The U.S. men’s soccer team has been eliminated from the Olympics due to its quarterfinal loss on Friday.
Morocco beat the U.S. 4-0 in Paris, ending the U.S. men’s team’s hope of winning its first Olympic medal. On Monday, Morocco will face the winner of Japan and Spain’s quarterfinal matchup.
Morocco had eights shots on goal and eight corner kicks, while the U.S. only had one shot on goal and three corners.
Morocco scored its first goal after converting a penalty in the first half. They added onto their lead with goals in the 63rd minute, 70th minute and during stoppage time.
Friday marks the first time an African team scored three or more goals in an Olympic match since 1992, according to the broadcast.
The U.S. didn’t make any substitutions entering the second half and instead waited over 20 minutes — and until the team was down by two goals — to make changes to the lineup.
Taylor Booth of Eden, Utah, entered the match in the 66th minute. He has played in the second half of each of the U.S.’s four games.
Booth had a chance in the 74th minute but Moroccan defenders engulfed him in the box and cleared the ball away.
How far has the U.S. men’s soccer team made it in the Olympics?
This year was the first time the U.S. men’s team qualified for the Olympics since 2008.
It was their first trip to the quarterfinals in 24 years and only their second knockout stage appearance since the group stage format was introduced in 1960, as the Deseret News previously reported.
American soccer fans can still watch the U.S. women take on Japan in the quarterfinals on Saturday at 7 a.m. MDT.
What did Taylor Booth say about making the U.S. Olympic soccer team?
Booth was one of 18 players included on the roster for the Olympics. Per Olympic rules, the roster was made up of players under the age of 23, with the exception of three overage players.
Earlier this month, Booth told reporters, including the Deseret News, that being an Olympian was “a dream come true”
“It’s a special feeling, for sure. I mean, it’s something you always watch as a kid,” he said.
Booth grew up in a soccer-loving family in the small town of Eden as the son of two former collegiate soccer players. Now, he is Utah’s first men’s soccer Olympian for the U.S.
“For as long as I can remember, we were always kicking the ball around, whether it was inside or in the backyard. And now with me playing pro and my little brother Zach playing pro as well, it’s special. It connects our family,” Booth told the Deseret News. “Football is definitely the center of our family.”
Fans can follow Booth’s career when he returns to his professional team, FC Utrecht, in the Netherlands’ Eredivisie league after the Olympics.