Two Weeks until the Copa hits U.S. Soil
THE US MEETS COLOMBIA @ COMMANDERS FIELD IN LANDOVER, MD. SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 5:30 P.M. ET BEFORE COPA AMERICA 2024
The U.S. Men’s national team is about to kick off their Copa America campaign on June 23rd against Bolivia right here in the U.S. Unfortunately, there are no games in Colorado, but the boys in red white and blue will be ready. The U.S. squad has been terrorizing the North American and Central American teams for at least four years now. The question now, is how will the U.S. team fare against South American teams?
The friendly marks one of the final exhibitions before the U.S. hosts the Copa America, an international tournament featuring the best national teams from North and South America, later this month. https://t.co/ikyn6LWEN7
— The Washington Times (@WashTimes) June 7, 2024
Facing teams like Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay will be a tall task for the U.S. They face Uruguay to close out the group stage. Hopefully, the U.S. beats Bolivia and Panama in their first two games, so the U.S. and Uruguay matchup will solely be a consolation, but a true test to see where we land on the world stage. After the group stage, the opponents will ramp up, meaning these countries will have mostly all European talent. Just to put into perspective, we may end up playing the five-time World Cup champions Brazil with Neymar and Vinicius Jr., or the World Cup winners Argentina, with the best player ever, Lionel Messi.
After the U.S. failed to qualify for the 2020 World Cup, the team hasn’t looked back. A harrowing defeat at Trinidad and Tobago in 2019 made the U.S. really wake up. Since then, the team has been injected with youth and versatility. Captain America, Christian Pulisic, has dealt with his fair share of club issues, yet for the U.S. team he is the best player we have ever had, and it shows. As long as Pulisic is on the field, the U.S. has a chance to beat anyone. He is not the best player in his league (Italian league) or even on his club team (AC Milan). However, he brings this national team together, unlike any player ever has, just like a certain someone is trying to bring our country together. Not only is he a great leader, but he is the most clutch American there has ever been, at least on the soccer stage.
For the first time in nearly 30 years, the US Men's National Team has failed to qualify for the World Cup — this could be why pic.twitter.com/flOnbg4vGT
— Business Insider (@BusinessInsider) June 27, 2018
The U.S. used to always fear the matchup against Mexico in the semi-finals and finals of CONCACAF tournaments. Now, Mexico has lost three straight tournament finals to the U.S. The tides have shifted and the U.S. is as strong as ever. The U.S. has been so dominant in CONCACAF, that Mexico hasn’t beaten us since 2019.
For this tournament, it is imperative that the U.S. strike quick and early in these first two group stage games. If they can take care of business on the front end, the team will be able to rest and not be scrambling to try to earn a result against Uruguay. The U.S. have a very high chance of making it through to the quarterfinals. They will end up playing the likes of Brazil, Columbia, or Costa Rica. Group D is by far the toughest group, and hopefully the U.S. wins the group so they won’t have to play Brazil in the quarterfinals. A semi-final appearance for the U.S. would be considered a massive win for the team and the nation.
