The journey has ended for the United States men’s soccer team at the Olympics. On Friday, the U.S. was decisively defeated 4-0 by Morocco in the quarterfinals, abruptly concluding their first knockout round appearance since Sydney 2000.
“To go down the way we did was tough and pretty frustrating,” said defender Walker Zimmerman. “It’s sad because we have a group that believes in each other and has a lot of character. It didn’t show through, and that’s what’s hard — knowing how much everyone cared and had each other’s back.”
Goals from Soufiane Rahimi, Ilias Akhomach, Achraf Hakimi, and Mehdi Maouhoub at Parc des Princes dashed U.S. hopes of a medal at the Paris Games and propelled Morocco to a semifinal against Spain, which defeated Japan 3-0.
Making their first Olympic appearance since Beijing 2008, the U.S. was outplayed by a formidable Morocco team that had already triumphed over Argentina in the group stage.
Despite the loss, coach Marko Mitrovic viewed the experience as “massive” for his young team.
“We know that the World Cup is the highest tournament. The Olympic Games are the biggest event that humanity created, and once you are in the Olympic Games, you are in a big spotlight,” he said. “For them to feel that, to live that moment — I think before this tournament, there was uncertainty about what that looks like. Now, after this, I feel that they are going to be much more ready. Saying that, they were ready for this tournament as well.”
Morocco fans largely filled the crowd in Paris and can now look forward to Monday’s semifinal in Marseille.
This marks the first time Morocco has advanced to the Olympic semifinals, following their historic achievement as the first African nation to reach the World Cup semifinals in Qatar in 2022.
“It’s a historic day for all of us. I’m very happy about that. We’re very happy and proud,” said Hakimi, Morocco’s captain. “I have one goal here, which is to win the medal.”
In front of a packed crowd at the home of Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco dominated the first-half chances and took the lead with a 29th-minute penalty after Nathan Harriel fouled Rahimi in the box.
Despite protests from the American players, referee Yael Falcón Pérez awarded the penalty, and tournament top scorer Rahimi fired low to score his fifth goal of the Games.
Miles Robinson had a golden opportunity to equalize in the 59th minute, collecting a knockdown from about six yards out, but shot wide.
That miss proved costly as Morocco extended their lead four minutes later through Akhomach, who slotted past Patrick Schulte from close range after Abde Ezzalzouli’s cross.
Hakimi, who plays for PSG, added a third goal in the 70th minute, carrying the ball to the edge of the box before firing into the bottom right corner.
Morocco made it 4-0 in the first minute of stoppage time when Harriel handled in the box. After a VAR review, a second penalty was awarded, and Maouhoub converted.
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“I wish we would play every four years in the quarterfinal of the Olympics because then we would have more chances to progress and win medals and compete on the world stage,” Mitrovic said. “Through these last 10 months, we played many games against elite players and teams. For all of us, it’s an experience of what it takes to play, be competitive, and win at that level.”
