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The U.S. men's soccer team advances to the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics

By Russell Lewis

Published July 30, 2024 at 3:19 PM PDT

USA's Kevin Paredes celebrates scoring his team's second goal during a group match at the Paris Olympics between the United States and Guinea on Tuesday in Saint-Etienne, France. The U.S. defeated Guinea 3-0 to advance to the quarterfinals.

NPR is in Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympics. For more of our coverage from the games head to our latest updates.

PARIS — The U.S. men's soccer team is making the most of its appearance at the Paris Summer Games.

The squad hadn't been at an Olympics since 2008 — and now it's advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Guinea 3-0 in Saint-Etienne.

The U.S. started these Summer Games with a shaky loss to host nation France in the opening match of group play. But then the Americans bounced back to defeat New Zealand and now Guinea.

At the Olympics, men's teams have roster restrictions which require nearly all players to be under 23 years old. Against Guinea, the U.S. got a pair of goals from 21-year-old Kevin Paredes and another from Djordje Mihailovic.

With the victory, the U.S. advances to the knockout stage for the first time since the Sydney Olympics in 2000. U.S. Soccer notes it’s just the second time the U.S. Olympic men’s team has made it out of the group since the current tournament format was introduced at Rome in 1960.

The U.S. will next play Morocco, which upset Argentina in group play. The match kicks off Friday at the Parc des Princes in Paris.

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The U.S. men's soccer team advances to the quarterfinals at the Paris Olympics

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