The U.S. men’s national team’s run at a Copa America title begins on Sunday against Bolivia.
Gregg Berhalter’s squad heads into their first group stage match with confidence after drawing Brazil 1-1 back on June 12. Christian Pulisic found the back of the net through a clever free kick finish while goalkeeper Matt Turner made 11 saves in the match.
Joe Scally, Tim Ream, and Antonee Robinson were also among the positive performers for the USMNT.
Bolivia, who will be expected to finish last in Group C, has three players on its roster with 50 international caps or more. Carlos Lampe will be tough to get past in net while defender Jose Sagredo and midfielder Leonel Justiniano will anchor the rest of the squad.
Here is the starting lineup we could see the USMNT deploy against Bolivia on Sunday, as well as the lineup we would deploy if we were making the final lineup decisions:
GOALKEEPER
Who should start: Matt Turner
Matt Turner entered the Brazil friendly with a lot of questions to answer, but did so in fine fashion.
Turner made 11 saves against the Brazilians, overcoming an early error to deliver a strong performance. He not only denied Vinicius Junior in the latter stages of the match but also Rodrygo, who had scored past him in the first half.
Turner remains the No. 1 for the USMNT heading into the tournament.
DEFENDERS
Who should start: Joe Scally, Chris Richards, Tim Ream, Antonee Robinson
Gregg Berhalter used the same backline in both friendlies and I expect him to stay with them against Bolivia.
Joe Scally did plenty to boost his stock and confidence, limiting both Luis Diaz and Vinicius Junior in the friendly matches. Scally was strong defensively and also showed some glimpses of linking up in the attacking third.
Scally remains the USMNT’s No. 1 right back unless something drastically changes.
Tim Ream and Chris Richards did not impress against Colombia, but did well…
Source link : https://sbisoccer.com/2024/06/who-should-start-for-the-usmnt-vs-bolivia
Author : Larry Henry Jr
Publish date : 2024-06-18 00:50:51
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