U.S. men's soccer march to Olympic medal reviving weary fans - ESPN

SAINT-ÉTIENNE, France — In the 42nd minute on Tuesday night, Kevin Paredes took the ball down the right-hand side, shimmied in front of a defender so he could get toward the end line, and then cut a ball back toward the middle, where Griffin Yow had zagged from the other side of the field to meet it. Hitting his shot first time, Yow beat the Guinean goalkeeper, only to drop his head as the ball banged off the side of the post and out of play.

It was a missed chance. But within seconds, Yow looked up and made eye contact with Paredes, who was moving his hands in a circle as if to say, «Keep going and we'll do it again.»

That notion — that another move, another chance, another push forward is always right there in the offing — has been the most entertaining part of this U.S. men's Olympic team's performance so far. And after a summer of disappointment and frustration from the senior U.S. men's national team, it also might be exactly what USMNT fans are craving.

Now, are most players on this team raw? Of course. And are the Olympics on the same level as the Copa América? Clearly not. This is a mostly under-23 tournament on the men's side with less significance than the top-tier international events.

But it is still the Olympics. These are still meaningful games being played. And after beating Guinea 3-0, the Americans are into the quarterfinals as they chase an Olympic medal — something the U.S. men haven't ever accomplished in the modern era. Say what you will, but that is still a piece of history that would give American fans a reason to be excited and joyful — two emotions that have been difficult to come by recently.

Walker Zimmerman, one of the three overage players on the team, was part of the up-and-down USMNT