Benjamin Cremaschi? Paxten Aaronson? USMNT told 2024 Olympics will show who is a ‘gamer’ as Stuart Holden calls on those heading to Paris to go for gold

The United States have a busy summer ahead, as they are set to fill the role of hosts for this year’s Copa America. They will be gracing the same stage as the likes of Lionel Messi and Vinicius Junior, before attention switches to another gold medal bid in Paris.

The USMNT have plenty of exciting talent to pick from in an U23 event, with Inter Miami teenager Cremaschi and Eintracht Frankfurt youngster Aaronson among those in contention for selection alongside some more established names such as Folarin Balogun, Ricardo Pepi and Yunus Musah.

Former USMNT star Stuart Holden believes the Olympics will serve as fantastic experience for all concerned, with a man that graced the 2008 Games in Beijing telling FIFA’s official website: “It is genuinely an important part of a player’s development in reaching the next stage and understanding what it takes to play in a big international tournament with real stakes. There are a lot of guys with potential, so the Olympics becomes about achieving that potential. I found out a lot about myself in the Olympics. Guys turn up and you figure out who is a gamer and who can handle the pressure. It’s huge for the continued development of this next generation of the U.S. with an eye on 2026.”

Holden added on the need for the U.S. to take the Paris event seriously: “For these young players, they are still on their journey, so I would say work hard, live in the moment, but still allow yourself to enjoy it because that’s also part of it. When you’re enjoying yourself, you’re playing your best, you’re more relaxed. But the U.S should not be happy to just be at major tournaments, the U.S. should be competing. Any chance you wear the U.S. shirt, you have an opportunity to raise the profile of American soccer and that’s what it is ultimately about. These experiences are going to be remembered a lot more fondly if they go well."

The United States have been placed in Group A for the 2024 Olympic football tournament alongside hosts France, New Zealand and the winners of an AFC-CAF play-off. They have never claimed a medal, through four previous appearances, and failed to qualify for the last three Games.