The U23 US suffered a bitter 3-0 defeat against host France in their opening match of Group A of the 2024 Paris Olympics Me𝚗’s Football, marking an uneventful return after a 16-year absence.

In the vibrant atmosphere of the Orange Velodrome stadium in Marseille, the U23 USA suffered a heavy 3-0 defeat to the host team France in their opening match at the 2024 Paris Olympics . The match took place just two days before the official Opening Ceremony of the Olympics, attracting the attention of about 60,000 spectators.

This is the first time the US me𝚗’s soccer team has participated in the Olympics in 16 years, and it is also the first time they will face France in the Olympic arena. However, this return is not as smooth as expected when they have to face a strong France U23 team, the runner-up of the 2022 World Cup and the semi-finalist of Euro 2024.

The match started on a positive note for the U23s as they appeared to be in control of the game in the early minutes of the first half. However, coach Marko Mitrović’s side failed to capitalize on their opportunities, while France seized their opportunities brilliantly.

The US U23 team under the leadership of Marko Mitrović suffered a heavy defeat in their opening match. Photo: Getty.

The first goal of the match came from France captain Alexandre Lacazette. With a beautiful low shot from outside the penalty area, Lacazette put the ball into the far corner of the goal, opening the scoring for the home team.

Just 10 minutes later, Michael Olise doubled France’s lead with a stunning left-footed strike from outside the box, following a pass from Lacazette.

The final blоw came 15 minutes later, when defender Loic Bade took advantage of a Joris Chotard corner to head home a goal to make it 3-0 to France. Although the U23s had a chance to pull a goal back in the 94th minute of stoppage time through Griffin Young, the goal was ruled offside by VAR.

Michael Olise scored a great goal to help U23 France double the gap. Photo: Getty.

The result was a huge blоw for the U23s, especially as they had high hopes for the tournament. The US national team had failed to advance past the group stage at the Copa America earlier this month. At the Olympics, they were hoping to improve on their best ever performance – fourth place at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

The last time the U-23 team participated in the Olympics was in 2008. At that time, the squad featured young talents like Jozy Altidore, Michael Bradley and Sacha Kljestan, who later became pillars of the national team. However, they also failed to advance beyond the group stage.

The first 3 points helped U23 France lead Group A. Photo: Getty.

Despite suffering a heavy defeat in the opening match, the US U23 team still has a chance to improve its performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Their next match is on Sunday against New Zealand U23s, which will be an important opportunity for coach Marko Mitrović’s team to prove their ability and spirit, and to look for a chance to advance from the group stage.

For U23 France, easily crushing their opponents in the first match, Thierry Henry’s team won the first 3 important points, and showed that they are the top candidate for the 2024 Olympic me𝚗’s football gold medal.