The U.S. men's Olympic soccer team scored three times in 30 minutes in a crushing 4-1 victory over Group A rival New Zealand in Marseille on Saturday to deliver a big boost to its hopes of making the knockout stages.
After a 3-0 loss to host France in its opening match on Wednesday, the U.S. knew a loss could spell the end of its chances of making the quarterfinals as one of the top two teams in Group A.
But Djordje Mihailovic and Walker Zimmerman -- one of three overage players on the under-23 roster -- both scored in the opening 12 minutes to ease the tension.