Inter Miami players Cremaschi (USA), Gomez (Paraguay) kick off Paris Olympics next week

Inter Miami midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi is a dual citizen of the United States and Argentina and grew up in Key Biscayne an avid fan of Argentina’s national soccer team. His love for La Albiceleste runs deep, as his father, Pablo, played for the Argentine national rugby team.

But Cremaschi was unable to be at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday night to see his teammate and boyhood idol Lionel Messi raise a record 16th Copa America trophy for Argentina.

Instead, Cremaschi kept up with the game from Bordeaux, France, where he is with the U.S. Olympic men’s soccer team, preparing for the 2024 Paris Olympics, which begin next week.

At 19 years old, Cremaschi is the youngest player on the 18-man U.S. roster and will be age-eligible for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, as well. The Olympic men’s soccer tournament is restricted to players under the age of 23, with an allowance for three overage players.

Up until last year, Cremaschi was unsure whether he would wind up representing the United States or Argentina in international competition. But the USA call came first, he impressed coaches during his first camp, and he is proud to be wearing red, white and blue.

“It’s a dream to be able to compete in the Olympics at my age and represent this country, which has given me so much,” Cremaschi said. “My dad represented Argentina in the rugby side, but I’m proud to be here with USA and he’s even prouder that I’m here. He supports me in everything I do. He will enjoy it as much as I do.

“I had multiple conversations with everyone close to me and we thought this was the best choice. USA is giving me an opportunity not many kids my age get. The fact that I’m here and can represent this country means a lot and it’s something I couldn’t refuse. Everyone around this organization has been great to me.”

This summer marks the Team USA men’s return to the Olympics for the first time since 2008, ending its longest drought between Olympic appearances in more than 50 years. The team is training in Bordeaux through Saturday before moving to Marseille for its opening game against host France on July 24 at 3 p.m., E.T., two days before the Opening Ceremony. France and Argentina are the gold-medal favorites.

The United States will then play New Zealand on July 27 in Marseille (1 p.m.) and finish the group stage against Guinea on July 30 (1 p.m.).

Cremaschi said the Olympic team is hungry to advance from the group stage for the first time. The senior men’s national team lost in the group stage of the recent Copa America.

“The group always had the clear idea of what we need to do our best in these next three games,” he said. “We know the USA hasn’t qualified from an Olympic group stage in a long time (since 2000), so we’ve been preparing for this moment.”

He said the players have been bonding, doing some sightseeing and playing golf in Bordeaux.

Cremaschi’s Inter Miami teammate Diego Gomez will also be at the Olympics competing for Paraguay, and former teammate Edison “Eddy” Azcona, a South Florida native, will represent Dominican Republic. Azcona was on loan from Inter Miami with the USL’s Las Vegas Lights, which opted to sign him earlier this month.

“I’m very happy to be selected, to be there helping the team,” said Gomez, who was the top scorer in CONMEBOL’s pre-Olympic tournament. “After a lot of effort, we achieved a very important qualification for the country. What excites me the most is being able to represent my country in a very important tournament for the first time.”

Paraguay will play Japan on July 24, Israel on July 27, and Mali on July 30. The Dominican Republic plays Egypt on July 24, Spain on July 27, and Uzbekistan on July 30.

There are 16 teams in the men’s draw and 12 in the women’s draw. The top two teams in each men’s group advance to the knockout stage. The top two teams in each women’s group, plus the top two third-place teams, advance.

The U.S. women’s team, which allows players of all ages, is among the favorites to win gold in Paris under new head coach Emma Hayes, along with reigning champion Canada, France, Brazil, Spain and Japan. The USWNT last won gold in 2012. Germany won in 2016. Team USA has a very tough group with Germany, Australia and Zambia.

U.S. coach Marco Mitrovic had high praise for Cremaschi when he was invited to pre-Olympic camp in June.

“Last year Benja made big, big steps with Inter Miami and he grew through our youth system, and he got the opportunity to play for MNT [men’s senior national team],” Mitrovic said. “He had a small setback at the beginning of this year with his injury, but we are happy he’s back and we could see his impact right away on the field. Benja is important for our roster, important for our team, and he is the youngest player on our roster, so we believe he has a bright future with our MNT one day.”

Cremaschi missed the first seven games of the Inter Miami season following sports hernia surgery. Since his return he scored three goals and had two assists in 14 games. He scored the game-winning goal in the 86 ^th minute against Charlotte on July 3. He has become such a fan favorite that his jersey ranks No. 25 among MLS shirts sold this season.

He appeared in all four Men’s Olympic Team matches last fall, scoring the lone USA goal in a 1-1 tie with Iraq.

Pablo’s mother, Jimena, was also an elite athlete. She was a top field hockey player in Argentina. After moving to South Florida 20 years ago, she and Pablo remained obsessed with Argentine sports, and passed that passion on to their four children. Benja and his two brothers grew up playing soccer and rugby, as their father started a youth rugby club in Key Biscayne. But he loved soccer a little more. He started at Key Biscayne Soccer Club and then played for Weston FC before joining the Inter Miami youth academy.