5️⃣ things we learned from Sunday’s Copa América action
Copa América Group C is beginning to take shape after round one of play on Sunday. The United States secured a comfortable win over Bolivia, while Uruguay flew past Panama.
Here is what we took away from the Group C action.
The man of the hour
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Christian Pulisic has the hopes of a nation on his shoulders, but that didn’t stop the forward from sending a screamer into the back of the net off of the cross-bar inside three minutes at AT&T Stadium Sunday afternoon.
The Milan man was the youngest player on the last United States Copa América roster eight years ago as a 17-year-old, and his growth since breaking onto the scene as a potential future star is the driving force of this generation’s United States Men’s National Team.
Where Pulisic goes, the United States will go. If he remains hot in the weeks to come, there is no telling just how far Gregg Berhalter’s side may go.
Not enough firepower
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It was clear from the jump that Bolivia would struggle to hang with their Group C rivals. And while they kept the scoreline relatively respectful, they did little to trouble the United States on the night.
With less than 40% of the possession and just three shots on goal through the 90 minutes, Bolivia’s weakness was on full display. They may have the guts, they may have the drive, but after an early concession it was always going to be tough to manufacture a turnaround.
A cameo from youngster Miguel Terceros off the bench was the lone bright-spot, but the Santos man can’t dribble his way through 11 men any time his side needs a goal.
The crème de la crème
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When the teams were drawn into Group C that Uruguay, it was relatively obvious that Uruguay would be the favourites to find their way to the summit.
An impressive win against Panama Sunday evening did little to stunt the belief that they will play a major role in the final destination of the trophy in July.
The dynamic Darwin Núñez has pace and power enough to trouble any Copa América rearguard, but when he’s finishing his chances as well — look out.
The United States are clearly the team that can trouble Uruguay in this group, but even at their peak, Gregg Berhaler’s men could struggle to handle the delicious mixture of tenacity and skill that La Celeste possess.
A valiant effort
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Though Uruguay were all too much for Panama to handle, you can’t fault Thomas Christiansen’s side for their ambition on the night.
They may have only mustered three shots on target, but they were hardly pot-shots from distance, Sergio Rochet needed to come up big in between the sticks for Uruguay.
Panama may not have the firepower of the United States, or the Premier League and LaLiga superstars of Uruguay, but they showed Sunday evening that a few big saves and deflections past the post can be the difference between a point or none.
They will need to pull off an upset against the United States but it was only 2021 that Los Canaleros last defeated the kings of CONCACAF.
Set your calendars
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All signs begin to point towards the matchday three showdown between the United States and Uruguay, no disrespect to Panama and Bolivia.
The two teams boast a horde of footballers from some of the top clubs and leagues around the world, but that potential Group C decider could come down to coaching.
Gregg Berhalter’s tactics have been on the end of plenty of criticism, while Marcelo Bielsa seems to have turned an Uruguay team once known for their defensive solidity into a dynamic, tenacious attacking outfit overnight.
It will be a true test for the United States, and perhaps for Uruguay as well, when the two teams meet in Kansas City next month.
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Publish date : 2024-06-23 21:36:23
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