIFA tournament that includes group stage and knockout rounds.  

U.S. perspective thoughts

For the United States, Olympic soccer presents an important opportunity. With the international calendar still unclear after this World Cup (two Nations Leagues and two Gold Cups making up the four-year cycle), it presents the federation with an opportunity to test important prospects in a tournament that is outside CONCACAF.

On top of that, there is always huge publicity that comes with the Olympics in the United States. With the Olympics taking place two years before the country cohosts the World Cup, the Olympics could be a nice way to build public enthusiasm over the tournament.  

It is easy to see the United States making a big push to have their best players available. The two biggest age-eligible players are Gio Reyna and Yunus Musah. Then there is potential with the overage players (and judging by history, one overage player will almost certainly be an goal keeper, another will be a central defender, the final one will be the best available in a position of need).

Getting releases is difficult but one potential avenue that U.S. Soccer could play is agreeing not to call-up Olympic players for Gold Cup or Nations League games. Also, with the U.S. team not burdened by World Cup qualifiers, it is possible to agree to leave players off for the majority of windows that will just be friendlies.  

It has been awhile, but previous Olympic tournaments have been extremely productive for U.S. Soccer in terms of giving players a springboard to take bigger roles within the national team. In 2000, Landon Donovan, John O’Brien, and Josh Wolff used the Sydney Olympics to go from fringe national team players to important players at the 2002 World Cup. In 2008, Stuart Holden, Maurice Edu, Jozy Altidore, Brad Guzan, Benny Feilhaber, Michael Bradley also all used the Beijing games to become more important U.S. players who all made the World Cup team two years later.

Looking at the current player pool, it probably will be no different. Even with Musah and Reyna firmly entrenched with the full national team, there are plenty of others who could use the tournament to get onto the 2026 World Cup team.

But even aside from the future, the Olympics is simply a good tournament for the U.S. to participate in its own right. Simply getting fun games, in a tournament the country cares about is important as its own end.

Players who could feature

Whenever the cycle gets started, there are several players who should be getting looks.

When it comes to the top-end talent like Musah and Reyna, if they’re involved, it probably won’t come until close to the Olympics. Camps in 2023 will probably be used to look at many of the 2001 and 2002-born players who saw their U-20 cycle canceled due to COVID-19 and therefore lack a lot of key youth international experience.

When it comes to releases for the Olympics, the U.S. team will push to have key players released. When it comes to European clubs, they won’t get all the players they want, but they will get some. As far as camps, if the U.S. can schedule camps during the international break, they can probably get releases for most players.  

Here is a list of players who could feature in the camps.

Key Prospects

Ricardo Pepi: The Augsburg forward had a tough time since moving from Dallas in January and hasn’t scored a non-friendly goal for club or country since October. Still, he’s on the bubble with the U.S. team for a trip to Qatar. For the Olympics U-23 team, he’s the best forward and if he can secure releases for camps. It just remains to be seen if U.S. Soccer will have him shift down to the U-23 level.

Joe Scally: The Borussia Monchengladbach fullback can play both right and left back. He’s on the current USMNT bubble but is likely one for next cycle. But the Olympics could help him bridge that gap if M’Gladbach allow him to be released.

Bryan Reynolds: The former FC Dallas fullback moved to Roma but is now on loan at Westerlo, a newly promoted Belgian team. The U-23 team seems like a great opportunity for him to make inroads in international play. Scally seems to be the best right back of the age group, but having Reynolds released is the most likely scenario.

John Tolkin: The New York Red Bulls left back is probably the best pure left back in the U-23 pool right now. Gregg Berhalter even said Tolkin was someone he was eying ahead of June’s Nation’s League games. He’s a regular starter for the Red Bulls now and has over 3600 MLS first-team minutes. He might move to Europe before 2024 and that could complicate getting a release, but as of now, he’s in a great spot to be a big part of the team.

Konrad de la Fuente: The Marseille winger started off his first Ligue 1 season well in getting minutes and being part of the U.S. roster to start World Cup qualifying. But he went quiet after that for both club and country and an injury ended his season early. He still has potential, and the Olympics could be a great spot for him.

Malik Tillman: The Bayern developed attacking midfielder/winger recently switched from Germany to the United States and earned his first caps. Now he looks to be on the move from Bayern to Rangers where he will have a shot to play more. It is still tough to determine his level since he is new to first team minutes, but he is certainly one to keep in the Olympic pool. 

Cole Bassett: Two years ago, Bassett was slated to be a key part of the U.S. U-20 team. That cycle was cancelled but Bassett continued to do well with his development. He earned an 18-month loan from Colorado to Feyenoord where he is looking to build a case for regular Eredivisie minutes. He should compete for the No. 10 position if he gets releases.

Ben Bender: FC Charlotte has surprised in 2022 during its inaugural season and a rookie Ben Bender has played a big role in that. The attacking midfielder from Baltimore has made quite the impression and seems like a great candidate to be a core part of the cycle and the best part is that obtaining a release shouldn’t be too complicated. Having a potential U.S. Olympian seems like something Charlotte would love to have.

Tanner Tessmann: The Venezia midfielder can play the No. 6 or the No. 8. Last season he played nearly 700 Serie A minutes, but he should play a lot more this season after Venezia was relegated to Serie B. There is competition in the midfield, but Tessmann has a good shot if he plays well in Serie B.

Taylor Booth: The new Utrecht signing will look for 2022/23 to be his first full season as a first-team player. Previously he was with Bayern Munich’s U-23 team with one short loan stint on a St. Truiden team as it was relegated out of the Austrian Bundesliga. He should be a likely candidate to compete for the No. 6 position.

Leon Flach: The Philadelphia Union defensive midfielder is another candidate to compete for the No. 6 position on the U.S. U-23 team. He’s a mainstay under Jim Curtin where in just 18 months he’s played 57 games and over 4500 minutes for a good Union team. There are limitations with his ability to contribute in the attack, but he has a strong soccer IQ, a great motor, and now lot of experience. Despite being one of the best teams in the league, Philadelphia has also been willing to release players for youth tournaments. Due to that, Flach should be a regular in the early camps and it would not be surprising if he is the starting No. 6.

Johnny Cardoso: The central midfielder is quietly making inroads to getting more minutes with his club team, Internacional, in Brazil’s Serie A. He had a tough run in 2021 with the U.S. U-23 team but was still among the youngest on the team. He’s eligible for 2024 and should be able to compete better, but players like Flach, Booth, Tessmann, Aiden Morris, Gianluca Busio will be tough to beat out.

Aiden Morris: The Columbus Crew defensive midfielder was an obvious starting candidate for the 2021 U-20 World Cup before it got cancelled. But shortly after he started MLS Cup in 2020 - which he helped the Crew win - he tore his ACL. He's back this season and starting again. If he can shake off the rust, he could be in the mix for U-23 call-ups. 

Nathan Harriel: The Philadelphia Union right back probably would have been the starter on the 2021 U.S. U-20 team and he’s done well under Curtin where he’s starting most games. He’ll probably be behind Scally and Reynolds but Harriel will probably have an easier time getting released, so he’s very much in the mix.

Matthew Hoppe: The Mallorca forward looked lively but raw last summer in the U.S. team’s successful run at the Gold Cup. But his move from Schalke to Mallorca wasn’t smooth and his first season saw him play only 129 minutes. 2022/23 is shaping up to be an important season for him, even if he might move (loan or transfer) this summer. If starts making inroads at the club level, the U.S. U-23 team seems like an ideal opportunity to remain in the international game in the years ahead, assuming he would be released for camps.

Gianluca Busio: While Busio was part of the U.S. team for most of qualifying, he wasn’t a regular starter and is clearly on the bubble for Qatar. The midfield is just so crowded with Adams, Musah, McKennie, de la Torre, Aaronson, and maybe even Reyna playing in that position too. But with the Olympic team, he could likely play a bigger role. He seems likely to go on loan away from Venezia this year, so 2022/23 should be a big year for his development.

George Bello: The Arminia Bielefeld left back had a tough introduction to the Bundesliga after moving in January from Atlanta. Now he’s in the 2.Bundesliga where he needs to secure a starting job. Otherwise, he could continue to quickly fall behind players in the U.S. depth chart - both the full team (where he’s on the bubble) and the U-23 team.

George Campbell: Now a starter for Atlanta United, Campbell is on pace for a 2500 minute season in 2022. Central defense has been thin for awhile for U.S. youth national teams but Campbell is developing steadily. If Atlanta United cooperates with releasing him for camps (and Atlanta can be tough), Campbell should be a regular. The question is whether he is replaced by an overage player in Paris. The best bet is that U.S. Soccer will use one or maybe even two of the three overage spots on a central defender.

Jonathan Tomkinson: the Norwich City central defender was on the bench last year for several Premier League games but never made his debut. That should come this year with the team in the Championship and a long and grueling season awaits. He had previously been the club’s U-23 team.

Owen Otasowie: The toughest player in the U-23 pool to figure out. He’s clearly exceptionally talented but 2021/22 was a brutal season for him as he left his club, Club Brugge, for long stretches and never appeared in a game. He was homesick but also left the club for odd reasons – to start a concierge service and then posted pictures of himself driving expensive cars in the middle east. He’s back for Brugge in preseason and is earning positive reviews for how he’s been doing. But it is a wait and see approach for Otasowie – who can play both as a central midfielder and a central defender (which he seems now to be more inclined to play. He is probably still outside of the U-23 team, but he has so much talent that you never want to stop monitoring him either.

Alex Mighten: The Nottingham Forest winger represented England's youth teams but is eligible for the United States. Consistent playing time was tough to come by for him in the Championship and will be harder after the club's promotion. A loan this season makes sense. If he impresses, he could sneak into the picture. 

Other Options: Josh Atencio, Ulysees Llanez, Matko Miljevic, Cam Harper.

Current U.S. U-20 team

The players who will make up the 2023 U.S. U-20 team will still compete for places on the Olympic team although they will be 2-5 years younger than the prime age group for the Olympics. A few will make it to Paris, but most won’t.

Here are the most likely to make it.

Paxten Aaronson: The Philadelphia Union No. 10 was the best player in the CONCACAF U-20 tournament. He will likely be in Europe come 2024, but he’s the safest bet of the U-20s to be an Olympian.

Quinn Sullivan: Also with the Union, he’s been the U.S. U-20 team’s leading scorer all cycle and comes up in big moments with both goals and assists.

Diego Luna: The new Real Salt Lake attacker has a lot of attacking skill on the ball. There are already some good players older than him in the U-23 pool, but if he develops at RSL, he’s in the mix.

Gaga Slonina: The Chicago Fire goalkeeper was not released for the CONCACAF U-20 championships, but he would have been the No. 1. He’s should get U.S. U-23 call-ups after the U-20 World Cup (if he’s in Europe next year, releases will actually be easier). The U.S. U-23 team will almost certainly use an overage spot on a goalkeeper (as they’ve historically always done) but Slonina could be a backup in Paris.

Obed Vargas: An injury prevented him from playing at the CONCACAF U-20 tournament but the fact Mikey Varas kept a spot open for him during the group stages shows how highly rated he is. The one thing to remember is that he is so young, he’s eligible for the U.S. U-23 team in 2028 for the Los Angeles Olympics.