The United States Men's National Team beat Bolivia 2-0 Sunday night to kick off its 2024 Copa America journey in grand style. Reports from the match were rapturous, with the Washington Post calling it a ' cruise ' and the Guardian starry-eyed over captain Christian Pulisic's " pugnacious sizzle ." ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL GOAL!!! 1-0 @USMNT !! :FOX pic.
twitter.com/nHcpnFhNQa The USMNT looked sharp, there's no denying it. But don't let the breathless praise fool you.
The USMNT is the 11th-best men's side in the world but it didn't exactly look like it while laboring to a 2-0 win over a team ranked over 70 places below it. Joe Scally looked overawed while deputizing for the injured Sergino Dest at right back. Tim Ream, for the first time ever, looked all of his 36 years while trying to keep up with Bolivia's physical midfielders.
And for all of the talk about the USMNT's stacked forward lineup, this game proved that coach Gregg Berhalter still hasn't worked out who his best starting strikers are. Tim Weah was profligate while Folarin Balogun was indecisive. Only substitute Ricardo Pepi looked immediately at home at the top of the USMNT's offense.
6 - Ricardo Pepi's 6 shots against Bolivia were the most by a #USMNT substitute since Opta began detailed data collection of all #USMNT matches in 2010. Firing. pic.
twitter.com/IunVqJyjgN There was one area where the USMNT excelled: midfield. While its defense and attack struggled to perform at an elite level, its midfield of Tyler Adams, .
