CHICAGO (May 29, 2024) – United States men’s Olympic soccer team head coach Marko Mitrović has summoned 25 players to training camp in Kansas City, Kansas, as the United States begins its final preparations for the Games 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. The United States will face Japan on Tuesday, June 11 at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kan. at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets are available to purchase and the match will be streamed, with platforms to be confirmed.
This summer marks the return of the U.S. men’s Olympic team to the Games for the first time since 2008. The 18-player roster for the Men’s Olympic Soccer Tournament is limited to players under 23, with an allowance for three overage players. . The competition is an important part of the Federation’s mission to build winning teams, as it will provide some of the country’s best young talent with the opportunity to face elite opposition on the world stage this summer.
For the first time in the run-up to the Olympics, Mitrović called up a surplus player in defender Walker Zimmerman. The central defender has won 42 senior international caps and was part of the USMNT squad at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, appearing in all four matches and starting three. In total, 19 players from the roster were selected by the full USMNT. Behind Zimmerman, midfielder Gianluca Busio leads the group with 13 senior international caps.
UNITED STATES MEN’S OLYMPIC TEAM – JUNE TRAINING CAMP – KANSAS CITY
GOALKEEPERS (2): Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; St. Charles, Missouri), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; Addison, Illinois)
DEFENDERS (7): Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; Oldsmar, Florida), Jalen Neal (LA Galaxy; Lakewood, California), Bryan Reynolds (KVC Westerlo/BEL; Fort Worth, Texas), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; Chatham, NJ), Jonathan Tomkinson (Norwich City/ENG; Plano, Texas), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Georgia), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; Lawrenceville, Georgia)
MIDFIELDERS (7): Cole Bassett (Colorado Rapids; Littleton, Colorado), Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; Greensboro, North Carolina), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; Key Biscayne, Florida), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; Queens, NY), Aidan Morris (Columbus Crew; Ft. Lauderdale, Florida), Rokas Pukstas (Hajduk Split/CRO; Stillwater, Oklahoma), Tanner Tessmann (Venezia/ITA; Birmingham, Alabama)
BEFORE (9): Paxten Aaronson (Eintracht Frankfurt/GER; Medford, NJ), Esmir Bajraktarevic (New England Revolution; Appleton, Wisc.), Taylor Booth (Utrecht/NED; Eden, Utah), Cade Cowell (Guadalajara/MEX; Ceres, California), Damion Downs (Cologne/GER; Schwebenried, Germany), Johan Gomez (Eintracht Braunschweig/GER; Keller, Texas), Duncan McGuire (Orlando City SC; Omaha, Neb.), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; South Riding, Virginia. ), Griffin Yow (KVC Westerlo/BEL; Clifton, Virginia)
Players born on or after January 1, 2001 are eligible for the 2024 Olympics. Mitrović selected one major player born in 1993 (Zimmerman), nine players born in 2001, four born in 2002, five born in 2003, four born in 2004 and two born in 2005 – midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi and striker Esmir Bajraktarevic, who are also eligible. for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
The list includes players from 21 different clubs, including 10 from Major League Soccer. Two players each come from the Columbus Crew and Philadelphia Union, as well as KVC Westerlo of Belgium and Venezia of Italy. In total, 13 players are based abroad: in Germany (four), Belgium, Italy, England (two each), Croatia, the Netherlands and Mexico (one each). Twelve of the 13 players plying their trade internationally spent time in MLS academies before moving abroad.
Nine players have participated in the four men’s Olympic team training camps held so far: defenders Nathan Harriel, Bryan Reynolds, John Tolkin and Jonathan Tomkinson, midfielders Gianluca Busio, Jack McGlynn and Tanner Tessmann as well as attackers Esmir Bajraktarevic and Johan Gomez.
THRIVING UNDER PRESSURE
Two pairs of club teammates play key roles amid high-stakes campaigns: Aidan Morris and Patrick Schulte of the Columbus Crew and Busio and Tessmann of Venezia.
After helping Columbus win the MLS Cup last fall, Morris and Schulte played crucial roles in the Crew’s run to the Concacaf Champions Cup final. Facing the powerful Mexican Tigers in the semi-final, Schulte won massively in a penalty shootout on the road at The volcano, lifting the Crew to a 5-4 victory. In the semifinal against Monterrey, Morris scored an equalizing goal in a 3–1 victory as Schulte made a number of crucial saves down the stretch. Columbus became the first MLS team to advance against two Liga MX teams without losing in the second leg on the road. The duo will face Pachuca on Saturday, June 1 as the Crew aim to become the second MLS team to win the competition.
In Italy, Busio and Tessmann played a crucial role in Venice’s promotion to Serie A. After leading the club to third place in the Serie B table, both men started both legs of the two-legged semi-finals. promotion playoffs against Palermo. . Tessmann scored a spectacular opening goal in the second leg to help Venice win 3-1 on aggregate and advance to the final. They will play a home-and-away series against Cremonese on May 30 and June 2 for a place in the Italian top flight next season.
HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN
A number of players are returning to the national team after recovering from injuries throughout the Olympic cycle. Center back Jalen Neal played an important role in the 2023 USMNT Gold Cup, but missed the end of last season’s MLS campaign and the start of this year’s due to injury. After five MLS appearances for the LA Galaxy since his return in mid-April, he is heading to his first training camp with the men’s Olympic team.
Midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi appeared in all four matches for the men’s Olympic team last fall, scoring the United States’ only goal in the 1-1 draw with Iraq, but was sidelined in January due to of a sports hernia. Now, after eight games and two goals with Inter Miami, the South Florida native is back with the United States. Injured, he also sidelined striker Taylor Booth for several weeks midway through this spring’s Eredivisie campaign, but rallied to play in FC Utrecht’s final five matches. of the season and returns to the national team camp.
Although this is Zimmerman’s first action with the men’s Olympic team, it is the veteran center back’s first international call-up since the 2023 Concacaf Nations League final last summer. After missing time during the 2023 and 2024 MLS seasons, the Nashville SC defender is returning to the fold.
HOW WE GET HERE
The United States qualified for the 2024 Olympics with a dominant performance at the 2022 Concacaf U-20 Championship in Honduras, defeating the host nation 3-0 in the tournament semifinals to secure their Olympic berth. Striker Paxten Aaronson won the Golden Ball for best player of the tournament as well as the Golden Shoe for top scorer with seven goals. Neal was named to the Best XI while Cade Cowell, McGlynn and Rokas Pukstas also represented the United States at the competition.