After a disappointing home win in the group stage of the Copa América, this summer’s Olympic Games could provide a much-needed ray of optimism for soccer fans in the United States.

The 18-man roster of the U.S. U-23 team is currently in Marseille, making final preparations before the match. Olympic opening match against FranceThe United States qualified for the tournament for the first time since being eliminated in the group stage in 2008.

Midfielder ahead of France clash Tanner Tessman He spoke to reporters about the atmosphere in the US camp and the off-field bonds between the players.

“We had a great time at the hotel, building team spirit and hanging out,” Tessman said. As the USA“A lot of guys like to play cards, so we play games here and there. Good conversation. We’ve been around each other for about ten days now and everything is going so fast and we’re having so much fun..”

“We’re having good times on the field as well. It’s competitive, good training, so we’ve built a really strong group.”

Tessman continued:We watched ‘Miracle’ together, had a great time, had a nice barbecue and movie night“It was really fun, a lot of people hadn’t seen the movie before, so it was nice to have everyone on the same page.”

The film ‘Miracle’ tells the true story of the United States men’s ice hockey team that sensationally defeated the heavily favored Soviet team at the 1980 Winter Olympics in a game dubbed ‘Miracle on Ice’ – a fitting choice for a team looking to push its luck at this summer’s Games.

Mitrovic considers the chance to write a new story

For the young stars on this talented U.S. team, the Olympics offer a chance to stake a claim for a spot on the senior team. Now that a World Cup on home soil is less than two years away, there are spots to play on the U.S. roster.

The disappointment of being eliminated from the Copa América will linger for USMNT fans, but Olympic head coach Marko Mitrovic He argues that his team has the opportunity to write their own story.

“Two completely different tournaments, two different stories“The majority of the group here is made up of young players and one of our goals is to bring them to the first team, regardless of the result in the Copa América,” Mitrovic said. As the USA“That was the goal before and after the Copa América. They are two separate stories. We are very focused on the Olympic Games.”

Team USA will need to be in top form when they face hosts and favorites France on Wednesday. Mitrovic’s team will face a roaring home crowd at Olympique Marseille’s 67,000-seat Orange Vélodrome, but they know they can pull off a big surprise in the tournament opener.