“Brutal” was the word used by Walker Zimmerman to sum up USA’s loss to France in their Olympic Games opener. The Americans stood toe-to-toe with Les Bleus for large stages of that match but the host nation’s killer instinct proved decisive as they ran out 3-0 winners, scoring all their goals in the final half-hour.

Less than 72 hours after that disappointment, USA returned to Stade de Marseille in the knowledge defeat to New Zealand would likely see their Paris 2024 dreams dashed devastatingly early. They duly delivered an exceptional team performance to sweep aside the Kiwis 4-1 and record their biggest-ever Olympic victory.

“I’ve always described this group of players as ‘fearless’,” said Zimmerman, who at 31 is one of USA’s three overage players. “Youth brings fearlessness – and that can create bold moments on the field. You saw that against New Zealand. The coach, Marko [Mitrovic] does a great job in setting the tone. He gives us confidence. Even after the game against France, he said, ‘Look what we created, look at how we broke them down – you guys competed with the best and you’re on the right path’.”

Mitrovic added: “There was a lot of noise about that first game. There was a sold-out stadium, it was almost like the opening event of the Olympic Games. We knew we would be under the spotlight. We said between us, ‘No matter what the outcome is, once it’s done, we put it on the side and move forward’. It’s about being relentless. If you miss an opportunity, you go again and again.”

USA exploded out of the blocks against New Zealand, applying sustained pressure from the first whistle. They were in front within eight minutes through a Djordje Mihailovic penalty and Zimmerman swiftly made it 2-0. There was no let up and midfield dynamo Gianluca Busio ensured they were 3-0 ahead going into half-time, before Paxten Aaronson got their fourth after the interval.

“We came out with the mindset that this was a final,” said Busio. “We knew this was big for us. The coach made sure we kept our confidence after France – and I think we showed we weren’t too hung up on it!

“We believe we can go far. That belief is something that won’t ever be hurt in this group. We’re Americans, and we’re proud to be here at one of the biggest events in the world. Americans are known for winning medals – and when we come to a tournament, then we’re always playing to win.”

Busio was forced off with a hamstring problem but says he is hopeful it is not too serious, with USA set to face Guinea in their final Group A game on Tuesday. The Stars and Stripes go into the match firmly in contention for a knockout-phase spot.

Mihailovic, whose emphatic penalty set USA on their way to victory, said: “The job is far from done. Guinea have quality and we can’t overlook that – we have to roll our sleeves up and get to work. Of course, getting to the knockouts would be big, but we don’t come into a major tournament thinking, ‘Oh let’s make it to the quarter-finals’. No, we’ve come here for a medal.”

Goalkeeper Patrick Schulte, who could do nothing about a stunning late consolation from New Zealand substitute Jesse Randall, concluded: “We needed to have a response to the France game, and we did that. We could have had even more goals, but we’ll take four. There’s a lot of belief. We know if we take our chances – and stay locked in for the full 90 minutes – then we can make some noise in this tournament.”