ARLINGTON, Texas — U.S. men’s soccer national team coach Gregg Berhalter praised the leadership of captain Christian Pulisic, who had one goal and one assist in a 2-0 win over Bolivia on Sunday in the opening match of the 2024 Copa America.
“He’s a selfless leader,” Berhalter told reporters after the game at AT&T Stadium. “He goes out there and just competes and works hard, and that helps our team. And he’s very skilled and can play offensively, so it’s a great combination.”
“For me, the performance tonight was outstanding,” added Berhalter, who said Pulisic deserved the manager’s player of the year award.
Pulisic put his side ahead after just three minutes, receiving the ball on the edge of the penalty area following a short corner kick to Tim Weah and firing in. Pulisic sprinted down the sideline, looking for set-piece coach Gianni Vio in the stands, before finally pointing at him in celebration.
“It’s the Copa America, it’s a big tournament,” Pulisic said. “I’m always so excited after I score a goal, but this is a big moment, a big tournament.”
Pulisic recorded an assist just before halftime, collecting the ball, turning in central midfield and passing to Folarin Balogun who fired home a left-footed shot.
Tyler Adams started for the U.S. for the first time since the CONCACAF Nations League final in March and played 45 minutes. Adams had hoped to play more, but Berhalter said that was the original plan.
“I was like, ‘Hey, we’ve been down this road,'” Berhalter said with a smile.
“But of course he wants to stay on the field. That’s Tyler. You can see how important he is to our team. You can see it in his attitude, his enthusiasm. He’s a guy you want on the field, but we have to be careful. It was a 45-minute plan from the beginning and we stuck to that plan.”
Adams said he felt better knowing his team finished with a lead, but added, “Obviously, we’re itching to play.”
Coming into the match, the United States was the overwhelming favorite to win the tournament, as Bolivia was second-to-last in CONMEBOL World Cup qualifiers, with the worst goal differential and just one win in six games.
Bolivia had few chances on offense and never really tested U.S. goalkeeper Matt Tuner, but the Americans had several chances to extend their lead in the second half.
“We always look at chances created as an indicator of our performance, and I thought we created enough chances today,” Berhalter said. “And most days those chances translate into goals, but today they didn’t, and that’s OK.”
“I think I’m happy with the result. There was no doubt about the match and I think I’ve had a good start throughout the tournament.”
The U.S. men’s national team next plays Panama on Thursday in Atlanta before wrapping up group play against Uruguay on July 1.
“It’s just about analyzing and improving for us,” Berhalter said. “We’ve said throughout this tournament that one of our goals is to continue to improve. This was a good performance for our first game against a tough opponent. We’re in a good position.”
