Christian Pulisic leads USMNT to 2-0 win vs. Bolivia in Copa America debut
Credit: Copa América
This Sunday, June 23, the USMNT played their first game in the 2024 Copa America against Bolivia at AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
The United States were heavy favorites in front of a crowd of over 47 thousand spectators in a game that came away with a predictable result.
The U.S. defeated Bolivia 2-0 in what was a very dominant display by Gregg Berhalter’s squad. The opening goal of the match came just three minutes into the game when Christian Pulisic fired a very precise and powerful shot just inside of the penalty area. The goal started from a corner kick, as the United States had a very offensively charged approach to begin the match.
PULISIC WHAT A GOAL 😱🔥
WHAT A START FOR THE @USMNT 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/PaXw3NleF3
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 23, 2024
The offense stayed vibrant throughout that first half with the second goal of the game coming in the 44th minute by Folarin Balogun. The AS Monaco striker finished the opportunity inside of the penalty area with a very well-located shot to increase the lead for the USMNT. Christian Pulisic provided the assist on the goal in what was a very well-crafted scoring drive by Berhalter’s men.
Gregg Berhalter made one substitution at halftime, taking out Tyler Adams for Yunus Musah, who played just as well as Adams had been playing.
The United States was able to have more attacking play in the second half against a Bolivia side that tried to make some adjustments, but the difference in quality between both sides was far too much.
Surprisingly, the USMNT never scored a third goal, with Ricardo Pepi missing a pair of very clear opportunities in front of the net. Bolivia goalkeeper Guillermo Viscarra also had a very strong performance between the sticks and kept the South American side’s deficit at two goals.
Musah, Pepi, Johnny Cardoso, Brenden Aaronson and San Diego native Luca De La Torre all came on in the second half, but were unable to increase the lead. This was a very positive start for the United States in this Copa America, but the next game against Panama is expected to be more competitive this next Thursday, June 27, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
Francisco, 26, Chula Vista/Tijuana. I have been a Padres fan all my life, did most of the series previews and recaps in the Padres’ 2016 season for EVT. Now I focus more on the local soccer scene. Tijuana Xolos, San Diego Loyal, San Diego Wave.