The Rondo: USWNT to play for gold, men's Olympics performance, Americans in EFL and Don Garber's legacy

Jacob Schneider: There's really no reason to worry about this attack. Yes, after cruising through the group stage in the Olympics, they only scored a combined two goals in back-to-back 1-0 extra-time victories over Japan and Germany, respectively, to reach Saturday's Gold Medal match against Brazil. But the USWNT have shown they can click throughout the tournament. With a few days rest - more than they've had between games this tournament - they will be refreshed for the final against Brazil. Trinity Rodman has broken out as the USWNT's star, while Sophia Smith has proved to be clutch in moments. Mallory Swanson has yet to have her true moment this Olympics, but the U.S. should still have all the trust in the world in her. Have faith in the group that has already shown they can succeed.

Tom Hindle: Well, it depends. Certainly, the USWNT hasn't been as good in front of goal as they promised in the group stage - and before that. But that's not all their fault. They've played against some proper defenses in the knockout stages. It speaks more to their individual quality that they've been able to sneak through two highly-competitive opponents. You'd think that the final might be a bit more open, which would suit Emma Hayes' side. Watch this space.

RT: Not quite. Obviously, the hope was they'd continue to light teams up, but you also have to understand that this is a knockout stage. Games are tight, physical, and fierce, with both teams afraid of making unforced errors. That has an impact on all aspects of the game and, thus far, it's caused the U.S. goals to dry up. That's fine, though. In ugly games, they can bet on talent to win out and, right now, there isn't really a team that can go player-for-player with the U.S. up top.

JS: Not really ... but at the same time, U.S. Soccer should feel content with the USMNT's performance. They qualified, advanced for the first time in 24 years and were outclassed by a better team, simply put. This U.S. roster was fine, but it did not boast the best talent - rather, the best available. With who they had on the team, they met expectations, and you cannot realistically ask for much more. A larger question lies with FIFA and the Olympics. Until FIFA recognizes the Olympics as a senior tournament, teams won't be forced to release players, and until that happens, we will never see the best U23 players from each nation compete.

TH: No. You can't learn anything from the Olympics other than perhaps taking some sort of solace from the occasional good performance from a youngster. Throw in the fact that the USMNT won the games they had to and were battered the moment it got real, not sure anyone really learned anything. The focus here simply has to be what went wrong at Copa America for the senior team, and how the program can improve going forward. Figure that out, and things can be back on track.

RT: It helped, for sure, but inspire real hope? Probably not. The Copa America is still the defining moment of this summer on the men's side and, while the U23s provided some signs of progress, they didn't overachieve. They beat the teams they were supposed to beat and lost to the teams they were supposed to lose to. That's progress in comparison to the senior team, but it's not program-defining. There are players coming up and that's good news but, at the moment, the men's side does still need a bigger jolt back to life (AKA a new head coach).

JS: It's gotta be Josh Sargent. He needs a full year of health if he is to take his game to the next level, and a consistent season with Norwich City should be able to prove that. Last season, he scored 16 goals. Come next spring, if he stays fit, we should be able to see him contending for the Golden Boot and as one of the best players in the league. The same can be said for someone such as Haji Wright, but eyes are all on Sargent.

TH: It's a big year for Sargent, who has to prove whether he's good enough to take the next step. But the player with the most at stake is Daryl Dike. The forward will be out until Christmas, and coming off a serious Achilles injury, will only have a few months to show what he can do. He's a real talent, and with a run of both form and fitness, could force his way into the USMNT starting job role. Stay fit for a few months, and he will have every chance to impress the new national team head coach - whomever that may be.

RT: There's a center-back spot up for grabs with Tim Ream's time with the USMNT likely coming to an end. Can Auston Trusty claim it? He was left out of the Copa America roster but, with a new coach and a fresh start coming, Trusty is one of several players who might benefit. A strong start to the campaign could get him back into the mix and, from there, Trusty is a player that could certainly push for a starting spot.

JS: The answer is yes, but there are some warranted gripes. Garber has made MLS a successful platform, but the the league still has its drawbacks. As Zlatan Ibrahimovic recently said, and it's a popular criticism, the MLS has too many rules and not enough consistency. Take, for example, the consistently changing playoff structure, which has drawn criticism. There are arguments to be made on both sides, but overall, Garber has done well. The league has an international broadcast deal, the world's greatest player plies his trade in Miami, and we've seen the launch of MLS NEXT Pro, a pathway to the pro division. It's hard to argue that he hasn't been successful.

TH: Should the football infrastructure in America be better? Sure. But Garber's done a good job with what he has had to work with. It has been rocky at times. But he's been at the helm for 25 years, and in that time, has seen the league grow immensely in size and team value. He has brought Lionel Messi, David Beckham and more to the U.S., grown fan bases, and put the league on the global map.

RT: Absolutely. It's a thankless job, to put it lightly, and you see that across other American sports as well. The commissioner's main role is to grow their league and, at times, they have to do things to appease people other than fans -- like owners and sponsors. Garber has made plenty of tough decisions and most of them have proved correct. The league is in a much better place than it was before he took over. There is a feeling that his presence will only really be appreciated once he's gone.