Team USA men’s and women’s soccer try to move one step closer to medals at 2024 Paris Olympics

Welcome to the weekend! There is more Olympic soccer coming your way this weekend, starting with the U.S. men against Morocco in Paris on Friday before the USWNT follow their compatriots at Parc des Princes on Saturday against Japan. Jonathan Johnson here — the hunt for gold medals in France does not stop and neither do we, so let’s get to it.

Footy fix

All times U.S./Eastern

Friday, August 2
Olympics: USMNT vs. Morocco, 9 a.m. Peacock Premium/USA Network/Telemundo
Olympics: Japan vs. Spain, 11 a.m. Peacock Premium/Universo
Olympics: Egypt vs. Paraguay, 1 p.m. Peacock Premium/Telemundo
Olympics: France vs. Argentina, 3 p.m. Peacock Premium/Universo

Saturday, August 3
Friendly: Newcastle United vs. Yokohama F. Marinos, 6 a.m.  CBS Sports Golazo Network
Olympics: USWNT vs. Japan, 9 a.m. Peacock Premium/USA Network
Olympics: Spain WNT vs. Colombia WNT, 11 a.m. Peacock Premium
Olympics: Canada WNT vs. Germany WNT, 1 p.m. Peacock Premium
Olympics: France WNT vs. Brazil WNT, 3 p.m. Peacock Premium

Sunday, August 4
Leagues Cup: Atlanta United vs. Santos Laguna, 4 p.m. MLS Season Pass

The Forward Line

USWNT and Japan reunited in Paris

The United States women’s national team and Japan will cross paths once again in the women’s Olympic soccer quarterfinals in Paris on Saturday. The matchup is a new instalment in what has been one of the richer rivalry narratives for the Stars and Stripes over the years at international level. Between 2011 and 2015, these two played three major finals across Women’s World Cups but also the 2012 Olympics, with the U.S. winning two of those three. Both nations have remained close to the summit of the women’s game since then despite some leaner times on both sides. Pardeep Cattry looked back at some of the transformative games in this rivalry — especially the most recent matchup which came back in 2015.

• Cattry on USWNT’s 5-2 win at the 2015 Women’s World Cup: “The USWNT’s 16-year wait to lift their third Women’s World Cup title finally ended in Vancouver in 2015 and in memorable fashion. The U.S. were up 4-0 by the 16 minute thanks to Carli Lloyd’s remarkably fast hattrick, coupled with Lauren Holiday’s 14th-minute strike. Lloyd, who won the golden ball at that year’s tournament, famously chipped goalkeeper Ayumi Kaihori from the halfway line to complete the hattrick. Japan attempted to claw their way back into the game with Nagasato’s goal in the 27th minute and Julie Ertz’s own goal in the 52nd minute, but Tobin Heath’s 54th-minute effort put the game out of reach. The USWNT were celebrated back home with a ticker-tape parade in New York days later, the players’ popularity soaring in an important moment for the rise of women’s sports in the country.”

However, things are different on both sides now coming into this one and the USWNT are rebuilding under Emma Hayes while Japan enjoyed a decent run at the 2023 Women’s World Cup in Australia. The Americans are arguably favorites to advance given their current pace being set in France as one of only two teams with a 100% winning record at the Paris Games. What better time, then, to play in the French capital for the first time these games? Sandra Herrera looked at how both teams are shaping up in terms of their gold medal prospects this summer.

Herrera on USWNT: “The Stars and Stripes have answered plenty of questions and silenced doubters with their dominant group stage run. Three group game wins under new head coach Emma Hayes and she has the team playing with confidence. The attack is the most lethal it’s been since before the 2023 World Cup, but now the pressure will be cranked higher, with knockouts their own type of beast and where anything can happen.”

Herrera on Japan: “The program has rebuilt itself over the last cycle and had a respectable run during the 2023 World Cup. They’ve got just the right mix of balance on their roster with youth and prime players who are technical on the ball and clinical in transition. They seem to be getting stronger as the tournament goes on with six different goal scorers during the group stage, and that’s a tough team to stop during the knockouts.”

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USMNT on the brink of history

There is dual Olympic soccer excitement this weekend with both the USMNT and the USWNT in action with the men’s game coming up first on the Friday. Both encounters will be in Paris with the U.S. taking on Morocco and then Japan in the women’s. Should Marko Mitrovic’s men advance past Morocco at Parc des Princes, then a semifinal brings a possible medal tantalizingly close for the Stars and Stripes. This is already historic enough given that the last time the USMNT came this far at an Olympics was in 2000 and it is actually only the second time since the 1960 edition that the U.S. have even made it past the group stage. 

The Atlas Lions will feel confident given that Soufiane Rahimi is on a strong run of form with four goals from three outings so far for an average of 1.3 goals per 90 minutes at these Games. The Moroccans did suffer defeat to eliminated Ukraine so the Americans will be buoyed by that but defense arguably remains the USA’s weakness with Rahimi the leading Olympic scorer coming in to this encounter. There is no such thing as an easy draw, though, and the route to the final could also feature a strong Japan or Spain side in the potential semifinals next Monday in Marseille. Chuck Booth also shone a light on one of Morocco’s other key men who will be a familiar face to some given his ties to the U.S.

• Booth on Amir Richardson: “PSG superstar Achraf Hakimi may be the guy everyone is watching on the wing and for a good reason after contributing four goals and five assists in league play last season, but there’s another familiar face in Morocco’s midfield who has been key in their performances. Amir Richardson, son of basketball player Michael Ray Richardson, was born in France but is also eligible to represent the United States or Morocco. After some time with the France U-23 and a strong season with Le Havre, Richardson declared for Morocco. Already earning three caps in the senior team, he is now keeping play ticking over as Morocco seeks an Olympic medal.”

USMNT’s semifinal and final route

All times U.S./Eastern

Monday, Aug. 5

• USA/Morocco vs. Japan/Spain, 12 p.m. (Marseille)

Friday, Aug. 9

• USMNT/Morocco/Japan/Spain vs. France/Argentina/Egypt/Paraguay, 12 p.m. (Paris)

  Top Stories

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Christen Press injury return: USWNT’s World Cup-winning veteran is set to return for Angel City after a two-year recovery period after an ACL injury sustained in 2022.

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The Back Line

Best bet

• Olympics: USWNT vs. Japan, Saturday, 9 a.m. ET
  THE PICK: USWNT win and both teams to score (+210) — The USWNT have quickly turned doubters into believers with this convincing Olympic run so far and now they need to follow up their three group stage wins under Emma Hayes with another confident display and result to match. Up top, things look better than they have done in a long while but there will also be greater expectation given how close the U.S. is getting to medal territory. The Japanese have been rebuilding and enjoyed a good run at the 2023 World Cup but this could be tricky despite them building up a bit of momentum. An American win with both side scoring sounds about right.

What’s on CBS Sports Golazo Network

 Morning Footy (Weekdays 8-10 a.m.): Hosts Susannah Collins, Charlie Davies, Nico Cantor and Alexis Guerreros help fans get their day started on the network’s flagship morning show with highlights, interviews and the biggest soccer storylines. Morning Footy is also available in podcast form, so you’ll never have to miss an episode.

3⃣ Attacking Third (Monday, Thursday,): The leading women’s soccer podcast and social brand is now a live studio show. The NWSL season is back and our coverage of the women’s game is stronger than ever. Our analysts will be breaking down the USWNT, NWSL and European domestic season all year long. And don’t miss Wednesday live streams on YouTube at 11 a.m. ET.

 Call it What You Want (Monday night): A weekly podcast where Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davies and co. cover all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States. You can also catch the show streaming live on YouTube every Monday at 11 a.m. ET.

 Scoreline (Daily): Scoreline is the newest place for fans to catch up on all the biggest news and results impacting global football, match highlights from the top soccer competitions and all the can’t-miss goals from the day’s action, starting Thursday and airing seven days a week.

 How to watch: CBS Sports Golazo Network is a free 24/7 channel exclusively dedicated to offering unparalleled coverage of all the top soccer competitions worldwide. You can stream for free on the CBS Sports app, Pluto TV and Paramount+.