ARLINGTON, Texas — U.S. men’s national team coach Gregg Berhalter said all 26 players will be available for Sunday’s Copa America opener against Bolivia amid fitness concerns for midfielder Tyler Adams and forward Josh Sargent.
“As I understand it, everyone [Sunday] “I don’t know if Josh will be able to play a role,” Berhalter told reporters at AT&T Stadium on Saturday. “I can’t really go into specifics about the time frame for Josh, but I do know he will be able to play a role.”
Sargent last played for his club, Norwich City, on May 16th when he suffered a foot injury. He did not play in the United States’ Copa America friendlies in June but was named to the final squad for the tournament.
Adams played the final 14 minutes of the United States’ 1-1 draw with Brazil on June 12. Adams played limited time for Bournemouth last season due to a hamstring injury and back spasms.
“Tyler’s in good form,” U.S. defender Chris Richards told reporters on Saturday. “Nobody would have noticed that he hasn’t played a lot this season, and I think that’s one of the reasons he’s considered one of our captains. [of] Whether he’s leading from the sidelines or on the field, the aura he has is incredible.”
The pitch at AT&T Stadium shouldn’t be a factor in determining whether Adams or Sargent plays on Sunday. Both Berhalter and Richards praised the pitch, which was nice after the Argentines criticized the pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta in Thursday’s tournament opener.
“I played the Nations League in March and this field looks a lot better than it did before,” Berhalter said. “It looks like it has a sand base. [which] Although the grass has softened, the grass itself looks really good and I was pleasantly surprised with the playing surface.”
Berhalter expects Bolivia to be “aggressive” in their opening game of the Copa America on Sunday. The U.S. men’s national team coach noted that teams like Bolivia, bottom of the South American league, take pride in big tournaments like the Copa America because World Cup appearances are rare.
Panama and Uruguay also await the hosts in the group stage.
“In this tournament we’re going to face different challenges and sometimes a different type of football and the key for us is how we adapt,” Berhalter said. “If you look at the top teams in the world, I think the thing they do best is adapt.”
“If you look at a team like France, they can attack and they can defend. They do whatever it takes to be successful. And I think that’s something we’re still developing.”
“One thing is certain [is] Our greatest success will come from if we can limit the opponent’s scoring chances. If we can do that in each game, we’ll have a chance because we’ll always create enough chances to score.”
