Christian Pulisic said the United States needs to play “the game of his life” against Uruguay on Monday to avoid a disastrous early elimination from the Copa America.
A 2-1 loss to Panama on Thursday puts the U.S.’ hopes of advancing further in the tournament in dim light.
The shock defeat, following a confident 2-0 opening win over Bolivia, almost certainly means Gregg Berhalter’s team will need to perform well against Uruguay to have any chance of progressing from Group C.
Pulisic is under no illusions about the magnitude of the task facing the hosts, with early performances suggesting Uruguay are one of the favourites to win the tournament.
“We have to represent our country with passion and pride,” Pulisic said.
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“We have to play the game of our lives, that’s it. We want to go, we want to win and we want to stay in the race.”
Meanwhile, U.S. defender Antonee Robinson said Saturday the team knew Monday’s game could be its last.
“Let’s be realistic, this could be our last game in the competition,” the Fulham full-back said.
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“It’s definitely a huge team effort. We definitely have to perform at our best.”
“So there’s nothing to hide.”
Meanwhile, midfielder Tyler Adams said the team would draw on experience from their final group game against Iran at the 2022 World Cup.
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“This is a good experience for us. Going into the Iran game we knew what we had to do and we achieved that goal,” Adams said.
“Obviously, it’s the same situation now, but with 11 players on the field, I’m confident we can compete with anyone.”
The short-term goal is to beat Uruguay and secure a safe berth in the quarterfinals, but the long-term implications of a first-round exit could be profound for U.S. coach Berhalter.
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The 50-year-old coach remains unpopular with some US soccer fans and critics often blame him for failing to get the most out of a talented generation of players led by Pulisic, Folarin Balogun and Timothy Weah.
After the loss to Panama, Berhalter was asked if he thought his job was in jeopardy if the U.S. didn’t advance from the group stage.
“That’s not my decision to make,” Berhalter said.
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But experts were less cautious.
Former U.S. national team defender Alexi Lalas said Berhalter’s job would “obviously” be in jeopardy if the U.S. fails to reach the quarterfinals.
“If this bill doesn’t pass, Gregg Berhalter will lose his job. That’s fair and right,” Lalas said.
“But this is a situation that Gregg Berhalter and the team created for themselves. Now they have to find a way out of it.”
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