U.S. Men’s Olympic Soccer Team head coach Marko Mitrović and his squad prepare at Kansas
City, Kan. ahead of their final Pre-Olympics match against Japan before heading out for the 2024
Summer Olympics in Paris. Members of the squad including both defender Nathan Harriel of the
Philadelphia Union and forward Duncan McGuire of Orlando City spoke to the media on
preparation for their next game, team environment, Walker Zimmerman’s presence in the locker
room, and many other things ahead of their game against Japan.
McGuire and Harriel initially speak to points of emphasis ahead of the Japan match
Ducan McGuire and Nathan Harriel initially speak to the media answering a question on key
points of emphasis Coach Mitrović has them preparing for ahead of the game against Japan.
McGuire initially answered by saying how: “Yeah, I’d say to answer the first question about the
Japan game, obviously we played them before and we had a good result. But they’re obviously a
very good team and we know that we have to go into it with good intentions and not just, we
won by a significant margin last time, but we have to go in and treat it like a normal game
because they’re a very, very quality team. And also, this is our last tune-up before the Olympics,
so we want to take it very seriously and put our best foot forward with the game.”
Hallier also responded, agreeing with McGuire noting the result they had against Japan before
and how Japan are a good team but how overall the U.S. team is looking to replicate their past
result and get the win.
“Yeah, same thing as Duncan said with Japan. We did play them back in our very first camp with
the group. It was a big win for us, but at the same time, as you watched the game, they had a lot
of chances too and they’re a very good team, technical-wise. But yeah, looking forward to the
game on the 11th to be able to hopefully have a repeat of what happened the first time we played
them.
McGuire and Harriel speak to Walker Zimmerman’s impact of experience to the squad
McGuire and Harriel answer another question by the media focusing on a recognized name of
U.S. Soccer setup in defender Walker Zimmerman, and the impact he’ll have given his years of
experience.
Harriel initially responded by saying: “Yeah, to start off, Walker, he’s a very experienced player.
He brings a lot of experience with him. Playing with the national team as many times as he has,
it definitely means a lot to us to have someone with that much experience to look up to and lead
us on the field. He’s a great player as well, which helps. So far with the one practice, he was very
vocal and a leader on the field, so we’re definitely happy to have him.”
McGuire also commented on Zimmerman’s impact on the squad noting the amount of caps he
has with the national team and the presence he brings on the field as well.
“Yeah, same thing. Obviously, Walker’s multiple, plenty of caps for the U.S. senior team and
then also the experience he has from coming with the World Cup squad at Qatar a couple of
years ago. So yeah, just having him here, a vocal leader on and off the field, it’s great for the
team. It’s the under-23 team only, but just having his experience, it’s great.”
What’s Next
McGuire and Harriel will now look with the rest of the squad towards their final game before the
Olympics against Japan next week on Tuesday, June 11th, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas
City, Kan at 7 p.m. CT.