The Paris 2024 Olympics are underway and what a spectacle it's been! Records have been broken, medals have been won, and Snoop Dogg has been, well, everywhere (here's what's in his bag while in Paris). But before we settle in to watch the track and field events take the baton from swimming, one competition we're paying particularly close attention to is men's and women's soccer.
The U.S. Men's National Team qualified for the Olympics for the first time since 2008 and advanced to the knockout stage for the first time since 2000. The U.S. Women's National looks to win its first Olympic gold since 2012 with a new generation leading the way. Both feature in the Quarterfinals alongside traditional powers and up-and-comers.
As you lock in for the knockout round (see game schedule here), we've prepped a list of just a few of the Black players primed to lead their team to glory.
Black players to watch in the knockout rounds
There are plenty of players to keep an eye on as the men's and women's tournaments progress, but here are six to check for:
Amir Richardson
Country: Morocco
Club: Reims (French Ligue 1)
Socials: Instagram
Richardson was born in France to a Moroccan mother and former American NBA player Michael Ray Richardson, which makes him eligible to play for France, Morocco, and the United States at the international level. Richardson opted for Morocco and went on to play for the team that won the 2023 U23 Africa Cup of Nations, which qualified the team for the Paris 2024 Olympics. Standing 6'6", he made his French Ligue 1 debut for Reims later in 2023.
Linda Caicedo
Country: Colombia
Club: Real Madrid (Spanish Liga F)
Socials: Instagram
Caicedo made her professional debut at 14 years old for América de Cali, one of the top teams in Colombia. Four years later, the then-18-year-old had a breakout performance at the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, as Colombia reached the Quarterfinals and beat Germany along the way thanks, in part, to this thing of beauty from Caicedo. During the tournament, Caicedo became the first player in history to compete in three Women's World Cups (U17, U20, senior level) within a single year.
Mallory Swanson
Country: USA
Club: Chicago Red Stars (NWSL)
Socials: Instagram
Swanson (formerly Mallory Pugh - more on that in a sec) made her Olympics debut at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro at age 18. The Littleton, Colo. native has since gone on to make nearly 100 appearances for the U.S. Women's National Team despite several significant injuries during her career. The 26-year-old is not only an advocate for gender equality in sports and is involved in several charitable initiatives, she's also married to Chicago Cubs shortstop, Dansby Swanson. Swanson is already off to a great start at the Olympics, having scored several goals so far.
Marie-Antoinette Katoto
Country: France
Club: Paris Saint-Germain (French Première Ligue)
Socials: Instagram
Katoto joined the PSG academy when she was 12 years old and just four years later, in 2015, she made her professional debut for the club and quickly established herself as one of the top young talents in women's soccer. Regularly finishing as one of the top scorers in the French Première Ligue, Katoto is already the PSG's all-time leading scorer in the league. Known for her technical skills, speed, strength, she was one of several players who vowed to never play for the French team again unless there were changes in the way the team was managed. And here she is, back with France and leading the team in the Olympics in her home country.
Michael Olise
Country: France
Club: Bayern Munich (German Bundesliga)
Socials: Instagram
Despite being only 22, Olise has already amassed a diverse portfolio. He was born in London, England and is a product of several English youth academies. Olise made his Premier League debut for Crystal Palace in 2019 and spent three seasons at the club before departing for Bayern Munich—arguably the biggest and most successful clubs in Germany. Olise's father is Nigerian and his mother is French-Algerian, which means he was eligible to play internationally for England, Nigeria, Algeria, and France. He made his France senior team debut in July 2024 and less than a month later scored this banger of a goal against the U.S. in the Paris Olympics.
Paris 2024 Olympics remaining schedule
The knockout round is set! Over the course of the next week a men's and women's Olympic champions will be crowned. Here's what the game schedule looks like from the Quarterfinals through the Gold Medal Game.
Quarterfinals
Men: Friday, Aug. 2 (9:00am ET, 11:00am ET, 1:00pm ET, 3:00pm ET)
Women: Saturday, Aug. 3 (9:00am ET, 11:00am ET, 1:00pm ET, 3:00pm ET)
Semifinals
Men: Monday, Aug. 5 (12:00pm ET, 3:00pm ET)
Women: Tuesday, Aug. 6 (12:00pm ET, 3:00pm ET)
Bronze Medal Game
Men: Thursday, Aug. 8 (11:00am ET)
Women: Friday, Aug. 9 (9:00am ET)
Gold Medal Game
Men: Friday, Aug. 9 (12:00pm ET
Women: Saturday, Aug. 10 (11:00am ET)
How to watch the Olympics soccer competition:
In the U.S., viewers can watch the Olympics on NBCUniversal networks, including NBC, USA Network, CNBC, E!, and Peacock in English, as well as Telemundo and Universo in Spanish.
For a detailed daily listing of where to watch games, including all the soccer games listed above, check out the NBC Olympics website for local listings.
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