US Men’s National Team secures morale-boosting draw against Brazil on eve of Copa América
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — The US Men’s National Team secured a morale-boosting draw against Brazil on Wednesday in its final warm-up game ahead of the Copa América.
Christian Pulisic equalized midway through the first half for the US after Rodrygo’s 17th-minute opener in front of 60,016 crowd at Camping World Stadium, Orlando.
The draw comes after a humbling 5-1 defeat for the US against Colombia just a few days ago, and ahead of the Copa América – South America’s top men’s international tournament which in recent years has incorporated teams from North America and Asia.
“We asked for teamwork and intensity,” US Men’s National Team head coach Gregg Berhalter told reporters afterwards, per ESPN. “The way we framed it is two things that are totally in their control.
“It doesn’t matter about the opponent, it doesn’t matter about the field, the fans or anything. That’s the type of effort that we saw today. The boys certainly did really well on that and that was good. We feel like we made a little step.”
Berhalter added: “It’s not a huge step, but it’s a little step to be able to play against an amazingly talented Brazil team and bend but not break. And give them problems as well, push them as well. So for us, looking at it, we think it’s a good end to a preparation camp when we’re ready for Copa [América].”
Unlike the disappointing result against Colombia – which Berhalter called a “wake-up call” – the US was much livelier against Brazil from the opening exchanges.
The home side nearly took the lead in the fifth minute in spectacular fashion, with Yunus Musah’s long-range effort striking the underside of the bar before bouncing away.
However, against the run of play, Brazil took the lead. An under-hit clearance from goalkeeper Matt Turner was intercepted by Bruno Guimarães before a perfectly weighted through-ball from Raphinha allowed Rodrygo to run on and blast past the US shotstopper.
Despite going behind, the US weren’t disheartened and leveled the scores in the 26th minute when Pulisic blasted home a freekick from the edge of the box.
The second half was a much cagier affair, with the best chance falling to Pulisic in the 68th minute, only for his low effort to be parried away by Brazil’s goalkeeper Allison.
In the end, the draw ends a run of 11 straight defeats for the US Men’s National Team against the Seleção – it’s longest active losing streak against any opponent.
Its record against Brazil now stands at 1-1-18, with the US Men’s National Team’s only win over the five-time World Cup winners coming in a memorable 1-0 victory in the 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals.
The Copa América begins on Thursday, June 20 with holders Argentina playing Canada in Atlanta, Georgia.
The US Men’s National Team’s campaign – its fifth involvement in the tournament – begins on June 23 against Bolivia in Arlington, Texas.
The tournament is being held in the US for the first time since 2016 after the original hosts, Ecuador, pulled out in November 2022 due to economic and security concerns, as well as concerns over a lack of viable stadiums.
It will be only the second time, after the special centenary Copa América in 2016, that the tournament has been hosted outside of South America.
The Copa América will be held across 14 cities in the US with the final taking place at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on July 14.
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