Summer of Soccer best bets: The USMNT faces a rare Olympic quarterfinal

The year 2000. Are you old enough to remember it? We are, and we recall it being filled with a heady mix of futuristic terror and millennial optimism. Santana was on the radio, X-Men was in theaters and the Summer Olympics were taking place in sunny Sydney, Australia. Those Olympics saw Michael Johnson win the men's 400 meters, Venus and Serena Williams battle their way to a tennis doubles championship and the United States Men's National Team earn its highest-ever Olympic soccer finish by coming in fourth to Chile, Spain and Cameroon.

You may recognize some names from that 2000 USMNT squad: goalkeepers Brad Friedel and Tim Howard, defender Jeff Agoos, striker Landon Donovan. They went on to play important roles for the USMNT in future World Cups, and many are now enshrined in U. S. soccer history. Their legacy is heightened by the fact that it is untouchable: since that wild fourth-place finish in 2000, no USMNT has ever made the knockout stages of an Olympic tournament. Many have not even qualified for the Olympics in the first place.

When we look at this USMNT as it prepares to face Morocco in the Olympic quarterfinals, that's the context that matters. This team isn't just performing well against its own expectations, it's performing well against history itself. It's been 23 long years since we've been able to cheer on the United States in the knockout rounds of an Olympic tournament. Whatever happens in this game against Morocco, we should enjoy the moment — and the players should, too.

It's been an impressive Olympics for the USMNT thus far. After a 3-0 loss to France — a defeat that was entirely expected but made easier to swallow by the team's solid first-half performance — the U. S. has pulled itself together and been near flawless in Olympic play. It dispatched New Zealand 4-1, scoring more goals in one game than any other USMNT in Olympic history, and then walloped Guinea 3-0 to clinch a spot in the knockouts.

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte has been fantastic, as has attacker Djordje Mihailovic and wingbacks Kevin Paredes and John Tolkin. Can they etch their names in history like their 2000 forebears? We'll find out tomorrow when they battle a tough Morocco side for the right to play a medal-winning game.

Where are the best bets? We think they're here:

Advancement over straight wins. We've been in awe of Morocco's clever, physical play at these Olympics, but we think this USMNT has the ability to get through this match. Backing it to win outright at +210 is an option, but with Morocco being kings of regular-time draws in international play, that win is unlikely for a reason. We like the look of the USMNT moving to the next round at +110 better; choosing that bet allows for a regular-time USMNT win, an extra-time USMNT win and a penalty shootout win.

The Djordje show. American attacker Djordje Mihailovic has been at the back of the scoring odds for several games now, and frankly, we're not quite sure why; he's got two goals to his name in this tournament while odds-on American scoring favorite Duncan McGuire has zero. We're backing him as an anytime goalscorer in this one at +450. Both of his goals so far have come from set pieces, and Morocco is infamous for giving set pieces away.

Number of goals. Morocco scored seven goals in three games to make the quarters; the USMNT racked up the same tally. Morocco conceded three; the USMNT conceded four. While we're expecting this game to be a bit more conservative (it is a knockout game, after all), we're still likely to see a lot of forward momentum from both teams. We like the look of at least 3.5 total goals in this match at +225.

The U.S. men take on Morocco in an Olympic soccer quarterfinal in Paris on Friday, Aug. 2 at 9 a.m. ET.