/ CBS/AP
Heat may be dangerous opponent at Olympics
The U.S. men's soccer team roster that will represent Team USA at the Summer Olympics in Paris was released Monday. This is the first time the U.S. men are in the Olympic soccer tournament since 2008.
The 18-man team roster will include defenders Miles Robinson and Walker Zimmerman along with forward Djordje Mihailovic as the overage players. The three players failed to get used by the senior national team that crashed out of at the Copa America in the group stage earlier this month.
Olympic soccer is largely limited to players under 23 years old, with each team allowed only three players over the age limit.
"We couldn't be more excited to have this group of great players and great people represent us at the Olympic Games," head coach Marko Mitrović said in a statement. "It's a special moment for all of us as they have worked their entire lives to reach this stage."
Fifteen players on the roster have international appearances with the full U.S. men's national soccer team.
Zimmerman, 31, leads the team with 42 international appearances. He last played for the U.S. against Canada in the June 2023 CONCACAF Nations League Final.
Robinson, 27, was on the U.S. roster for the Copa America but didn't get any playing time. He had 29 international appearances.
Mihailovic, 25, has 11 international appearances but hasn't played for the national team since the loss to Panama in the July 2023 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal.
Others with senior national team experience are midfielders Gianluca Busio, Tanner Tessmann, and Jack McGlynn; defenders John Tolkin, Kevin Paredes, Caleb Wiley, and Benjamin Cremaschi; forwards Taylor Booth, Paxten Aaronson and Duncan McGuire and goalkeepers Patrick Schulte and Gaga Slonina.
Defenders Maximilian Dietz and Nathan Harriel and forward Griffin Yow have never played for the senior team.
Cremaschi at 19 is the youngest player on the roster and is also age-eligible for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
In the roster, 10 players are from MLS, two each from newly promoted Venezia in Italy and the Dutch Eredivisie and one each from the Premier League, the German Bundesliga, the Germany second tier and Belgium's top tier. All but Dietz played in MLS at some point or in an MLS development academy.
The alternates named to the roster are goalkeeper John Pulskamp, defender Jacob Davis, midfielder Josh Atencio and forward Johan Gomez.
"We're grateful to the clubs that released their players in support of our mission," Mitrović said. "Our goal is to make our country proud and we will give everything for the United States."
FIFA does not require clubs to release players for the Olympics.
The U.S. men open their tournament play on July 24 against host France, then meet New Zealand and Guinea. The top two nations in each group advance to the quarterfinals.
U.S. men's Olympic soccer team — full roster
Goalkeepers
Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew; St. Charles, Mo.)
Gaga Slonina (Chelsea/ENG; Addison, Ill.)
Defenders
Maximilian Dietz (Greuther Furth/GER; Frankfurt, Germany)
Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union; Oldsmar, Fla.)
Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati; Arlington, Mass.)
John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls; Chatham, N.J.)
Caleb Wiley (Atlanta United FC; Atlanta, Ga.)
Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC; Lawrenceville, Ga.)
Midfielders
Gianluca Busio (Venezia/ITA; Greensboro, N.C.)
Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF; Key Biscayne, Fla.)
Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union; Queens, N.Y.)"
Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids; Jacksonville, Fla.)
Tanner Tessmann (Venezia/ITA; Birmingham, Ala.)
Forwards
Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht/NED; Medford, NJ)
Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht/NED; Eden, Utah)
Duncan McGuire (Orlando City SC; Omaha, Neb.)
Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg/GER; South Riding, Va.)
Griffin Yow (KVC Westerlo/BEL; Clifton, Va.)
Alternates
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.)