The Pitch: MLS's Heavy Influence on U.S. Men's Olympics Roster

MLS Communications

Five MLS clubs remain in contention for the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup ahead of tonight’s quarterfinal matches. In addition to lifting a trophy, winning Open Cup secures a place in the 2025 Concacaf Champions Cup. The games will be available for free on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV.

Tuesday, July 9

Atlanta United v. Indy Eleven: (7 p.m. ET) Atlanta hosts Indy Eleven in the first meeting of the two clubs. Midfielder Nick Firmino has led Atlanta in scoring with two goals as the team looks to capture its first Open Cup title since 2019.

Sacramento Republic FC v. Seattle Sounders FC (11 p.m. ET): Winners of four U.S. Open Cup titles, the Sounders head into the match on three-game win streak, and the club is unbeaten in their last five matches ahead of tonight’s road match against Sacramento.

Wednesday, July 10
Sporting Kansas City C v. FC Dallas (9p.m. ET): In the only quarterfinal match between two MLS clubs, SKC and Dallas combine for six U.S. Open Cup titles in their histories, with the last winner being Kansas City (2017). Dallas will also have the task of dismantling SKC’s active 14-game unbeaten run at home in Open Cup action, which stretches back to 2012.

LAFC v. New Mexico United (11 p.m. ET): New Mexico United will travel to BMO Stadium to face LAFC, with the Black & Gold seeking their first return to the semifinal of the tournament since 2018 and on the hunt for the club’s first-ever U.S. Open Cup title.

MLS’s Heavy Influence on U.S. Olympics Roster

Of the 18 players named to the U.S. Men’s Olympics roster, 17 of those have spent time in MLS or developed in an MLS academy. Marko Mitrovic’s squad heads to Paris for the first time in 16 years and MLS standouts like Miles Robinson, Djordje Mihailovic, Duncan McGuire, and more all look to make an impact against the world’s best. With MLS, MLS NEXT Pro, and MLS NEXT alumni, the U.S. look primed to make a run in the Olympics.

10 current MLS players will make the trip to Paris, featuring some unique stories sure to be told over the course of the competition:

Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union): A versatile defender on the field, Harriel takes his competitiveness of the field to the bowling alley. Harriel is part of a team with other Union players who go head-to-head in a local league against bowlers of all ages. Where does the bowling talent come from? Harriel’s grandparents compete in a league of their own which may have sparked the grandson’s interest.
Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF): Born in 2005, Cremaschi has the rare opportunity to play in two different Olympics as an underage player – 2024 in Paris and 2028 in Los Angeles. The prime example of the MLS player development pathway, Cremaschi has had a meteoric rise from the academy level to the Olympics in only a few years.

Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union): McGlynn comes from a soccer family, which includes his dad, Paul, who was recently inducted into the Long Island Soccer League Hall of Fame after a long career at BW Gottschee, where Jack got his start. Throughout his life, Jack has looked up to his older brother Conor, who is also a professional soccer player and plays for Rhode Island FC.

Canada’s MLS Players Announce Themselves at Copa America

Featuring 14 active MLS players on its roster, the Canadian Men’s National Team, in its first-ever Copa America appearance, reached the tournament semifinals and face reigning champion and Lionel Messi-led Argentina tonight in one of the biggest games in the country’s history (8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1 / TUDN / Univision).

Capturing fans’ hearts during this run has been Nashville SC midfielder Jacob Shaffelburg – nicknamed the ‘Maritime Messi’ – for his game-changing performances, which include a game-winning assist against Peru and a goal against Venezuela in the quarterfinals. Colorado Rapids defender Moïse Bombito has also used this tournament to burst onto the international scene after cementing his place at the heart of the fourth-place Rapids’ defense this season.

In net, only two goalkeepers have kept more clean sheets than Portland Timbers goalkeeper Maxime Crépeau, who’s started all four matches during Canada’s Copa America run and has the second highest save percentage (87.5%) among the remaining goalkeepers. Toronto FC midfielder Jonathan Osorio has also been instrumental as the team’s most tenured player with 76 caps, including back-to-back starts against Chile and Venezuela.

With a win, Canada would be just the second Concacaf nation to reach a Copa America Final and the first to do so in over 20 years (Mexico, 2001). It would also be the country’s first appearance in a competitive international tournament final since the 2000 Concacaf Gold Cup, where Canada defeated a South American opponent in Colombia, 2-0.

The Columbus Crew entered the stadium on Saturday sporting jersey-themed pre-match fits ahead of their game against Toronto FC. Twitter
The energy was on another level at the Charlotte FC vs. Inter Miami match, with 47,000 fans filling Bank of America Stadium. Instagram
Professional soccer player and Olympian Lindsey Horan visited Dick’s Sporting Goods Park to cheer on the Rapids. Instagram

Charlotte’s Road Trip Presents Statement Opportunity

With Charlotte FC firmly in the race for a host seed in the 2024 Audi MLS Cup Playoffs, the club begin a tough three-game road stretch in which they will face the reigning MLS Cup presented by Audi champion Columbus Crew this weekend, followed by reigning Supporters’ Shield winner and current frontrunner FC Cincinnati, and 2022 Western Conference finalist Austin FC.

There is an opportunity for the club to make a statement during this road trip, though, and for head coach Dean Smith to show that the emphasis the club has on bringing through young players this season will bear fruit for the club. So far, it’s seen 23-year-old forward Patrick Agyemang produce six goals and three assists in his sophomore season and blossomed one of the league’s toughest center-back pairings in 22-year-old Adilson Malanda and 23-year-old Andrew Privett.

Malanda and Privett have been the starting pair in defense for each of Charlotte’s shutouts this season, and they have provided goalkeeper Kristijan Kahlina with the defensive support needed to keep his league-leading nine clean sheets this season.

Smith developed a reputation for developing world class players such as Emiliano Martínez of Argentina and Aston Villa, Jack Grealish of England and Manchester City, and Douglas Luiz of Brazil and Juventus in England. Now, he is molding first-team players into MLS stars and ushering in a talented crop of young players from Crown Legacy FC of MLS NEXT Pro, including 16-year-old Homegrown Nimfasha Berchimas, 21-year-old João Pedro, and 23-year-old Iuri Tavares.

Smith and his group of budding stars now have the chance to show how far they have come in a short time against top opposition, starting with a trip to Columbus on Saturday, July 13 (7:30 p.m. ET, MLS Season Pass on Apple TV).

MLS, RBC Wealth Management and the U.S. Soccer Foundation Bring Soccer for Success to the Twin Cities

Through its partnership with Major League Soccer, RBC Wealth Management is working with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to team up with Sol of the Cities to launch the Foundation’s Soccer for Success program in the Twin Cities. Soccer for Success is the Foundation’s program that helps children improve their physical, social, and emotional skills and overall well-being through soccer. Designed for children ages 6-14, the program is offered free of charge to participants and their families.

Soccer for Success started at Academia Cesar Chavez at the end of June and will run for a full 12-week summer season. More school sites will be added in the fall with the goal of engaging 500 youth annually. RBC Wealth Management will support the program across the Twin Cities for at least three (3) years.

To celebrate this new partnership and the kickoff of the Soccer for Success program, RBC Wealth Management team members volunteered at Sol of the Cities Summer Futsal kickoff event on Saturday, June 29 at Johnson Senior High School in St. Paul, MN.

To assist in your coverage of the 2024 MLS season, the MLS Communications staff has provided the following media resources, all of which are available on MLSsoccer.com/Media-Resources.