The U.S. men’s soccer team kicked off its campaign at the 2024 Paris Olympics with a heavy 3-0 defeat to host France on Wednesday in Marseille.
After a first half that saw both sides struggle to get their tempos going, France struck first as Alexandre Lacazette scored with a low-driven shot outside the 18-yard box in the 61st minute. Eight minutes later, midfielder Michael Olise showcased his flair with a curling shot also from far distance. The French sealed their victory after Loic Bade scored a header from a corner kick in the last five minutes of regulation.
The U.S., however, had a few chances to get back in the game. Midfielder Djordje Mihailovic’s shot from outside the box struck the crossbar moments before Lacazette found the back of the net, and defender John Tolkin was unable to put away from a close-range header when his side was down by a goal.
U.S. head coach Marko Mitrovic believes his team was unlucky to leave the pitch without collecting any points.
"Football is a very special game, and I think that just creating opportunities is a good thing," he said after the match. "Obviously, we wanted to convert those opportunities. But some days everything goes in your favor and some days it doesn't. I don't think that they [France] had opportunities besides shots outside of the box and that's how we conceded. There were situations that were clear for us that we didn't convert, but you have days like this. We have to move on."
The result puts the U.S., which returned to the Games for the first time since 2008, in last place of Group A with zero points while France finds itself on top. New Zealand topped Guinea 2-1 earlier in the day and sits in second place. Guinea is just above the U.S. in third due to goal differential.
With a loss, the U.S. will need to get results in its next two games to have a chance of advancing to the next round, starting with New Zealand at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday, July 27.