The talk across the U.S. males’s nationwide crew going into Sunday’s Copa America group-stage opener was in regards to the stability between efficiency and outcome.
The consensus landed on this: in a event, the outcomes are all that matter.
The hope is that efficiency goes together with that, and towards Bolivia, there have been positives to remove in each classes. The U.S. dominated possession and generated quite a few possibilities. They restricted Bolivia to virtually no actual threats on objective. They usually obtained that all-important outcome: a 2-0 win.
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The United States will now head into the center group recreation, towards Panama, understanding {that a} win would basically safe passage by to the knockouts. They have to hope, nevertheless, that the nuance of this primary outcome, as an alternative of a three- or four-goal victory, doesn’t find yourself being the distinction on the finish of the group stage in a event during which objective differential is the primary tie-breaker.
After the sport close to Dallas, the crew insisted they had been apprehensive much less in regards to the rating and extra in regards to the backside line.
“Aim differential is essential, however a very powerful factor is to get the win,” winger Tim Weah mentioned. “When you’re profitable, you don’t have to fret about objective differential.”
The evening began about as completely because the U.S. might need hoped. Lower than three minutes in, Christian Pulisic curled a shot from the highest of the field into the far nook to offer them the lead. Simply earlier than half-time, Folarin Balogun doubled it.
Pulisic and Robinson have fun the opener (Aric Becker/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Within the second half, the U.S. again and again discovered area to assault a Bolivia crew looking for their method again into the sport. However repeatedly, they didn’t take the probabilities created.
Pulisic compelled a save from Guillermo Viscarra within the sixtieth minute. Ricardo Pepi registered six photographs regardless of solely approaching within the sixty fifth minute — probably the most by a USMNT substitute in a single recreation since Opta started detailed knowledge assortment of all U.S. matches in 2010.
“It’s about profitable event video games,” head coach Gregg Berhalter mentioned. “We have a look at the ultimate outcomes. In case you get some exact knowledge, we most likely have over three anticipated targets within the recreation (2.51). They’d 0.18. That’s complete.
“I assume there’ll be an angle, possibly from you (the media), that claims, ‘OK, they need to have scored extra targets, ought to have created extra possibilities.’ But it surely’s a 90-minute recreation, and over the course of a 90-minute recreation, we created sufficient possibilities, we denied them sufficient possibilities. We’re pleased with the outcome. We transfer on.”
Berhalter acknowledged that Pepi, particularly, was disenchanted. As a former FC Dallas youth participant, he was performing in entrance of a hometown crowd that cheered his entrance simply after the hour mark.
Pepi has been an efficient supersub. He scored all seven of his targets for PSV Eindhoven within the Netherlands’ high division final season (2023-24) off the bench, and going into Nations League play again in March had scored 5 instances in his earlier 9 appearances for his nation, all 5 coming in its place.
On Sunday, issues simply didn’t drop for him. Pepi had an opportunity within the field together with his first contact of the sport within the 67th minute, however couldn’t redirect Antonee Robinson’s cross. Then he compelled a save from Viscarra with a 79th-minute shot.
| Group C | MP | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Uruguay |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
|
USA |
1 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
3 |
|
Panama |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-2 |
0 |
|
Bolivia |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
-2 |
0 |
Within the ninetieth minute, it appeared like Pepi would certainly notch the U.S.’s third objective when Robinson’s cross discovered him once more on the high of the six-yard field, however his close-range shot was saved out by Viscarra. When the rebound bounced off of Pepi and towards the online, Viscarra once more denied him.
After the sport, Weah mentioned he informed Pepi to “simply keep targeted, hold his head up”.
“There are days the place you rating a hat-trick, there are days the place you don’t; I believe that’s what comes with being a striker,” Weah mentioned. “As we see, even with (Belgium’s 85-goal record-scorer Romelu) Lukaku and the Euros, he’s having a troublesome time.
Berhalter was happy with the 2-0 win — regardless of the missed possibilities (Aric Becker/AFP through Getty Pictures)
“The perfect of the most effective know learn how to simply hold it collectively and we have now one other recreation, so he’s (Pepi) gonna have loads of different possibilities to get it at the back of the online. And clearly, we have now confidence in his capability in entrance of objective.”
Berhalter backed Pepi, too.
“I assumed he had an excellent impression on the sport,” Berhalter mentioned. “In that quick time period, to have that many goal-scoring alternatives, to be that relentless together with his operating, together with his urgent, together with his hold-up play, he had a superb recreation.
“I do know he was a little bit bit disenchanted after the sport, however whenever you get that many possibilities in that quick time period towards an aggressive crew, you’re doing one thing proper. And we’re assured that the ending will come.”
A couple of hours after Sunday’s win, Uruguay beat Panama 3-1 to maneuver degree on factors and objective differential however forward on targets scored. The U.S. have CONCACAF rivals Panama subsequent, in Atlanta on Thursday.
“There’s a variety of soccer to play on this group,” Berhalter mentioned. “And it’s not carried out. We now have two extra video games. We’ll at all times have a look at the prospect creation as a marker of efficiency, and we created sufficient possibilities in the present day. Most days, these likelihood is going to go in, and in the present day they didn’t however that’s wonderful. We’re happy with the outcome. The sport was by no means unsure.
“It’s a very good place to begin on which to construct all through this event.”
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(High picture: Robinson chats with Pepi on the finish of the match. Aric Becker/AFP through Getty Pictures)
