On Sunday, the U.S. men’s national team Copa America vs BoliviaIt’s a tournament with high expectations, especially for the U.S. national team, as coach Gregg Berhalter will be entering his second World Cup cycle as manager despite only making it to the round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup in 2022. A lackluster showing at the Copa America on home soil could be reason for the U.S. Soccer Federation to re-evaluate who will lead the team in the highly anticipated World Cup.
Given the group the USMNT is in, the predictions change a bit. UruguayBut if you step out of that group, maybe Columbia or Brazilis a tough team to beat, and the U.S. needs to show it can compete with the best teams in the world, but their warm-up win against Brazil was a step in the right direction.
USMNT performance at Copa America
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“I’m confident in my team. We know it’s going to be a long game and if we have to fight, the guys will be there and we have a lot of guys in the team who are ready for that.” Folarin Balogun “That was the most disappointing thing in the match against Colombia, but I’m sure we can fix that going forward and get into this tournament,” he said of the team’s mentality.Clauses.
On the weekly podcast “Call It What You Want,” brought to you by CBS Sports Golazo Network, Jimmy Conrad, Charlie Davis, Brian McBride and Tony Meola discuss all things USMNT and the state of the beautiful game in the United States.
Balogun’s words are important because while the U.S. national team is used to playing at a ferocious pace in CONCACAF, CONMEBOL is a whole other ballgame. The Copa America is riddled with fouls, and nearly every team has players with the skill to play in Europe’s top leagues. I don’t mean to dampen my hopes for the U.S. in the tournament, but what does success look like for the red, white and blue?
How to watch and odds
- date: Sunday, June 23 | time: 6pm ET
- position: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas
- tv set: Fox Live Stream: Fubo (Try it for free)
- Odds: USA -570; Draw +550; Bolivia +1700
It’s not enough to just leave the group
The US is in a tough group with Bolivia and Panama, but it would be quite a shock if they don’t make it to the knockout stage. It’s a must to make it to the knockout stage, which is not a given considering the strong teams are eliminated in the group stage every year, but they are expected to make it to the knockout stage. Once that is secured, it’s time to analyze the players’ performance. If there are still questions about whether they can catch up with the top teams after the Copa America, the Copa America will not be enough to make a big difference and will be remembered as a disappointing tournament along with the group stage. The US doesn’t need to beat Uruguay, Brazil or Colombia, but they do need to be competitive in those games and feel like they have a chance to overtake them. Coach Berhalter needs to show that he is a talented coach worthy of competing with the best players in the world. At this point, the USMNT is a big fish in a small pond in CONCACAF and still has a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the world, but they will have a chance in the Copa America.
Integrate Balogun
Balogun has quickly earned 13 caps for the United States, scoring three goals and providing three assists. Not a bad performance for him, but both the USMNT and Monaco want him to be a top striker. The days of describing a team as “They’re great, if only the striker could put the ball in the goal” may be over. Balogun is that guy, and he will be spending the most time with the team since declaring for the USMNT. It’s a critical time to build teamwork, and the chemistry between the three players of Christian Pulisic, Tim Weah, and Balogun will keep the team on its toes. They are expected to continue to start in the 2026 World Cup, and now they have a stepping stone to do so.
