The U.S. men's national soccer team faced a disappointing start to their Paris Olympics campaign, succumbing to a resounding 3-0 defeat at the hands of hosts France.
The U.S. men's national soccer team had a Paris Olympics opener they'd likely want to forget. France welcomed Team USA to the Velodrome stadium in Marseille on Wednesday night and routed them 3-0 behind goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Michael Olise, and Loic Bade.
The Americans held the French scoreless through the first 60 minutes of the match. Then, in the 61st minute, Lacazette broke the scoreless tie with a long-range score through goalkeeper Patrick Schulte. It was enough to give France some momentum in the match.
Team USA Suffers Crushing 3-0 Loss to France in Paris Olympics Opener
Olise curled one past Schulte in the 69th minute and then Bade put the finishing touches on the match in the 85th minute. The U.S. team had a few chances to score, but officials ruled out a goal by Griffin Yow for offside, and Djordie Mihailovic's shot hit the crossbar.
France goes up early in Group A with the 3-0 victory. They are ahead of New Zealand, who beat Guinea 2-1, earlier in the day. Olympic men's soccer became an under-23 competition at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, which means players like Kylian Mbappe and Christian Pulisic will not be participating.
Team USA Suffers Crushing 3-0 Loss to France in Paris Olympics Opener
The U.S. team plays New Zealand on Saturday. France will play Guinea. The Americans will need to regroup and find their scoring touch if they want to advance in the tournament.
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter expressed disappointment in his team's performance. "We didn't play well enough tonight," Berhalter said. "We gave up some easy goals and we couldn't create enough chances of our own."
Team USA Suffers Crushing 3-0 Loss to France in Paris Olympics Opener
Captain Tyler Adams echoed Berhalter's sentiments. "We're all very disappointed with the result," Adams said. "We know we're a better team than we showed tonight."
The players vowed to bounce back in their next match against New Zealand. "We're going to learn from our mistakes and come back stronger," said midfielder Weston McKennie.
The U.S. team will need to improve their performance significantly if they want to advance in the tournament. They will need to find a way to score goals and tighten up their defense.
The Americans have a talented team, but they will need to play with more urgency and intensity if they want to succeed in Paris. The loss to France is a wake-up call for the U.S. team. They need to adjust their game plan and find a way to win if they want to achieve their Olympic goals.
