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Jeff Carlisle, American soccer correspondent
Colorado Rapids midfielder Djordje Mihailovic, FC Cincinnati defender Miles Robinson and Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman are the 18 players named to the U.S. Men’s Olympic Team by manager Marko Mitrović on Monday.
The men’s Olympic soccer tournament is limited to players under 23, but three “overage” players are allowed. Mihailovic, Robinson and Zimmerman fill each of those spots. The rest of the roster is made up of players born on or after January 1, 2001.
This summer’s tournament in Paris will mark the first time since 2008 that the US men have qualified for the Olympic Games.
The squad is further strengthened by midfielders Gianluca Busio and Tanner Tessmann, both of whom helped Venezia successfully secure promotion to Serie A last season.
Because the Olympic Games are not an official FIFA competition, club teams are not required to release players for the tournament.
That partly explains why the vast majority of USMNT players who just played in the Copa América are not on the list, with Robinson being the lone exception.
Those limitations presented a challenge for Mitrović when it came to putting together the roster. But of the players named, 15 of the 18 have made full U.S. men’s national team appearances, with Zimmerman, a veteran of the 2022 World Cup squad, leading the way with 42 appearances.
Ten of the players are currently contracted to MLS clubs, with the rest playing in Europe.
The last American team to compete, in 2008, was led by former USMNT stalwarts Michael Bradley and Jozy Altidore, and narrowly missed out on qualifying for the medal round.
This time around, the US men qualified by winning the 2022 Concacaf Under-20 Championship. Of that team, only Philadelphia Union’s Jack McGlynn and FC Utrecht’s Paxten Aaronson made the final Olympic roster.
All of the US group stage matches in the 16-team tournament will be played in Marseille, with the season opener against host nation France on July 24, two days before the opening ceremony.
The matches against New Zealand will take place on July 27, followed three days later by the group stage final against Guinea.
If the US qualifies for the medal round, they will play the quarterfinals in Paris or Bordeaux.
The semi-finals will be held in Marseille and Décines-Charpieu — just outside Lyon. The final will be held in Paris on August 9, with the bronze medal match held the day before in Nantes.
The US is preparing for the Games in Bordeaux, home to Ligue 2 club Bordeaux from July 9-20, before traveling to Marseille for the opening match.
U.S. OLYMPIC MEN’S SOCCER TEAM ROSTER BY POSITION (CLUB; HOMETOWN)
Goalkeepers (2): Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; St. Charles, Missouri), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; Addison, Ill.)
Defenders (6): Maximilian Dietz (Greuther Furth/GER; Frankfurt, Germany), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; Oldsmar, Florida), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; Arlington, Massachusetts), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; Chatham, New Jersey), Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; Lawrenceville, Georgia)
Midfielders (5): Gianluca Busio (Venice/ITA; Greensboro, North Carolina), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; Key Biscayne, Florida), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; New York), Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids; Jacksonville, Florida), Tanner Tessmann (Venice/ITA; Birmingham, Alabama)
Attackers (5): Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht/NED; Medford, New Jersey), Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht/NED; Eden, Utah), Duncan McGuire (Orlando City SC; Omaha, Nebraska), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; South Riding, Virginia), Griffin Yow (KVC Westerlo/BEL; Clifton, Virginia)
Alternatives (4): Josh Atencio (Midfielder, Seattle Sounders FC; Bellevue, Wash.), Jacob Davis (Defender, Sporting Kansas City; Rochester, Mich.), Johan Gomez (Forward, Eintracht Braunschweig/GER; Keller, Texas), John Pulskamp (Goalkeeper, Sporting Kansas City; Bakersfield, Calif.)