US Men Beaten 4-0 by Morocco and Eliminated from Olympic Soccer Tournament

Morocco's forward #15 Mehdi Maouhoub (R) celebrates with Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi (L) after scoring a penalty kick for his team's fourth goal during the men's quarter-final football match between Morocco and the USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Parc des Princes in Paris on August 2, 2024. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Morocco's forward #15 Mehdi Maouhoub (R) celebrates with Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi (L) after scoring a penalty kick for his team's fourth goal during the men's quarter-final football match between Morocco and the USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Parc des Princes in Paris on August 2, 2024. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
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US Men Beaten 4-0 by Morocco and Eliminated from Olympic Soccer Tournament

Morocco's forward #15 Mehdi Maouhoub (R) celebrates with Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi (L) after scoring a penalty kick for his team's fourth goal during the men's quarter-final football match between Morocco and the USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Parc des Princes in Paris on August 2, 2024. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)
Morocco's forward #15 Mehdi Maouhoub (R) celebrates with Morocco's defender #02 Achraf Hakimi (L) after scoring a penalty kick for his team's fourth goal during the men's quarter-final football match between Morocco and the USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Parc des Princes in Paris on August 2, 2024. (Photo by Paul ELLIS / AFP)

The United States was eliminated from the Olympic men's soccer tournament on Friday after a 4-0 loss to Morocco in the quarterfinals.

Soufiane Rahimi, Ilias Akhomach, Achraf Hakimi and Mehdi Maouhoub scored the goals at Parc des Princes that ended US hopes of a medal at the Paris Games, The Associated Press reported.

Morocco, which enjoyed fervent support in the French capital, will play the winner of Japan vs. Spain in the semifinals in Marseille on Monday.

The US qualified for the quarterfinals of the Olympics for the first time since Sydney 2000 but was outclassed by a polished Morocco team that had already beaten Argentina in the group stage.

Rahimi scored a penalty in the 29th minute and Akhomach doubled the lead in the 63rd.
Hakimi rolled in the third after a solo run in the 70th.

Maouhoub, a substitute, finished off the rout with a penalty in second-half stoppage time.

In front of a packed crowd at the home of Paris Saint-Germain, Morocco dominated the chances in the first half, but needed a penalty to find a breakthrough after Nathan Harriel fouled Rahimi in the box.

Despite protests from the American players, referee Yael Falcón Pérez pointed to the spot and Rahimi fired low to the left and beyond the dive of Patrick Schulte.

Miles Robinson had a golden chance to level the game in the 59th when collecting a knockdown from about six yards out, but shot wide.

That miss proved even more costly when Morocco extended its lead four minutes later through Akhomach, who slotted past Schulte from close range after Abde Ezzalzouli’s cross.

Hakimi, who plays his club soccer for PSG, added a third shortly after — carrying the ball to the edge of the box before firing into the bottom right hand corner.
Morocco made it 4-0 in stoppage time when Harriel handled in the box and, after a VAR review, a second penalty was awarded and Maouhoub converted.



Judge Removes Brazil Soccer President from Office Days after Ancelotti Hired

(FILES) Brazil's Football Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues delivers a speech during a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 10, 2024. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)
(FILES) Brazil's Football Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues delivers a speech during a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 10, 2024. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)
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Judge Removes Brazil Soccer President from Office Days after Ancelotti Hired

(FILES) Brazil's Football Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues delivers a speech during a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 10, 2024. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)
(FILES) Brazil's Football Confederation president Ednaldo Rodrigues delivers a speech during a press conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on May 10, 2024. (Photo by MAURO PIMENTEL / AFP)

A Rio de Janeiro judge removed Ednaldo Rodrigues as Brazilian soccer confederation president on Thursday and ordered new elections “as soon as possible.” The embattled soccer executive later appealed to the country's Supreme Court to be returned to his position.

Rodrigues, who this week announced the signing of Carlo Ancelotti as Brazil’s national team coach, had won re-election in March to remain on the job until 2030.

But judge Gabriel de Oliveira Zefiro's ruling puts a confederation vice president, Fernando Sarney, in charge of organizing a new election. It was Sarney who had asked the court to unseat Rodrigues, The Associated Press reported.

The judge ruled the agreement that validated Rodrigues' first term was null and void — and that without it, Rodrigues should not have been eligible for his second term.

Sarney said in a statement published on the Brazilian confederation website that he had already taken over to organize the new election as the longest-serving vice president of the soccer body. He also said “all sporting activities and current contracts will be preserved,” but it is yet to be clarified whether Ancelotti's deal, confirmed by the confederation and the coach himself, is already valid.

Speaking to TV Globo, Sarney said he will not touch Brazil's deal with Ancelotti.

“Soccer goes on. I am transitory,” Sarney said. “My objective is to hold the election as soon as possible. We need to sort this out to end it, no more fighting in courts.”

It is the second time that Rodrigues has been removed from office by a court’s decision. A similar situation took place in December 2023, as he also negotiated with Ancelotti to take over the national team. The removal was reversed by Brazil’s Supreme Court.

Because of that earlier legal dispute in mind, the confederation vice presidents reached an agreement in January validating Rodrigues' first term and clearing the way for him to run again.

In Thursday's ruling, the judge sided with Sarney, who claimed one of the signatories, the 86-year-old Antonio Carlos Nunes, was not mentally fit to sign the agreement.

The court had scheduled to hear Nunes on Monday to evaluate his mental state, but the hearing was suspended only hours after Ancelotti was announced by the confederation as Brazil's coach.

Zefiro wrote in his ruling that “(Nunes') mental capacity is in doubt since 2018, when he was diagnosed with brain cancer.”

The confederation did not make comments about the case.