PARIS — The U.S. men's soccer team is leaving the Olympics without a medal, missing out on what the Americans believed was a reachable goal.
The Paris Games are the first time the American men have made the Olympics since 2008, and this summer is a reminder of just how costly those absences have been.
If the USMNT is ever going to be a World Cup contender — a real one, not a pretender like the one that got punched in the mouth in Copa America this summer — it needs to be at every Olympics.
“It does help in that regard,” Walker Zimmerman said after the Americans were knocked out in the quarterfinals Friday in a 4-0 loss to Morocco.
“Big knockout tournaments, you need those games to grow as a group,” said Zimmerman, the only one of the three overage players on this roster who was on the 2022 World Cup team.
Not everyone on this team will be in the mix for the 2026 World Cup, which the United States is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico.
Morocco was the better team Friday, and there’s no shame in losing to the Atlas Lions. But in both their losses in France, the Americans collapsed in the second half.
Just as they did in the group-stage opener against France, the U.S. men were able to hang with Morocco for the first 60ish minutes. Then things fell apart. The Atlas Lions scored two goals in a seven-minute span in the second half, capitalizing on U.S. mistakes on both.
Morocco’s other two goals came off U.S. penalties. Soufiane Rahimi scored in the 28th minute, after Nathan Harriel clipped Rahimi in the back of the calf. Mehdi Maouhoub in second-half stoppage time after Miles Robinson was whistled for a handball in the area.
The Americans also got a taste of how tense the atmosphere can be at a World Cup. Yes, U.S. fans travel well. But they don’t compare to fans of Argentina or Brazil.
Two hours before kickoff Friday, the streets around Parc des Princes were filled with Morocco fans. Much of the stadium was bathed in red and the U.S. players were greeted with jeers and whistles when they were introduced. After each Morocco goal, fans set off smoke bombs.
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