Several familiar faces could really benefit from a trip to France as the U.S. looks to map out a busy summer
If you want to have some fun, choosing a fantasy U.S. U-23 men's national team squad for the upcoming Olympics is an entertaining exercise. There are simply so many options and so many good players that could feature in Paris this summer.
Yunus Musah has said he wants to play at the Olympics. So too has Folarin Balogun. Gio Reyna is also age-eligible and there's room for three overage players that could be used on, say, Christian Pulisic, Weston McKennie and Tyler Adams. In an ideal world, the U.S. could bring one heck of a squad to France this summer.
It isn't an ideal world, though. The USMNT's priority is the Copa America, the big test on the road to the 2026 World Cup. That's not diminishing the Olympics by any means but, generally, the U.S. focus will be on competing against South America's best this summer as hosts of that tournament.
Players could pull double duty, but those will be special cases. By and large, it's expected that the U.S. will work with two different squads: one for the Copa and one for the Olympic Games. That Olympic squad, though, could have plenty of familiar faces as there are players both young and old that could really benefit the U-23 team.
From veterans who can provide leadership to rising stars who can use the minutes, the U.S. can go any number of ways. And, with that in mind, GOAL takes a look at which USMNT stars would be better off joining the U-23s this summer.
Getty ImagesThose already involved
The most recent U.S. U-23 camp was filled with players who have already earned senior caps. It's logical, then, that most, if not all, of those players would continue through the Olympics if everything goes to plan.
Fullbacks John Tolkin and Kevin Paredes have very real cases to be the USMNT's backup left-back, but both are better served with the U-23s. So too are goalkeepers Patrick Schulte and Gaga Slonina, although the latter wasn't involved in the most recent camp due to injury.
Gianluca Busio, Cade Cowell, Aidan Morris and Bryan Reynolds all have legitimate U.S. experience, but all will likely start for this team in the Olympics. Paxten Aaronson, Caleb Wiley, Diego Luna and Esmir Bajraktarevic have all earned senior looks, too.
It's a good thing, really. Years ago, a U.S. U-23 team would have been littered with college kids. These days, it's a group with real senior experience for club and country as they head towards the Olympic Games.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRicardo Pepi
Pepi's agent is already speaking of a big summer. He's made a fuss of Pepi's lack of playing time at PSV and, if nothing changes, Pepi could be on the move yet again this summer.
Well, if Pepi wants to be in the shop window, scoring boatloads of goals at the Olympics would be a good way to attract potential suitors.
Pepi has been good for PSV this season, albeit in a bench role behind Luuk de Jong. He's a fantastic striker who has a case to start for the USMNT. The big problem is that he isn't the only one with a case, as Folarin Balogun, Josh Sargent and Haji Wright can also make a very real argument to be the U.S. No. 9.
Of that foursome, only Pepi and Balogun are age-eligible for the Olympics and, of those two, Pepi makes the most sense. He seems like he'd be, at best, a bench option for the senior team at the Copa. With the Olympic squad, he could be one of the better strikers in the whole tournament.
It may be a tough pill to swallow, particularly after missing the 2022 World Cup, but a dip down to the U-23s could do wonders for Pepi's development.
Getty ImagesBrandon Vazquez
If Pepi doesn't go, the U.S. could use an overage spot for a striker. As things stand, Duncan McGuire is the guy at the U-23 level, but you'll almost certainly need two strong strikers to really compete for this thing.
Vazquez seems like a perfect option, should it come to that. He's lighting it up at Monterrey, having scored nine goals in 18 games. He's a big, physical presence with plenty of touch. At this U-23 level, he could be a legitimate bully.
Right now, Vazquez seems locked into that second tier of strikers behind those mentioned above. It's hard to imagine him making it to the Copa America unless there are a few injuries in front of him. An Olympic run, then, could be his best chance to impress the USMNT brass.
Getty ImagesJoe Scally
Scally is almost certainly not going to start at the Copa America. Sergino Dest is entrenched on the right, as Antonee Robinson is on the left. When given chances to really make his case, Scally has fallen somewhat short. Right now, he's a backup.
He's also age-eligible for the Olympics. The U-23s already have Reynolds as a starting right-back, but could Scally benefit more from getting those minutes in France?
Borussia Monchengladbach may not release him, but it's certainly worth considering. Another tournament on the bench may not do too much for Scally. He played zero minutes at the World Cup and, if all goes to plan, there won't be many minutes on offer at the Copa either.
A significant runout with the U-23s could be a good confidence boost for a player who is thriving in the Bundesliga. Best of all, there's no real downside due to his age, making this something of a no-brainer.