McGuire Olympic call up means teammates at home must step up

Orlando City SC has one more international call-up to deal with this July. Striker Duncan McGuire will head to Paris as the U.S. National Team faces France on July 24.

Scouts from around the soccer world keep charting Orlando City SC. They’ve come very close to making a deal the Lions can’t refuse for forward Duncan McGuire.

But somehow, theat transfer hasn’t happened.

So in the meantime, the U.S. Men’s National Team has called on McGuire to join the squad for the 2024 Olympics in Paris. They begin training camp immediately.

It’s the first time an Orlando City player has made the Olympic squad. What’s more, it’s the first time a U.S. men’s team has competed in the Olympics in 16 years – last time in Beijing, 2008.

After the Group A opener vs. France, the USMNT plays New Zealand July 27 and Guinea on July 30 to finish the Group Stage.

McGuire and fellow squad members have a tough task on their hands if they want to create any more firsts. Olympics soccer became a U-23 competition for the 1992 Summer Games in Barcelona. Since then, the U.S. squad’s best finish was fourth in Sydney in 2000.

To rank higher, the Olympic team picked a good Lion. McGuire stands sixth on the Lions’ all-time scoring list, with 23 goals, and four assists across all competitions. He needs one goal to tie Dom Dyer for fifth and two to tie Kaka for fourth.

 The McGuire call-up comes as Orlando solved their fits and starts that began this season. The squad has risen above the playoff line – seventh place – in MLS Conference East. McGuire’s developing ball-handling and defensive skills had much to do with the recent successful surge.

However, international call-ups are just as much a part of MLS soccer as effective drills. This temporary transfer means the squad will have to step up.

It will mean McGuire will have a lot to come back to after Olympic duty – like post-season action.

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