Christian Pulisic and the United States men’s national team are about to take part in the Copa America — soccer’s oldest continental tournament that will feature Lionel Messi, Vinicius Jr. and more of the sport’s best on the world stage. Pulisic, the Hershey native and AC Milan star, will lead the USMNT when it begins its Copa America journey on Sunday.
The USMNT will face Bolivia in the opening round of the group stages. The game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Tx., will kick off at 6 p.
m. and air on FOX. Pulisic and the United States are favored to advance from Group C, along with Uruguay.
The USMNT will face Panama next Thursday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Pulisic and company will close out the group stage with Uruguay on July 1 at Arrowhead Stadium. The 2024 Copa America tournament kicked off Thursday night with Argentina, the reigning World Cup and Copa America champs, defeating Canada, 2-0.
Of the 16 teams participating, the USMNT had the fifth-best odds (+1400) to win the Copa America. Argentina entered as the favorites (+175), per FanDuel Sportsbook. Brazil (+220), Uruguay (+550) and Colombia (+1200) had the next best odds.
Pulisic’s form certainly plays into the United States being considered a dark horse contender. The 25-year-old attacker, who was sold by Premier League giant Chelsea for a fee of more than $20 million last summer, found his footing at AC Milan this past season. In 32 Serie A appearances, Pulisic was AC Milan’s second-leading goalscorer (12).
