On June 28, the host United States lost 1-2 to Panama in Atlanta, creating a major upset in the Copa America group stage. After the game, US captain Christian Pulisic urged his teammates to play “the best game of their lives” in the final round against tough opponent Uruguay.
The United States suffered a tough loss in the game, with forward Timothy Weah being sent off in the first half for a silly retaliation, and the hosts had been struggling for the remaining 70 minutes. In the final round of the group stage, if the United States fails to earn points against the strongest team in the group, Uruguay, they will likely miss the knockout stages. To advance directly without relying on other teams, the United States needs a crucial victory to achieve this goal.
After the game, US captain Christian Pulisic spoke to the media, saying: “We need to go to Kansas with passion and pride representing the country, we need to play the best game of our lives, that’s it. We want to go into the game, we want to win, we want to keep playing in the Copa America.”
Although the United States are not in a situation where they must beat Uruguay to advance, it is clearly very difficult to count on Bolivia, who have not played outside their homeland for 9 years, to stop Panama. If Panama wins, then the United States will only have one way to go, to win the last round. On this, Pulisic said: “I don’t feel pressure about the situation, the game against Uruguay is no different from any other game. If we need to beat Uruguay to qualify, then we will do it. I’m honored to represent my country in an international tournament, and I’m very excited about it.”
United States midfielder Tyler Adams also said that the loss in the second round was a learning experience, saying: “We learned a lot from the game against Panama, and I’m willing to see it as a microcosm for our upcoming games. Uruguay is a very good team, and we need to be at our best. But at the end of the day, when we have 11 players on the field, we’re absolutely able to go toe-to-toe with them.”
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