Published by GOAL
Published by GOAL
Published by GOAL
The concourses at AT&T Stadium are massive, and navigating them is no easy task. You have to dodge traffic, each way, weaving through fans, vendors and booths to find your way forward. It can take a little while, especially in a stadium this large.
So you’ll have to feel for the fans that were still navigating those walkways shortly after the opening whistle of the U.S men’s national team’s match against Bolivia Sunday night. Through little fault of their own, they missed one hell of a start to the USMNT’s Copa America run.
It took just three minutes for Christian Pulisic and the U.S. to light a fire under the Dallas crowd. Just moments into Sunday’s opener against Bolivia, Pulisic scored himself a stunner, leading the way in a 2-0 USMNT win to start this Copa America on the right foot.
Pulisic was the star of the show, but he wasn’t the only one. Folarin Balogun’s goal just before halftime effectively put the game to bed while also helping the USMNT’s new-ish No.9 build some confidence in his first major tournament. Tim Weah created chaos, Tyler Adams got 45 good minutes and the defense held firm. Coach Gregg Berhalter couldn’t have scripted a better start.
Of course, that’s what this is: a start.
This is a long tournament and much better teams than Bolivia are awaiting the USMNT. In terms of first impressions, though, this was a positive one. The U.S. are off on the right foot.
GOAL rates the USMNT’s players from AT&T Stadium.
Goalkeeper & Defense
Matt Turner (6/10):
Largely unthreatened, although he did have to come out and claim a few crosses. Was never really given much to worry about.
Antonee Robinson (7/10):
His partnership with Pulisic has gotten so, so good. Dominated the left flank and was a menace on both ends of the pitch.
Tim Ream (6/10):
Had a few uncharacteristic giveaways, but a team like Bolivia won’t really punish you for it. Teams like Uruguay will though, but Ream knows that. Aside from that, though, steady defensively as always from the USMNT’s grizzled veteran.
Chris Richards (7/10):
Swatted away anything Bolivia threw in his direction. A composed performance for Richards, who was largely comfortable throughout the game.
Joe Scally (6/10):
Did his thing on the right-hand side. He’s not Sergino Dest offensively, but that’s OK. Overall, Scally was solid as expected and did some decent dirty work defensively.
Midfield
Tyler Adams (6/10):
An important 45 minutes for the World Cup captain. Looked like his old self running all over the pitch, but there are clearly some cobwebs to shake off. The goal is to shake them off by the knockouts, and this was a good step towards that.
Weston McKennie (7/10):
Played a bit more forward than expected and grew into the game as it went on. Started slow, but had a few good sequences, particularly in the second half. He might regret the yellow card, though, as he’ll have to walk a tightrope for the rest of the group stage.
Gio Reyna (7/10):
Definitely a different role for him, but he played it well. Tracked back more than usual to receive the ball deeper, which limited him a bit in the attack. Still, Reyna helped progress the ball up the field and did some surprisingly good work defensively.
Attack
Christian Pulisic (9/10):
That’s what you expect from your star. A ridiculously good goal to start the game and then a nice little assist to Balogun, who admittedly did a lot with his finish. Pulisic was dangerous and direct all day, giving Bolivia fits. If he plays like this, he’s tough to stop.
Folarin Balogun (8/10):
Big goal for a big player for the USMNT. His touch let him down a few times early on, but he never let his head drop before eventually getting his goal. Balogun is starting to figure it out and he’ll certainly be happy to have this goal on his resume as he marches forward.
Tim Weah (7/10):
So, so, so dangerous. Was unlucky not to have an assist on what would have been a second Balogun finish as Weah was half a yard offside. He deserved a goal contribution, too, as he ran Bolivia ragged all night long.
Subs & Manager
Yunus Musah (7/10):
Replaced Adams at halftime to get some valuable minutes as the primary No.6. He filled that role nicely, too, winning battles all over the midfield throughout his 45 minutes.
Johnny Cardoso (6/10):
A logical sub to give the U.S. a bit more defending in the midfield. Was also tidy on the ball whenever he got it, so job well done.
Ricardo Pepi (5/10):
So close to getting a goal, but was just a bit too wasteful. Had three or four legitimate goal-scoring chances, but couldn’t quite put one of them away.
Luca de la Torre (6/10):
Only got a few touches, but all of them were pretty good. Remains a substitute the USMNT can trust.
Brenden Aaronson (N/A):
Thrown on in the final moments to replace Weah, who had tired a bit.
Gregg Berhalter (8/10):
Job well done. Would have liked a few more goals, particularly with a potential goal-difference battle with Uruguay looming, but you can’t nitpick much. His XI was solid and his subs did the job to start this Copa on a high.