United States captain Christian Pulisic wasted no time leaving his mark on CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™. Three minutes into the match against his CONMEBOL opponents he scored the fastest goal in his country’s history of the tournament.
United States captain Christian Pulisic scores the fastest goal in USA CONMEBOL Copa America™ history in the third minute.
Group C began for the hosts and Bolivia in the Lonestar State at AT&T Stadium, home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys, a venue the Stars and Stripes had never lost at (5-0-0)
Off a short corner, Pulisic received a pass from Tim Weah and wrapped his foot around the ball for a stunning strike that landed in the upper corner of the Bolivian net.
A quick Christian Pulisic golazo opened the match in Arlington to put the United States up 1-0 minutes into the match.
Bolivia rebounded well, doing their best to unsettle the hosts, and held strong until American striker Florian Balogun finished a tough chance at the top of the box right before halftime to put the U.S. up 2-0 going into the break. Pulisic registered the assist on Balogun’s goal as well and dominated the match’s first 45 minutes.
U.S. striker Florian Balogun doubles the American’s lead before half, as the United States then cruises to 2-0 victory in the opening match of Group C.
In the second half, Captain America would continue to pull the strings against the team he scored his first international goal against back in 2016, finding pockets of space and driving the ball forward. Meanwhile, Bolivia attempted to hit the United States on the counter, but couldn’t do enough to seriously test American goalkeeper Matt Turner. Second half sub Ricardo Pepi, who formerly played for MLS side FC Dallas, was lively after coming on for goalscorer Balogun, forcing multiple saves from Viscarra, but Bolivia’s goalkeeper did well to keep the score at 2-0.
In the end, the United States improved to 6-0-0 at AT&T Stadium, and began their CONMEBOL Copa América 2024™ off to a winning start, deep in the heart of Texas. Bolivia will regroup against Uruguay later in the week and as for the United States, there was no place like home on Sunday afternoon in Arlington. Next up for the hosts, Panama.
What’s next?
The Stars and Stripes continue their CONMEBOL Copa América journey on Thursday, June 27 against Concacaf rivals Panama at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. The Panamanians round out Group C’s opening day against Uruguay tonight at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Bolivia on the other hand face off against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay on Thursday, June 27 as well, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey for their second match in Group C.
Lineups:
United States: Matt Turner; Joe Scally, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson, Gio Reyna, Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie, Timothy Weah, Florian Balogun, Christian Pulisic
Used substitutes: Musah, Cardoso, Pepi, de la Torre, Aaronson
Cards: McKennie (Yellow)
Coach: Gregg Berhalter
Bolivia: Guillermo Viscarra; Luis Haquín, Jose Sagredo, Jesus Sagredo, Diego Medina, Leonel Justiniano, Roberto Fernandez, Bruno Miranda, Gabirel Villamil, Fernando Saucedo, César Menacho
Used substitutes: Terceros, Cuellar, Ramallo, Algaranaz, Vaca
Cards: Justiniano (Yellow), Villamil (Yellow), Haquin (Yellow), Sagredo (Yellow)
Coach: Antonio Carlos Zago
Referee: Maurizio Mariani (Italy)
Venue: AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas (USA)
Superior Player of the Match Michelob ULTRA: Christian Pulisic
Photo/UMSMT/X
Copa America contributed to this column
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