Cade Cowell and Griffin Yow are Olympic-ready! Winners and losers from the USMNT U23s camp as Paris 2024 preparations heat up

No player raised their stock more over the past week than Griffin Yow, who has come from nowhere to put himself firmly in the conversation to be involved this summer. The winger provided two assists in the win over Guinea, before Yow came off the bench against France and kick-started the American fightback with a goal of his own.

Yow earned his call-up for the March camp via his fine form for club side Westerlo, for whom he has scored six goals and provided two assists in the Belgian top-flight so far this season. That he was able to carry that form into the international break bodes well for him to at least make the Olympic roster, if not play a key role for Mitrovic's team.

The 2023 USMNT Young Male Player of the Year, there are high hopes for Kevin Paredes to lead from the front this summer. However, against France, he failed to make an impact in arguably the team's most important test to date ahead of the Olympics.

The Wolfsburg winger struggled to produce anything of note in Monday's clash, and was replaced after 59 minutes following his lackluster performance. That display came off the back of a club season that has seen Paredes score just two Bundesliga goals in 22 appearances, and he needs to show improvements during the final months of the campaign if he is to justify being a starter in France.

There remain those who believe Cade Cowell should be with the U.S. senior squad, such has been his form since arriving into Liga MX with new club Chivas, but for now he looks almost certain to be part of the Olympic roster instead.

Gregg Berhalter insisted during the March camp that it was "too early" for Cowell to be considered for the full national team, but there is no doubt that the 20-year-old has the potential to force his way into the reckoning sooner rather than later. That ability was certainly on his display for Cowell' equaliser against France as he dribbled past a defender before firing home a deflected effort.

Few American players are in better form than Cowell right now, and with his latest intervention, he took another step closer to being an Olympic starter this summer.

There are certainly players who have had easier 2024s than Duncan McGuire so far, but he still needs to show more if he is to be an important player for Mitrovic later in the year.

McGuire's proposed transfer to Blackburn Rovers dramatically fell apart in towards the end of January, and though he has shown few signs of that affecting him since returning to Orlando City, he struggled to make an impact during this U23s camp.

Having been limited to just 15 minutes off the bench against Guinea, he was named to the starting lineup against France, but he struggled to have any kind of impact on the game. The presumed-starting striker this summer mistimed many of his runs, and showed visible frustration as he was unable to find space in the final third.

Mitrovic will expect far more from McGuire if he is selected this summer, and so both men will hope this was just a blip.

It's rare that the USMNT is able to translate club relationships to the international stage given how spread out the team's players are across the globe, but in Gianluca Busio and Tanner Tessman, the U23s have a midfield duo who know each others' games inside out.

Busio and Tessman have shone as a pairing for Venezia in Serie B this season as they chase promotion back to the Italian top-flight, and their chemistry shone through during the March camp. Busio even managed to get on the scoresheet against Guinea, and it would take a lot to split them up in France this summer now.

The individual who currently plays his club football at the lowest level among the U23s squad, Jonathan Tomkinson has been a favourite of Mitrovic's in recent months, and started all four friendlies across the October and November camps.

Against France, however, the fact that Tomkinson is used to dealing with strikers from England's fourth division during his loan spell at Bradford City was clear for all to see, as he was regularly overwhelmed by the home team's forwards and was caught out in the lead-up to France winning a first-half penalty.

He also lacked precision in both his passing and tackling, as his performance gave evidence to those who believe the U.S. should use at least one of their three over-age player slots on a central defender this summer. If they do, expect that player to replace Tomkinson in the lineup, not start alongside him.