The main focus: Five factors that helped the USMNT defeat Morocco in the Olympic quarterfinals Paxten Aaronson

For the first time since 2000, the U.S. U23 men made it to the Olympic quarterfinals. Here’s how they can create history.

When the United States U23 Men’s National Team plays Morocco on Friday in the 2024 Summer Olympics quarterfinal, they will be in unique territory.

The United States will participate in the Games’ knockout stages for the first time in 24 years. This is a huge step forward for a men’s program that, since Olympic soccer became an Under-23 competition at the 1992 Summer Olympics, has never once gone past the group stages (in 2000).

If the Americans progress, they would guarantee a trip to the medal rounds, which would be historic for Marko Mitrovic and his team—the men from the United States having never won an Olympic medal in soccer since the modern era.

Friday at 9 a.m. ET, the United States takes on Morocco, and this is their chance to flip the tide.

For this U.S. team, Paxten Aaronson has to be the clear favorite to win Player of the Tournament, right? The 20-year-old’s numbers don’t quite stand out—he has only scored one goal and provided one assist in the United States’ opening three games—but in that time, he has emerged as their most important attacker.

In the U.S. group stage final versus Guinea, the former Union standout performed admirably as a center forward, connecting with No. 10 Djordje Mihailovic and the team’s wingers, Griffin Yow and Kevin Paredes, in an efficient and fluid manner. He deserves a second examination in that matchup with Morocco. He will hold the key to everything in the opposition box if he succeeds.

Paxten Aaronson must be the overwhelming favorite for Player of the Tournament to go to this U.S. team, right? Although the 20-year-old’s stats aren’t particularly noteworthy—he has only assisted once and scored once in the US’s first three games—he has established himself as their primary attacker throughout that period.

As a center forward, the former Union standout did a fantastic job against Guinea in the U.S. group stage final. He connected with the team’s wingers, Griffin Yow and Kevin Paredes, as well as No. 10 Djordje Mihailovic. In that encounter against Morocco, he merits a second look. If he wins, he’ll have the key to everything in the opposition box.

At this moment, it’s safe to conclude that Mitrovic views John Tolkin as his starting left back. Many predicted Caleb Wiley would win the tournament going into it, but the star of the New York Red Bulls has won three straight games. The talented Achraf Hakimi of Morocco will be his toughest opponent to date.

The star of Paris Saint-Germain is regarded as the greatest right back in the world and is one of the overage players in the AFCON squad. Incredibly pacey, Hakimi is wicked on and off the ball, and is known to be a force in the final third, too.

Hakimi plays as a defender, but he frequently enters the offense. Tolkin will therefore be one of those charged with tracking down the 26-year-old star, and it will be imperative to maintain his silence while the United States looks for an answer.

Gianluca Busio must start if he is healthy. He’s among the first names on the team sheet because of his talent. However, there are still concerns regarding his recuperation, so the United States must use caution when using the Venezia midfielder. There might be longer-term repercussions if not.

In the U.S.’s opening match defeat to France, Busio was one of the few players who really stood out, and he followed that up with a fantastic goal against New Zealand. Regretfully, though, a non-contact injury forced him out of that competition. Subsequently, he disclosed that the hamstring ailment he was experiencing at the conclusion of his 2024 club season is the same one.

A talent like Busio might be able to convince the senior national squad as they get ready for the 2026 World Cup. Now that his club team has been promoted to Serie A, he could have a breakthrough season. The United States must exercise caution in how it uses the 22-year-old Busio in order to protect his long-term health. U.S. Soccer can learn a lot from their former Copa America experience with Tyler Adams about how things may go wrong if not managed properly.

Aaronson was moved to center forward for Yow’s first start, and he responded. Though it’s unclear if he’ll start on Friday, Mitrovic ought to give it serious thought. In the last third of the game, the United States seemed to know more about how to attack and create interplay.

There might be a lot of buildup via him on the left side of the pitch if he finds himself in the mix once more, particularly as he looks to keep Hakimi on his toes.

The United States must eventually consider this chance and conclude, “Hey, we can actually do something here.”

Compared to other competitors among the final eight teams, the path to the gold medal is less complicated.

The United States would escape countries like Argentina, France, and Paraguay—generally considered as the tournament’s top contenders—if they advanced and faced the victor of Spain vs Japan. Spain and Japan have both demonstrated weaknesses in the group rounds, thus it seems sense that the United States may defeat those sides if they get to the gold medal match. Here, the US has a genuine opportunity.

They will be able to move past the program’s past and genuinely establish themselves as the generation that altered the course of history. Aim for greatness and keep your eyes forward.