New Zealand - USA live online stats, score and updates | 2024 Olympics soccer
New Zealand - USA: live updates
The US break (again) and New Zealand are at sixes and sevens (again), with ridiculous tackles flying in on the white shirts. The nerves are high from the Kiwis, as well as the anger levels, which are also in the red zone.
We're back underway and there are very many angry faces in the crowd...
A scramble inside the box sends bodies flying left, right and centre, and it seems like Walker Zimmerman is the last player to get a touch on the ball that squeezes underneath Paulsen in the New Zealand goal.
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLL!!! IT'S TWO FOR THE USA!
Zimmerman, I think, got the final touch on a scrappy goal that makes you think things could get messy...
New Zealand are having their best spell of game so far, with Singh trying to defy the laws of physics and quantum tunnel through a line of defenders on the edge of the box. He gets brought to ground, but no free-kick is given.
And we're back underway. The Kiwis have it all to do...
GOOOOOOOOAAAAALLLL!!! THE US ARE AHEAD
A simple stroke of the ball into the bottom right corner gives the Stars and Stripes a perfect start to the game.
Mihailovic to take.
Garbett was the culprit...
It's a stonewall penalty there, a really clumsy decision from the defender to stick a leg in on Harriel, who was clearly tripped.
PENALTY TO THE USA!
Easy decision for the referee.
This is an incredibly intense start from the USA, who are crunching into tackles in the middle channel of the pitch, piling the pressure on Garbett and Bell in the Kiwi midfield.
The USA pounce and Paxten is almost away down the left, but Surman sticks a foot in and the ball bounces behind for another corner...
The first touches from New Zealand are cautious and measured, sliding the ball across the back four as we get to see the US' defensive mid-block in action.
SAVE!
It's a strong start from the USA who thunder forward and it's Tolkin who smashes a shot towards goal from the edge of the box. The dipping shot is well saved by Paulsen.
And we're off!
The US get us going from right to left.
New Zealand are in all black, while the USA are wearing all white.
There are plenty of happy fans in the stands as we hear the national anthems, although I'd love to ban face paint on over-30s.
Here we go!
Both teams are on the pitch!
The players are in the tunnel!
Weather check:
Temperature: 30º
Humidity: 51%
The atmosphere is building!
I won't lie, it's not close to being full, but those who are here are having a great time!
Fifteen minutes to go!
The warmups are winding down and the players are slowly but surely making their way into the dressing rooms ahead of kick-off!
Get counting!
Remember, we've got a live Olympic medal tracker right here for you to bookmark and keep handy whenever Auntie Nora - who is not interested in sports -randomly asks you who's in the lead.
Then you say 'I'm not sure, actually' and they reply 'but I thought you were a journalist?'.
This has never happened to me, of course, I'm just imagining it.
A reminder of the starting teams:
NEW ZEALAND:
GK: Paulsen
DEF: Sutton - Boxall - Surman - Bindon
MID: Garbett - Bell - Singh - Bayliss - Herdman
ATT: Waine
USMNT:
GK: Schulte
DEF: Tolkin - Zimmerman - Robinson - Harriel
MID: Tessman - Mihailovic - Busio
ATT: Aaronson - McGuire - Paredes
Did you miss this one yesterday?
It was quite the mixup. Getting Sweden confused with Switzerland isn't going to start any wars, but swapping North Korea for South Korea (or vice-versa) is quite the error. That's what happened yesterday, and it has ended up with a public apology.
Half an hour to go!
Both sets of players have made their way out onto the pitch ahead of kick-off for their pre-game routines.
Quick facts!
Paris 2024 marks the New Zealand Olympic Men’s Soccer Team’s fourth participation at the Games, having first qualified for Beijing 2008.
Here's the full referee team:
Referee: NYBERG Glenn
Assistant Referee 1: BEIGI Mahbod
Assistant Referee 2: SODERKVIST Andreas
4th Official: FERNANDEZ Anahi
Match Commissioner: AMRANI Rhali
Match Director: NASSAR Khaled
Video Assistant Referee: del CERRO GRANDE Carlos
Assistant VAR 1: KULCSAR Katalin
NEW ZEALAND XI [4-2-3-1]:
GK: Paulsen
DEF: Sutton - Boxall - Surman - Bindon
MID: Garbett - Bell - Herdman - Singh - Bayliss
ATT: Waine
PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP
Who to watch: Paxten Aaronson
Brother of Brenden, who is currently plying his trade in England's second division, Paxten is showing solid signs of development that many hoped the young prospect would.
The 20-year-old is currently on loan at Eredivisie club Utrecht, after moving to Eintracht Frankfurt from MLS side Philadelphia Union. He's yet to find his forever home, but at such a young age, there's plenty of time to go.
He's a tricky player who is a nightmare for defenders who rarely forget the smell of his aftershave following a pressing nightmare for 90 minutes.
TEAM NEWS IN!
Schulte; Harriel, Zimmerman, Robinson, Tolkin; Busio, Tessmann, Mihailovic; Paredes, McGuire, Aaronson
No changes for the US as they go into their second game of the group.
Match day minus one?
That means there's only one day to go until the United States Women's Team go into their second game of the group stage.
They'll be taking on Germany in a real heavyweight clash early on in the competition, and you'll be able to follow that one on AS USA with yours truly.
Here are the Olympic soccer groups:
Here's a look at which sides have a representative in the Olympic football tournament.
As you can see, there's a wide variety of sides from various continents. Add that to the fact that it's basically an under-23 tournament and you've got yourself one interesting competition full of unknown future stars!
Group A: France, USA, Guinea, NewZealand
Group B: Argentina, Morocco, Ukraine, Iraq
Group C: Uzbekistan, Spain, Egypt, Dominican Republic
Group D: Japan, Paraguay, Mali, Israel
Did you know?
This is the first meeting between the U.S. and New Zealand at the Olympic Games.
It’s also the first time that the USA will face a team from Oceania at the Olympics.
We should have the team news very soon...
Both XIs should be announced by the managers any minute now!
Don't miss a beat and stay up to date with the latest medal table at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, today, Saturday July 27, 2024.
New Zealand come off the back of an impressive win
Did you know that the New Zealand football team are known as the 'All Whites', the opposite of their more successful cousins, the 'All Blacks' rugby team?
This is allegedly due to the fact that the traditional referee colour in football is black, making an all-black kit a bit confusing.
Anyway, they beat Guinea 2-1 in their first game of the group, which has put them in a superb position to progress.
USMNT roster:
Goalkeepers: Patrick Schulte (Columbus Crew), Gaga Slonina (Chelsea)
Defenders: Maximilian Dietz (Greuther Furth), Nathan Harriel (Philadelphia Union), Miles Robinson (FC Cincinnati), John Tolkin (New York Red Bulls), Caleb Wiley (Chelsea), Walker Zimmerman (Nashville SC)
Midfielders (5): Gianluca Busio (Venezia), Benjamin Cremaschi (Inter Miami CF), Jack McGlynn (Philadelphia Union), Djordje Mihailovic (Colorado Rapids), Tanner Tessmann (Venezia)
Forwards: Paxten Aaronson (FC Utrecht), Taylor Booth (FC Utrecht), Duncan McGuire (Orlando City), Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg), Griffin Yow (KVC Westerlo)
HECTOR VIVAS / Getty Images via AFP
Where's Weston?
No Weston McKennie, no Kylian Mbappé and no Brenden Aaronson. What's the point of watching? Why aren't the global stars playing today?
The reason behind the lack of well-known talent at the Games is due to the fact that the Olympic football tournament is essentially an u-23 competition, with just a few exceptions.
Nicolás Otamendi is certainly not 23, and neither is Leo Messi, who was linked with the squad earlier in the year. That's because each side is allowed a maximum of three overage players with the rest needing to be 23 or under.
Here's how the group looks:
1. France | 3 points
2. New Zealand | 3 points
3. Guinea | 0 points
4. USA | 0 points
The US are rock bottom of the group after a heavy loss to France, as we've discussed. However, a solid game against New Zealand - something many expect - and they'll be back in the race to get through the group.
OK, so things didn't go super smooth in the first game of the Olympic campaign for the US, who ran out of steam against pre-tournament favourites France as they won 3-0 in the Group A opener.
It's not a result to be ashamed of, however, as Les Bleus are an incredibly formidable opponent and the US defended well in the first 45, bringing them down to their level and causing things to be stodgy on the pitch.
Yes, the second half was more open and slightly easier for the French attackers to find space, but they'll do that to you and a loss with positives to take in the first game is far from the worst possible situation.
Fancy watching the game today as well as following on with the text feed? Then delve into Will's handy guide, where you can find all kinds of scheduling and streaming information at you fingertips.
Today's venue:
The Stade Vélodrome, home to Olympique Marseille, is the venue for the game today. It's one of Europe's most iconic stadiums and holds just under 70,000 rowdy fans and we expect the atmosphere inside today to be pretty electric!
Thaier Al-Sudani / REUTERS
Who's the ref?
All of you Allsvenskan nerds have already turned to page 68 of the Referee Spotter's Guide as Herr Glenn Nyberg is well and truly ticked off. The Swede is a seasoned pro at the elite level of European football and has overseen everything from Champions League games to Euros ties and beyond.
So far, he's had a quiet tournament, refereeing the game between Argentina and Morocco which, by all accounts, was a snoozefest...
Team news:
We've got no injuries to report for either side ahead of the game today, with both managers coming into the tie after the first round scratch-free, which is always a bonus.
Hello and welcome!
Hello and welcome to the live coverage of New Zealand vs the United States in the men's football category of the Olympic Games.
The historic sporting tournament has reached the French shores and we're already well underway with the action in Paris and beyond!
It's Joe here on the decks today to guide you through the action, which should getgoing in about 90 minutes.