'We're ready to make the most of this moment' - U.S. U23s look to seal Olympic spot after years of heartbreak

Two games on two different continents. One will showcase the future of the U.S. men's national team (USMNT). The other, at least partially, will determine how that future looks.

On Sunday, the USMNT will face off with Northern Ireland in Belfast, marking only their third game against non-CONCACAF opposition in nearly two years. The match will once again serve as a showcase for the team's young stars, players like Christian Pulisic, Sergino Dest and Gio Reyna, who recently shone in a 4-1 win over Jamaica.

Hours after finishing up their own match, the senior team will gather for a watch party as the U.S. Under-23s look to qualify for the Olympics for the first time since 2008. In order to do so, they'll have to beat Honduras in a one-off match, one which will end in heartbreak for whichever team falls short.

That clash with Honduras is one that will define the program's summer plans. Should the team qualify, a squad full of young players will head to a tournament that the U.S. hasn't featured in for over a decade. If that does happen, there's a chance that several of the young stars playing in Belfast this weekend will be on that plane to Tokyo in a few months time.

“It’s going to be late hours here, but we’re still going to get it on,” USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter said on Saturday. “To me, it’s a great opportunity for U.S. Soccer. I think Jason [Kreis] has done a good job with this group. 

"It’s not easy when almost all of your starting XI is not available due to not being released, but we’ve compensated. I think it speaks to the depth in our player pool and we're behind these guys 100 per cent and hoping that they're going to win this game against Honduras."

The U.S. U23s head into Sunday's match on the back of the loss, a tight defeat to Mexico that pushed Kreis' side into second place in their qualifying group. As a result, the U.S. now face Honduras, Group B winners, whle El Tri meet Canada in their own do-or-die Olympic qualifying clash.

Kreis' team is, admittedly, one without its top stars, as players like Pulisic, Dest and Reyna are currently with the senior team. That, in large part, is because they would not be released for the Olympic qualifiers as clubs are not required to send their players off for the U23 competition.

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The U.S., though, has done well enough without them, beating Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic to book their spot in the semi-finals of CONCACAF's qualifying tournament. Now, though, they face a Honduras team that collected five points from their three group games, conceding just two goals in the process.

Although Honduras will be without star Kervin Arriaga, who is suspended for yellow card accumulation, they have qualified for each of the last three Olympic tournaments. That, Kreis says, has no bearing though, as this U.S. team is determined, not pressured, to see through what their last two predecessors had not.

"I don't think Honduras has any more experience or leverage in this situation because the teams that qualify for these Olympics every four years are completely different," Kreis said. "So it's not like this team from Honduras has been to the last three Olympics. This is not the case.

"This team that is representing Honduras is a brand new team trying to make a brand new Olympics, just like our team so I don't think either team has any sort of experience of confidence factor when it comes to this game."

Should the U.S. U23s win, Berhalter and Kreis will face some difficult decisions this summer, but ones they would welcome. Berhalter is already planning for the Nations League and Gold Cup, as well as a summer break for his top stars as World Cup qualifying looms.

He'll hope that the Olympics are added to that list, though, giving the USMNT's ever-evolving pool of young players a chance to showcase themselves on a big stage.

In total, 15 players on the USMNT roster this weekend would be eligible for the Olympics, while other mainstays like Tyler Adams and Weston McKennie would also be able to join the group.

Securing most of those players' releases this summer remains unlikely, but there is a chance that the U.S. could send a strong squad to Tokyo if things go to plan.

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The Olympics have served as a launchpad for some of the game's greats, with Neymar, Xavi, Angel Di Maria and Carles Puyol all turning U23 introductions into legendary senior careers.

Qualifying this summer would give the U.S. another chance to shine on the international stage while offering a different group of players to come into their own ahead of World Cup qualifying.

It's a moment that American soccer has waited years for, and one which the USMNT will watch eagerly from Belfast late into the night.

“Every tournament now going forward is an opportunity for U.S. Soccer,” U.S. U23 captain Jackson Yueill said. “You start in the Nations League and then I think it goes on to this tournament and the tournaments in the summer and World Cup qualifiers.

"I think each opportunity for the U.S. national team is an opportunity to stake a claim and to increase U.S. soccer and make it better. So I think the team is looking really good, and we’re ready to make the most of this moment.”