Benjamin Cremaschi, Inter Miami's rising young midfielder and a native of Key Biscayne, was named to the U.S. Olympic men's soccer roster on Monday.
Cremaschi at 19 is the youngest player on the 18-man roster that was finalized ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
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Who is Benjamin Cremaschi?
Cremaschi's journey as a professional soccer player began in 2021 when he joined the Inter Miami CF Academy and quickly rose to the top.
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In 2022, he played a key role at the U-17 level and ending up leading the team all the way to semifinals of the Generation Adidas Cup, which lead him to earn an MLS NEXT all-star Spot.
'Benja' became the fifth player from the Academy to be signed by the First Team as a homegrown player.
He made his first appearance with Inter Miami on Feb. 25, 2023 and made 28 total appearances for the team that year, scoring 2 goals and adding 4 assists.
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He's appeared in 14 games for Inter Miami so far in 2024, scoring 3 goals.
Sporting excellence runs in the Cremaschi family, with his father, Pablo, having achieved international recognition as a professional rugby player for Argentina.
When does the U.S. men's soccer team play?
Olympic soccer is limited to players under 23, with each team allowed three over the age limit. The U.S. wild card picks are all from Major League Soccer.
The U.S. men are in the Olympic soccer tournament for the first time since 2008 and will train in Bordeaux starting Tuesday.
They open on July 24 against host France, then face New Zealand on Saturday, July 27, and Guinea on Tuesday, July 30, to round out group play.
The top two nations in each group advance to the quarterfinals.
