Kevin Paredes, Tanner Tessmann clear standouts as USMNT show overall progress: Winners and losers from 2024 Olympic run

Kevin Paredes had a sensational tournament, all things considered.

With two goals and an assist in four games, the 21-year-old truly reached a new level in Paris. Even in the 4-0 loss in the quarterfinals, to Morocco, Paredes was one of the few bright spots.

Of all the players on the roster, minus Tanner Tessmann, he seems most likely to contribute to the first-team's path of competing in the 2026 World Cup. He truly seems like a star in the making.

Named U.S. Soccer's 2023 Male Young Player of the Year, Paredes had a breakout season in the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg. Coming into the Paris Games, the USMNT needed him more than any other attacker to elevate their game, and he did just that.

Something was off with the FC Cincinnati defender all tournament. Robinson never stood out across all four matches, even though he kept a clean sheet against Guinea.

He lacked chemistry with those around him, often found himself out of position, and struggled playing out of the back.

In hindsight, it feels like a mistake for U.S. Soccer to have sent him to Copa America, where he didn't play, instead of having him participate in the June camp under Mitrovic. And it brings into question whether or not Robinson made the right decision to stay with FC Cincinnati in MLS when he was rumored to have interest from Europe after the 2023 season.

Instead of challenging himself with an Eredivisie or Bundesliga team, as was rumored, he opted to stay in MLS and join the reigning Supporters' Shield winners in Ohio.

At age 26, he has yet to take the next step to elevate his game and deliver on his potential. Paris was another opportunity to do that, but he looked like a teenage player on the roster instead of a veteran with 29 senior national team caps.

Tanner Tessmann's stock rose in Paris more than any other player on the roster. He's been linked with a big-time summer move since the transfer window opened in June, but now, he's becoming even more of a commodity.

The Venezia midfielder earned promotion to Serie A this season after a brilliant campaign, and he's since been linked with moves to Inter Milan, Everton, Fiorentina and now, AS Roma as well.

The 23-year-old was the best midfielder for the USMNT all tournament long, playing as both as a No. 6 and as an No. 8, expressing versatility across the middle of the pitch under Mitrovic. As a result, there's reason to be excited about his progress at the club and international level.

With Tyler Adams injury issues, there's reason to be intrigued at the thought of Tessmann being brought into the senior team for that role.

There were numerous positives for Mitrovic this tournament. He led the U.S. through qualification and into the knockouts, something last accomplished in 2000. Still, there was also much to be desired for the squad that competed in Paris, particularly in the roster selection.

The exclusion of Diego Luna still remains baffling. He's a player who should have been locked-in on the 18-man roster. On top of the Real Salt Lake man, the U.S. lacked true firepower in the forward position. Bringing just one striker in Duncan McGuire, who didn't register a shot across four matches and two starts, feels like a massive mistake - and not just in retrospect. Paxten Aaronson filled in admirably at striker, but the U.S. was clearly underwhelming in that area.

The overage players selected were largely disappointing, and the U.S. should have strongly considered another forward instead of another midfielder such as Djordje Mihailovic. France and Morocco, the two teams who beat the U.S., showed how valuable the overage slots could be.

On Les Bleus, Crystal Palace star Jean Philippe-Mateta and Lyon veteran Alexandre Lacazette took the two overage slots while PSG star Achraf Hakimi, ex-Barcelona man Abde Ezzalzouli, and a prolific overage scorer in Soufiane Rahimi helped power the Atlas Lions past the Americans Friday.

The USMNT, meanwhile, were hampered in making impactful selections. They couldn't include age-eligible players like Yunus Musah, Ricardo Pepi, Johnny Cardoso, Kristoffer Lund, Joe Scally, Bryan Reynolds, Malik Tillman, Folarin Balogun or Gio Reyna due to decisions by their club teams.

Yet they could have looked at Liga MX standouts such as Brandon Vazquez and Cade Cowell. Those players are game-changers, which the U.S. could have used against the higher-caliber opponents.

It was a surprise to many to see Tolkin get the nod over new Chelsea signing Caleb Wiley to begin the Paris Games. However, the New York Red Bulls fullback was arguably the team's best defender all tournament long.

Defensively composed and a threat in the attack, Tolkin displayed his versatility across the pitch during all four matches. He improved game-by-game, too.

Against France, in the tournament-opening loss, he committed an error that led to a goal, but from there was locked-in in the left fullback role. Just 21, he has a bright future. With the European summer transfer window still open, it would not be a surprise if he gets looks from clubs abroad.

It has been tough going for Duncan McGuire in 2024. He thought he had sealed a big move to England with Blackburn Rovers in January only to see the transfer collapsed. He had even posed for photos and signed paperwork for Rovers.

That paperwork was not submitted on time, though, and despite a lengthy appeal process, the move fell apart and he was sent back to MLS with Orlando City - after they had already signed his replacement in ex-Atalanta forward Luis Muriel.

Since, he's been in and out of the starting XI at the club level, and was not a man in-form as he arrived at the Paris Games -- and it showed.

Two underwhelming starts to begin the tournament saw him benched in the final two games of the Olympics. Despite two substitution cameos in each match, he didn't make an impact at all for the U.S. in Paris. Four games, zero shots on target, zero assists and little to no attacking threat.

It's not all his fault, as there was little to no service to help him, but at the same time, this was an event to forget for the 23-year-old.