The controversy across the U.S. males’s nationwide group going into Sunday’s Copa America group-stage opener was in regards to the steadiness between efficiency and end result.
The consensus landed on this: in a match, the outcomes are all that matter.
The hope is that efficiency goes together with that, and in opposition to Bolivia, there have been positives to remove in each classes. The U.S. dominated possession and generated quite a few probabilities. They restricted Bolivia to virtually no actual threats on aim. They usually acquired that all-important end result: a 2-0 win.
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America will now head into the center group sport, in opposition to Panama, realizing {that a} win would basically safe passage by way of to the knockouts. They have to hope, nonetheless, that the nuance of this primary end result, 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 match during which aim differential is the primary tie-breaker.
After the sport close to Dallas, the group insisted they had been nervous much less in regards to the rating and extra in regards to the backside line.
“Objective 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 aim differential.”
The night time 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 present them the lead. Simply earlier than half-time, Folarin Balogun doubled it.
Pulisic and Robinson rejoice the opener (Aric Becker/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Within the second half, the U.S. again and again discovered house to assault a Bolivia group looking for their manner 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 pictures regardless of solely approaching within the sixty fifth minute — probably the most by a USMNT substitute in a single sport since Opta started detailed knowledge assortment of all U.S. matches in 2010.
“It’s about profitable match video games,” head coach Gregg Berhalter mentioned. “We have a look at the ultimate outcomes. In the event you get some exact knowledge, we in all probability have over three anticipated objectives within the sport (2.51). They’d 0.18. That’s complete.
“I assume there’ll be an angle, perhaps from you (the media), that claims, ‘OK, they need to have scored extra objectives, ought to have created extra probabilities.’ Nevertheless it’s a 90-minute sport, and over the course of a 90-minute sport, we created sufficient probabilities, we denied them sufficient probabilities. We’re proud of the end result. 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 objectives for PSV Eindhoven within the Netherlands’ prime division final season (2023-24) off the bench, and going into Nations League play again in March had scored 5 occasions in his earlier 9 appearances for his nation, all 5 coming as an alternative.
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 seemed like Pepi would absolutely notch the U.S.’s third aim when Robinson’s cross discovered him once more on the prime 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 web, Viscarra once more denied him.
After the sport, Weah mentioned he instructed 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 glad with the 2-0 win — regardless of the missed probabilities (Aric Becker/AFP through Getty Pictures)
“The most effective of the perfect know methods to simply hold it collectively and we have now one other sport, so he’s (Pepi) gonna have loads of different probabilities to get it at the back of the web. And clearly, we have now confidence in his capability in entrance of aim.”
Berhalter backed Pepi, too.
“I assumed he had an important affect 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 wonderful sport.
“I do know he was a little bit bit disenchanted after the sport, however whenever you get that many probabilities in that quick time period in opposition to an aggressive group, 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 aim differential however forward on objectives scored. The U.S. have CONCACAF rivals Panama subsequent, in Atlanta on Thursday.
“There’s numerous soccer to play on this group,” Berhalter mentioned. “And it’s not executed. Now we have two extra video games. We’ll all the time have a look at the prospect creation as a marker of efficiency, and we created sufficient probabilities in the present day. Most days, these chances are high going to go in, and in the present day they didn’t however that’s nice. We’re happy with the end result. The sport was by no means doubtful.
“It’s place to begin on which to construct all through this match.”
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(Prime photograph: Robinson chats with Pepi on the finish of the match. Aric Becker/AFP through Getty Pictures)