LAST WEEK, US Soccer hired Steve Chrundolo to be the head coach for the United Stats Olympic team. The team will soon begin preparations for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 this fall with camps during the international windows.

This is an important development as the federation has said that it wants to prioritize the Olympic team in the coming years. It is a sensible approach given that the tournament will be on home soil and the American public loves the Olympics. It is a chance to have the public rally behind an American national team.

There are challenges, of course. There is a likelihood that the U.S. team will participate in the Copa America that summer, also possibly on home soil. While the Olympics is U-23 plus three overagers and the Copa America is the full national team, there is often a huge overlap.

But lets look at where the Olympic team stands at the start of its cycle this September with a coach now in place.

Cherundolo’s resume and job ahead

Steve Cherundolo has as strong of a resume as any Olympic coach the U.S. team has ever had. He had a stellar playing career where he became Hannover’s captain. He had a great World Cup for the U.S. team in 2010 and retired as one of the team's most popular players. Following his playing career, he transitioned to coaching. First with Hannover’s youth teams and then as an assistant for Germany’s U-15 national team.

But he returned to the United States for his first head coaching opportunity within Los Angeles FC’s system. First he managed the second team, the Las Vegas Lights in the USL. But from 2022-2025, he was the first team head coach for LAFC.

With LAFC, he won an MLS Cup, a Supporters Shield, a U.S. Open Cup, and went to the finals of the CONCACAF Champions Cup. In 2025, he led the team to a win over Club America in a game to qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup.

As a coach, he has been viewed as pragmatic with his tactics. His preferred formation is either a 3-4-3 or a 4-3-3 depending on the opponent. With LAFC, he typically had the benefit of top talent compared with most of his opponents but wingers such as Carlos Vela and Denis Bouanga thrived under Cherundolo.

This hire is interesting in that it raises the possibility that U.S. Soccer might see Cherundolo as an eventual candidate for the U.S. national team job. If Cherundolo succeeds at the Olympics, he might be a candidate in 2030.

The first task ahead for Cherundolo will be having camps every window and identify the players that fit his system.

The Olympic Player Pool 

Olympic rosters are not big, with only an 18-player limit plus a few alternates who can join in case of an injury. But with three of the 18 players being overage exceptions, Cherundolo only must identify 15 players.

Most of the players will come from the player pool from the 2025 U-20 World Cup team, but a few might still emerge from the 2027 U-20 cycle. In a few cases, it might be a player who developed late.

We know many of the top players already. Here is a list of the top candidates plus others also in the mix.

The top candidates

Zavier Gozo: The Real Salt Lake winger/wingback is one of the federation’s top prospects and nearly made the 2026 World Cup team.

Benjamin Cremaschi: Fresh off his permanent sale from Inter Miami to Parma, Cremaschi won the Golden Boot at the 2025 U-20 World Cup and should be a key part of this team’s midfield.

Peyton Miller: The New England Revolution left winger/left back is still young like Gozo, but should still be ready for this team. He brings athleticism to the table.

Diego Kochen: The Barcelona goalkeeper is now on loan at Lyngby which was recently promoted to the Danish Superliga.

Noahkai Banks: The Augsburg central defender took himself out of consideration for the U.S. national team in March because of a reluctance to commit to the United States internationally. But if he returns, he could lead the U.S. Olympic team.

Niko Tsakiris: The San Jose Earthquakes attacking midfielder was playing very well before his injury, but he should be back soon.

Josh Wynder: The Benfica central defender has a tough season in 2025/26 due to injuries and has some pressure to finally earn regular first team minutes. But he is one of the top central defense prospects in the U.S. system.

Other strong candidates

Luca Bombino: the Southern California left back is a regular starter for San Diego and has been one of the best young American players in MLS over the last 18 months.

Frankie Westfield: The Philadelphia Union right back is also another regular starter and was instrumental to the success of the U.S. team at the 2025 U-20 World Cup.

Nolan Norris: The versatile FC Dallas defender can play left back, central defender, or even defensive midfielder. He has been playing well for Dallas this season and could be very useful on a small 18-player roster where versatility is key.

Brooklyn Raines: The New England holding midfielder had a slow start to the season with his new club but has been very impressive since. He also had a strong 2025 U-20 World Cup.

Young and on the horizon

Here are a few top prospects who could emerge but are likely to focus on the current U-20 team first before they shift gears to competing for an Olympic spot.

Julian Hall: The New York Red Bulls forward already has 12 goals in all competitions this season at just 18 years old.

Say hello to our very own, Julian HALL-STAR. pic.twitter.com/UM2Zs9KYly

— Red Bull New York (@NewYorkRedBulls) July 8, 2026

Adri Mehmeti: The 17 year old New York Red Bulls midfielder is developing quickly and has shown impressive passing ability in his debut first-team season.

Niel Pierre: The tall Philadelphia Union central defender is back with the Union after spending 2025/26 on loan with Lyngby in Denmark who he helped guide to promotion to the Superliga. He is one of the top prospects in his position.

Cavan Sullivan: The Philadelphia Union attacking midfielder is widely hyped and first team minutes should come soon, before his move to Manchester City.

Mathias Albert: The young Borussia Dortmund midfielder is also a top American prospect and made his Bundesliga debut last season at just age 16. After the U-20 cycle, he could soon be on the Olympic team.

Overagers and the Copa America

There has not been an announcement yet, but there is a lot of speculation that the U.S. team is playing in the Copa America again in the summer of 2028.

In 2024, the U.S. played at the Copa America and took seven Olympic-eligible players with them (Malik Tillman, Gio Reyna, Ricardo Pepi, Johnny Cardoso, Kristoffer Lund, Joe Scally Yunus Musah).

That was an unusually high number of U-23 players for the full national team and it is very unlikely that that there will be nearly as many U-23 players in the full national team roster in two years, but there will likely be a few. Gozo and Banks are the most likely candidates.

But the federation must make a choice with what to do with these players. If Gozo is bench option for the USMNT but a starter on the Olympic team, which team does he go? If Gozo is a potential starter for both teams?

The federation might opt for the best U-23 players to go to the Olympics.

Then there is the question of the three overage player picks. These are the difference makers an the players who are brought into Olympic teams to lead. Most of the time, U.S. Soccer has used two on defensive positions (central defenders, and goalkeepers) and one in a more attacking role. That seems likely to be the case again for this team.

This U-23 team will almost certainly need at least one central defender. A defensive midfielder would also help. But how far into the full national team pool, if at all, will Cherundolo look to add talent if there is a Copa America that summer. In 2024, Marko Mitrovic was allowed to tap into the fringes of the national team pool for his overage picks.

But perhaps, more players might seek an Olympic spot as it could be their final chance.

Big picture importance

This Olympic cycle extremely important to the big picture of the U.S. national team and the sport in this country.

Olympic soccer is very important towards giving players a transitional step into the full national team. It is not just the United States that views the Olympics like this. France and Spain each had seven players from their Olympic medalist teams in 2024 make their respective 2026 World Cup teams. Morocco had six players.

The U.S. team will need this Olympic team to produce a significant number of full national team players for 2030 because the full national team is entering a period of transition. Many players will be exiting their prime years during this cycle and the U.S. team will need a lot of younger players to make inroads into the player pool.

Whoever coaches the U.S. national team for the upcoming cycle will have a huge job of identifying talent and scouting players to fit the system. Mauricio Pochettino had success finding players like Alex Freeman, Sebastian Berhalter, and Max Arfsten. The next manager will need to find a lot more players.

The Olympics gives the next manager a chance to do that.

But even beyond player implications, this is another chances to have the American public rally behind the United States in soccer. The Copa America also gives that chance, but Americans love the Olympics and it does provide a bigger stage in this country. That is something that U.S. Soccer wants to prioritize.