The U.S. men’s national team opened its Copa America schedule in winning fashion on Sunday after edging Bolivia at AT&T Stadium.
Christian Pulisic and Folarin Balogun both scored first-half goals as Gregg Berhalter’s squad defeated Bolivia 2-0 in Arlington, Texas. Pulisic also registered one assist in a Man of the Match performance while Tyler Adams made his first start since the March international window.
“We came out flying with a lot of intensity. Obviously, that early goal helped us a lot,” Pulisic said. “All around, a pretty dominant performance. I think we could have put it away and had more goals there.”
It was a fast start for the USMNT, who needed just three minutes to take a 1-0 lead. Tim Weah’s pass to Pulisic off of a corner kick was curled into the top-right corner of the Bolivia net.
Guillermo Viscarra got a hand to the shot, but was unable to fully keep it out. It marked Pulisic’s 30th international goal, tying him with Brian McBride for the fifth-most in program history.
Pulisic’s impactful first half continued as the AC Milan star set up Balogun for the USMNT’s second goal of the night. Balogun received possession just outside of the Bolivia box before racing in and drilling a low shot into the far corner.
It was Balogun’s fourth USMNT goal and his first since October 2023.
Matt Turner was tested twice in the second half and made a pair of key saves to keep the USMNT’s lead at multiple goals. Turner denied Roberto Fernández in the 51st minute before also repelling Miguel Terceros’ shot after the hour mark.
“It’s a start that’s massive for us. Build the confidence,” Antonee Robinson said. “If we were being picky, we could have been a lot more clinical, We could have put another two, three goals away.”
The USMNT hung on to claim three points, giving them added confidence going into Thursday’s showdown with CONCACAF rivals Panama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Josh Sargent, Haji Wright, and Malik Tillman were among the unused substitutes in Berhalter’s squad, all of whom who will be fighting for minutes in Atlanta later this week.
