The Rondo: U.S. Olympic success, Euro friendlies in America and Canada's spying scandal

Tom Hindle: Well, they certainly have the talent. Emma Hayes has the USWNT playing some scintillating stuff at the moment, and her front three is the most fluid attacking unit this country has seen in a long time. Still, for all of the good vibes, there remains a sense that they haven't been truly tested yet. Australia played them almost even, and Japan won't be an easy foe. Are they better than Spain, though? Probably not. But they'd probably take a silver medal.

Jacob Schneider: If we’ve seen anything from the group stage, it’s that this attack is clicking. And when they’re on their game? Maaaan, they’re fun to watch. Trinity Rodman has been brilliant, Sophia Smith looks so comfortable centrally and Mal Swanson feels like the glue for the entire attack. If they keep it up, gold could be in their future.

Ryan Tolmich: They have a great path with both Spain and France on a collision course on the other side, but it feels as if they’d still be underdogs against either of those two. This team has made great progress, so shoutout to Emma Hayes for that, but we still need to see them beat an elite team before we crown them as elite again.

TH: Maybe? The USMNT seem to be finding form at the right time. They battered Guinea in the final group game, and finally showed the kind of attacking quality that a young, exciting roster always promised. But at the same time, Morocco are good. The country is still full of energy after their unlikely World Cup run in 2022. They still have Achraf Hakimi - arguably the world's best full back - in their ranks. It will be a good game, but Morocco probably narrowly wins.

JS: Yes, but it will not be easy. Paxten Aaronson will be key, and John Tolkin will have his hands full. The Eintracht Frankfurt attacker will likely be employed at the 9 again, meaning a lot of the attacking momentum of the squad will run through him. Tolkin, meanwhile, will likely be the body tasked with keeping Hakimi quiet when he gets forward in an attacking sense. It’ll be an exciting match, if anything.

RT: Sure, why not? This team is confident and clearly has some talent. Morocco does too. They’ll have the best player on the field in Hakimi, but, otherwise, these teams feel comparable. The U.S. has a shot, for sure, and they’ll like this draw more than the expected Argentina.

TH: Not really. The All-Star Game is one of those distinct spectacles in soccer that doesn't really mean anything. MLS has played around with formats for some time, and having the Liga MX All-Stars visit makes a hell of a lot more sense than sending Arsenal's reserves to batter the league's best. But it's a game that offers little more than bragging rights. Good TV, and not much else.

JS: Agreed, not really. It’s an All-Star Game. People are out there for fun and nobody particularly takes it seriously. If anything, it was the prelude to Leagues Cup, which is now underway.

RT: Absolutely not. This isn’t even a friendly; it’s something below that. This is a pick-up game with varying levels of seriousness. Take it for what it is, have fun and move on. If you want to compare leagues, watch the Leagues Cup.

TH: Absolutely not. Let's make this clear: the Canadian football federation cheated to gain an unfair advantage in order to win games. That is not allowed. And regardless of multiple claims about this kind of scouting being common practice, using actual drones is probably taking it too far. But the players didn't know how, exactly this all happened. They weren't involved in a massive conspiracy (or so they claim.) So, yeah, suspend the coach, ban some senior officials, but don't ruin some veterans of the game's last chance at success. Good for them for squeaking into the knockouts.

JS: From a federation standpoint, absolutely. From a moral standpoint for the players, it’s a bit frustrating and you have to feel for them. More impressive and more importantly, Canada overcame adversity and advanced as a third-place team. Incredibly inspiring to watch the group come together.

RT: Oh it’s definitely fair, but this also isn’t just a Canada thing. For as long as sports have existed and will exist, teams will look for an edge. Canada did and got caught. Simple as that. It’ll happen to others and, according to Didier Drogba and Tyler Adams, various forms of spying are not uncommon thing. Take this on the chin, Canada, and learn from it: if you’re going to bend rules, bend them smarter.

TH: U.S. soccer culture is growing by the day, but it's not quite big enough so that fans will pour into New York, Los Angeles or Philadelphia to watch backups. Sure, there is perhaps some appeal in seeing the next generation of talent come through. Still, if you're paying big bucks to watch Real Madrid, you probably want to see Kylian Mbappe or Jude Bellingham on the pitch. The fact that Madrid have left both at home is no fault of the club - those guys need a rest - but for U.S. fans who may not get another chance to see the best in the world, it's got to be a disappointment. Let the excited kids watch the best in the world play!

JS: Fans are going to show up regardless. Is it a bummer? Yeah, it is. It's fair to say, though, that if the the Euro clubs were to bring those players, odds are they would sell more tickets. One of the biggest takeaways from preseason matches in the U.S. over the past few weeks is that not a single game has sold out entirely. Not one. Ticket prices definitely factor into that, but at the same time, giving fans a reason to say yes when they’re already 50-50 would likely result in a larger turnout.

RT: It’s one of those things where you say “it is what is.” You know what you’re signing up for when you buy tickets to these friendlies. You’re going to see the team, not specific players. It’s unfortunate and, truth be told, it’s better for team’s brands to play the superstars, but fitness takes priority. Coaches need to prioritize and, at the end of the day, they need to protect their players, even if that isn’t what fans want to hear.