Philadelphia Union Homegrowns Jack McGlynn, Nathan Harriel, and Paxten Aaronson lifted Team USA to a 3-0 win against Guinea on Tuesday to advance to the Olympic quarterfinals for the first time since 2000.
All three were impact players in the United States’ group stage performance, and they'll continue their campaign in Paris on Friday when they take on Morocco in the knockout round.
How it happened
Team USA put on another dominant showing against Guinea just three days after their 4-1 win against New Zealand on Saturday.
Head Coach Marko Mitrovic started Harriel and Aaronson for a third consecutive match -- with ten of 11 players in Tuesday’s starting lineup had either played in Major League Soccer or developed in a MLS academy, and Philadelphia Union’s roots ran deep with Harriel at right back and Aaronson in the midfield.
Team USA found an early lead in the 14th minute by way of a curving free kick goal from Colorado Rapids’ Djordje Mihailovic, and it wasn’t long before they made it two. Aaronson, an Union Academy product, assisted fellow MLS standout turned Bundesliga player Kevin Paredes for a score in the 31st minute. The Medford, New Jersey native found Paredes sprinting up the right sideline, bolting through two Guinean defenders to blast the ball past their keeper from the top right of the box.
The United States maintained their control in the second half, boosting the lead 3-0 with another Paredes goal spurred by a pinpoint pass upfield by McGlynn.
What's next
The team has spent the lion's share of their time in other regions of France, but this week, they'll enter the Olympic epicenter for a high-stakes matchup against Morocco in Paris at Parc des Princes, home of Ligue 1 side Paris Saint-Germain. It all goes down at 9am ET on Friday -- tune in on USA Network, Telemundo, or Peacock to watch the Homegrowns continue their quest for gold!
