USMNT started their home Copa America campaign with a 2-0 win over Bolivia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Captain Christian Pulisic set the tone for the USA scoring a sensational third-minute goal to put The Stars and Stripes in front. USA dominated the possession for the entire half as Bolivia chased the ball all over the pitch.
The Americans’ possession finally paid off when Pulisic dribbled past a couple of defenders which opened the space for Folarin Balogun. Pulisic found the AS Monaco striker who slotted the ball into the net to put USMNT 2-0 up before halftime.
The second half was a somewhat similar story with the USA in complete control of the game. A third goal seemed likely but the Bolivian goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra made some fabulous saves to keep the game at 2-0. He first denied Pulisic in the 60th minute and then made a couple of saves from striker Ricardo Pepi.
The third goal never came for the USA but they looked comfortable throughout the game and were rarely troubled at the back. The game ended 2-0 at the final whistle.
After the match, USA coach Gregg Berhalter was full of praise for captain Christian Pulisic, “He’s a selfless leader, He goes out and he just competes and works really hard, and that helps the team. And then you add to the fact that he’s highly skilled and he can make plays on the offensive end, it’s a great combination.” Berhalter said.
When is the United States vs Panama?
The Copa America 2024 hosts will now face Panama in their second match of the group stage. Panama suffered a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Uruguay in their opening match.
USMNT would look to clinch their spot in the quarter-final. It would also mean that Berhalter could afford to rest some of his key players in the final group match against Uruguay.
The Americans have dominated Panama in the past, winning 16 of their 24 matches with six draws and two losses. The two teams last met in July in the Gold Cup 2023 when the game ended in a 1-1 draw.
- Day: Thursday, June 27, 2024
- Time: 6:00 PM ET
- Place: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Broadcast: Fox / US Soccer ap
The pitch at AT&T Stadium has drawn criticism lately. Ahead of the match against Panama, Berhalter shared his opinions when asked about the pitch.
“For us, I don’t share the same views as the Argentina team because we just haven’t had that same experience so it’s very hard for us to judge that, but what I would say is that we prepare the guys and tell them to check their footwear, see how the ball is rolling see how the ball is bouncing,” Berhalter said. “Those are some important things that we instructed them on.“
Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
