New Zealand 1 USA 4 Insights: Restless balls help USA to record-breaking victory

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The USMNT greatly increased its chances of qualifying for the knockout rounds of the men’s soccer tournament at the 2024 Olympic Games by defeating New Zealand and scoring four goals in a game for the first time in the tournament.

Losing 3-0 to tournament hosts France in their opening Group A match, Marko Mitrovic’s side hit back in record-breaking fashion to beat New Zealand in Marseille and give themselves every chance of reaching the quarter-finals.

Djordje Mihailovic and Walker Zimmerman put the USA 2-0 ahead within 12 minutes before Gianluca Busio and Paxten Aaronson added to the score, giving the US men their first four-goal Olympic game, and Jesse Randall pulled one back for New Zealand.

Jeff Rueter analyzes the key talking points surrounding the USA’s first tournament victory.

How resting balls ensured a quick start

We talk about the score so often, but a group stage can produce similar volatility depending on previous results. For the USA, a measured approach against France produced promising sequences, but a sharp finish gave the tournament hosts a decisive 3-0 victory.

New Zealand went into the match full of confidence after beating Guinea 2-1 in their opening match. The Kiwis knew that a win against the USA would all but guarantee their progress from Group B and perhaps that led to some unwise over-eagerness in the first 15 minutes of the match.

Nathan Harriel gave the USA an early chance to score first when he won a penalty after being brought down with his dangling leg. Mihailovic stepped up and coolly converted, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way.

Four minutes later, the USA took a free kick down the right wing near the penalty area. New Zealand’s attempts to clear the ball were less than convincing. The ball bounced off goalkeeper Kees Sims’ face and landed in the six-yard box. Walker Zimmerman swung his leg around a New Zealand defender and slotted the ball into the net, giving his team a 2-0 lead within 12 minutes.

Against France, the USA looked a little hesitant in the final third, but an unchanged lineup increased their attacking intensity. The players were now ready to challenge New Zealand, and their courage paid off.

The players took a few hits, but two set pieces swung the pendulum in the USA’s favor. Suddenly, the once confident New Zealand were visibly unsettled after coming into the match with such high expectations.

Walker Zimmerman (center) celebrates the USA’s second goal against New Zealand (Clement Mahoudeau)

USA calculates the cost of the Busio strike

If the United States hadn’t had two major tournaments to field teams for this summer, Gianluca Busio would likely have been called up to the Copa America.

The 22-year-old celebrated his breakthrough at Venezia this season and helped the Italian team to return to Serie A with seven goals and four assists in 2,936 minutes.

Busio is more of a deep-lying distributor for his club, but his role with the U23s is a little more proactive. Busio is encouraged to bring the ball into the final third, giving the team an extra goal-scoring opportunity with his late runs into the box.

He had such an opportunity in the 30th minute, but his shot was blocked by New Zealand defender Michael Boxall. The ball luckily rebounded back to Busio, who toe-kicked his way through several Kiwis to put the ball in the net and extend the lead.

Gianluca Busio (right) scored a goal but was substituted due to injury (Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images)

Unfortunately, the former Sporting Kansas City product didn’t get to enjoy the post-goal glow for long. Busio attempted to sprint down the wing onto a high through ball, but came to a halt limping as he grabbed his right thigh. This injury is all the more worrying as he had to leave Venezia’s subsequent promotion match on June 2 in the 59th minute due to an injury to the same muscle.

Busio is one of Mitrovic’s most important men at the moment and although Jack McGlynn was brought off the bench, fellow midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi could be a more equal alternative if Busio is unable to play in the final group match against Guinea.

If such a change were necessary, the United States would be at a disadvantage against an opponent whose greatest strength lies in the midfield.

Goals, goals and more goals boost US qualification hopes

In the 70th minute, it seemed as if New Zealand were desperately waiting for the final whistle.

A fourth goal (this time from Paxten Aaronson) was the final blow, putting the Kiwis in a position they thought they could not recover from. Shoulders slumped, hands on hips, the midfield and back lines moving at a leisurely pace to keep up with the USA’s advance.

Aaronson’s goal made history for the team. It was the first time the U.S. had scored four goals in a men’s Olympic match, both in the modern U23 format and in the previous unrestricted editions. As one might assume with such a record, it also set a new record for the largest men’s Olympic victory at one tournament – even when taking into account New Zealand’s 78th-minute consolation goal.

With a more immediate focus, the 4-1 win also overturned the 3-0 loss to France on goal difference, which is crucial for the tiebreaker to ensure that a positive result against Guinea on Tuesday all but secures a place in the quarter-finals.

Still, a late goal from New Zealand will hurt the defense’s collective ego after keeping a clean sheet. It offers a glimmer of hope for the Kiwis if they can pull off an upset against France in their final game and puts more pressure on the USA to see the game through against Guinea.

What’s next for the USA?

The United States will play its final game in Group A against Guinea in Saint-Etienne on Tuesday.

Two teams from Group A will advance to the quarter-finals, which will take place on August 2nd.

(Top photo: Brad Smith/ISI/Getty Images)