The 2024 Olympics open up next week, and one of the first disciplines to begin even before the opening ceremony is soccer. The men’s soccer tournament has 16 teams fighting for a gold medal, and it’s a chance for some young up-and-coming players to become household names.
Group A of the men’s tournament will have the hosts France alongside the United States, Guinea, and New Zealand. The four teams will each have dreams of leaving France with a medal, but it will be a hard road to the podium as they have to go through each other.
Schedule
Wednesday, July 24th
Guinea vs. New Zealand
France vs. USA
Saturday, July 27th
New Zealand vs. USA
France vs. Guinea
Tuesday, July 30th
USA vs. Guinea
New Zealand vs. France
France
France enters the tournanment as favorites to win gold and with the pressure of being on home soil. Led by head coach Thierry Henry and captain Alexandre Lacazette, expectations are there, and they’ve built a strong squad in preparation for being the tournament hosts. They are unbeaten in 2024, including a draw to the USMNT U-23s, and that has only elevated hopes among the French fans.
With being the hosts and one of the favorites comes a target, and each team in this group will take their best shots at France. They have to remain resilient and hope they can rise to the occasion in order to hear La Marseillaise being played at the medal ceremony.
Odds of Winning Group: Favorites
One to Watch: Michael Olise just made a move to Bayern Munich from Crystal Palace, and he will look to have a break out tournament on home soil.
USA
The USMNT U-23s are in the Olympics for the first time since 2008, and because of that, it feels like there aren’t a ton of medal expectations being laid upon them. That doesn’t mean that they can’t end this tournament with gold, silver, or bronze, but it does mean that this team might be able to play loose in a pressure-filled environment. Head coach Marko Mitrović has several guys on his roster that have played together consistently over the past couple of years, and captain Walker Zimmerman is among 3 overage players brought on to help provide leadership and steady play as they aim for the podium.
They have a very tough road, but they can still be looking at as a potential contender to win the group. That would likely mean a victory over France in the opening match is needed, and how they embrace that atmosphere and play will really be a barometer for how this tournament can go for the United States.
Odds of Winning Group: In the running
One to Watch: Kevin Paredes is going to be counted on to provide creativity on the wing and help the team create scoring chances.
Guinea
Most people don’t know about Guinea, but they had to fight hard to get here. They qualified for the Olympics via the inter-confederation playoff, and it will be the first time they appear in the Olympic Men’s Tournament. Because of that, they have a profound appreciation for the experience. They have some tough players and Guinea hopes to use this tournament to show the world that some great soccer is being played in their country. Their only loss in 2024 is to the United States in a friendly, and they hope they can build even more confidence as the tournament progresses to put themselves in position to bring a medal home.
Odds of Winning Group: Needs Help
One to Watch: Aliou Baldé recently got a senior national team cap and is hoping to be Guinea’s star forward in this tournament.
Aotearoa New Zealand
Aotearoa New Zealand is here to make some noise. They are coming off a Tokyo 2020 performance where they finished second in a group that also had South Korea, Honduras, and Romania. They then lost on penalties to Japan in the quarterfinals. This time, they’re hoping to do much better and show that the future of soccer in New Zealand is bright. They are usually a tough out, defensively holding you in the hopes they can get a goal and take the win. Expect some low scoring matches from them in this tournament as well, with the hopes that a couple 1-0 wins are enough to get them back to the knockout stage with the purpose of getting to the medal rounds.
Odds of Winning Group: Dark Horse
One to Watch: Jay Herdman, the son of former Canada men’s and women’s national team head coach and current Toronto FC head coach John Herdman, is hoping to use this tournament to break through to the New Zealand senior national team.
Who will advance from Group A? What matches are most interesting to you? Let us know in the comments.
