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Things do not always work out. But they fall into place from time to time. The US Men’s National soccer team experienced that recently, when the team qualified for the Paris Olympics. It marked a break from the dry spell that the team ran into for quite a while.

The event in question is the ongoing CONCACAF U-20 Championship, where the team displayed brilliant skill to secure victory over Honduras on their home turf during the semifinals.

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The USYNT qualifies for the Paris Olympics 2024

This victory marks a break from the team’s long-standing absence from previous Olympic meets. The US men’s team had been unable to secure a spot at the Olympic Games since 2008. Honduras faced defeat at the hands of the US team after failing to level the 3-goal lead.

Following the win in the semifinals, the team will face the Dominican Republic in the finals tomorrow. The Dominican Republic entered the finals after defeating Guatemala during the penalty shoot-out.

This victory means that the US soccer team has qualified for Paris 2024, irrespective of the result of the final match. But it will be interesting to see the outcome nonetheless.

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This qualification marks an end to their 16-year absence from the meet. The US team last qualified for the meet at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where they finished in the 9th position.

What does this mean for the US soccer team?

In addition to qualifying for the Paris Olympics, the team has also moved forward to the U20 2023 World Cup. Both the meets will mark the first FIFA-level events for the soccer team. It will allow the team to gain experience ahead of the 2026 World Cup on their home turf.

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The event dates are between July 24 and August 10, 2024. And as the event at the Paris Olympics is a U-23 competition, only players born on or after January 1, 2001, will be allowed to compete in the matches.

But there is an exception to this rule. As per the directive, three overaged players will compete for their respective teams. These players will serve the purpose of bringing years of experience to the team.

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The younger players in the team will be able to draw from this experience to help guide them during training and matches. The three overaged players representing the US soccer team in Paris 2024 are a question for another day.