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Christian Pulisic’s goal secured the USMNT’s first-ever draw against Brazil.
Photograph: Gregg Newton/AFP/Getty Images
View image in fullscreen
Christian Pulisic’s goal secured the USMNT’s first-ever draw against Brazil.
Photograph: Gregg Newton/AFP/Getty Images
USA



AS COPA AMÉRICA APPROACHES, THE PRESSURE IS BUILDING ON USMNT’S GREGG BERHALTER

After a humiliating 5-1 defeat to Colombia, the US bounced back with a 1-1 draw
against Brazil. But that doesn’t mean everything is perfect for their coach


Tom Dart
Thu 13 Jun 2024 07.53 EDTLast modified on Thu 13 Jun 2024 09.00 EDT
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THE US BOUNCE BACK BIG

Shame is still a potent emotion in US soccer. It’s hard to believe the USMNT
could have conjured a performance as furious and focused on Wednesday had they
not been humiliated in their previous match a few days earlier and resolved to
make amends.



So this was an enthralling 1-1 draw with Brazil, brought to you thanks to last
Saturday’s 5-1 defeat to Colombia. The imprint of the collapse in Maryland was
stamped into the spirit of this performance in Orlando.

Intensity at a grade rarely seen in a friendly on the eve of a tournament, when
avoiding injury is a priority, was evident from the start. Yunus Musah thumped
the crossbar from long distance after four minutes then Christian Pulisic drove
at the defense, forcing Alisson into a save.



It compelled a strong Brazil team that looked as if they would have preferred a
more mellow Copa América tune-up to raise their game in the Florida heat. As
against Colombia, the US conceded an early goal, to Rodrygo; this time they did
not cave by committing glaring errors under pressure from some of the world’s
most electrifying forwards. Yet there were only two changes to the starting
lineup from last weekend, with Ricardo Pepi in for Folarin Balogun upfront and
Musah replacing Johnny Cardoso in midfield. And again, the US’s key playmaker,
Gio Reyna, was relatively quiet.

“It’s obviously a huge bounce back performance for us,” goalkeeper Matt Turner
told reporters, a couple of days after he had apologized to fans for the
Colombia loss. “We really stared in the face of adversity and we were able to
bounce back a few days later. And in tournament play that’s so, so important
because not every result, not every call is going to go your way.”


SETTING A TEMPLATE

This was not far off from a realistic best-case scenario for the US in any match
against one of the planet’s top teams: absorb plenty of attacks and ride some
luck (Vinicius Junior was lively though wasteful for Brazil) but grab a
set-piece goal and even create enough chances to sneak a winner.

Brazil had 61% of the possession and 25 shots yet the US might still have won,
with Christian Pulisic missing a terrific chance to finish off a move in the
second half and substitute Brenden Aaronson also going close. It was the kind of
inspired night that has you imagining that the US could upset one of the
favorites at a major tournament, whether in the imminent Copa América or the
2026 World Cup.



After falling well below the expected level against Colombia, the US recovered
impressively to end an 11-game losing streak against Brazil that dated back 26
years and secure a first-ever draw between the nations.


AMBITION PAYS OFF

The US weren’t trying to play safe, easy passes, and they weren’t afraid to give
up possession, even against such talented opponents. By their direct, aggressive
approach, the US wanted to send a message, as much to themselves as to Brazil.
The statement? The last match was an aberration. We can go toe-to-toe with
opponents of this caliber.

That attitude created the equalizer, with Pulisic fouled on the edge of the box
after boldly driving towards goal. Then, in a coup de théâtre that looked like
it was conceived on the training ground, Musah and Tim Weah darted across
Alisson’s line of sight just before Pulisic struck the ball, perhaps fleetingly
distracting the goalkeeper and delaying his dive for a shot that the Milan
forward drilled superbly into the corner.

That mentality was also present at the other end of the field, where the US
played the ball out from the back with composure. Nothing unusual for good
teams, of course, but a courageous approach against a side as potent and ready
to pounce as Brazil. Especially given how slapdash the passing was against
Colombia in the heaviest defeat of the Berhalter era and the first by more than
a two-goal margin since 2019.

No one was calmer amid the maelstrom than Tim Ream, the 36-year-old center back
who played the whole game and found himself up against Endrick, the 17-year-old
prodigy who came off the bench in the second half.

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Matt Turner was back to his best against Brazil. Photograph: Cristóbal
Herrera/EPA


TURNER RETURNS TO TOP FORM



Subverting the conventional wisdom about playing time and rust, Turner was in
better form for his country when he was a back-up at club level than when he had
a run of first-team football. A star for the US in Qatar, after moving from
Arsenal to Nottingham Forest in 2023 for some sustained action his performances
declined. Not to the degree that US head coach Gregg Berhalter needed to drop
him, but to the point that observers often found themselves wondering after a
goal: could he have done better with that? Perhaps it was a question of
confidence more than a need for consistent starts.

That only one of Brazil’s 12 on-target efforts (twice as many as Colombia,
incidentally) rippled the net was thanks to some below-par shooting but also to
Turner, who had an outstanding night. True, Brazil’s goal came after his risky
kick towards Musah was intercepted. After that, Turner, who’ll be 30 later this
month, made a string of fine stops. Against Colombia he had sunk to his knees in
despair. His rapid distribution in the second half helped set up chances, too.

Not only were his 11 saves the most in his international career, they were the
largest number for a USMNT goalkeeper since Tim Howard’s legendary 16-stop
performance in a losing cause against Belgium in the 2014 World Cup, which
earned the Secretary of Defense praise from the actual President. With Joe Biden
unavailable late on Wednesday, Turner had to settle for being named Michelob
Ultra Man of the Match.


IT’S BEEN EDUCATIONAL

The outcome and display eased some of the scrutiny on Berhalter … at least until
he names his Copa squad later this week. If the coach is to shoulder a share of
the blame for the defensive debacle in the late stages of the Colombia lashing,
then he merits a portion of the credit for one of the best nights of his
71-match reign.

“We feel like we made a little step,” a characteristically circumspect Berhalter
told reporters. “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 I think
give them problems, as well.”

As the US tiptoe into a tournament that will act as a referendum on his
managerial ability, it would be unwise to obsess too deeply about the meaning of
exhibition games, yet also wrong to dismiss these two fixtures as mere
rehearsals: they could prove more revealing about the team’s direction and 2026
prospects than their opening Copa game on 23 June against Bolivia, who are
ranked 85th by Fifa – in the same neighborhood as Gabon, Zambia and Luxembourg.

The US’s previous game, in March, was a 2-0 win over Mexico in the final of the
Concacaf Nations League. But victories over one of the worst Mexico teams in
generations are a devalued currency. The El Tri yardstick isn’t as accurate a
measuring tool as it once was.



That makes the absence of a signature win over European or South American
opposition more glaring, and every opportunity to claim one more significant,
trophy or no trophy. There hasn’t been such a victory since 2015, four years
before Berhalter took control, when the US beat the Netherlands and Germany in
friendlies. This game, like the goalless draw against England at Qatar 2022, was
another creditable close call in that search for a signature win.

Panama, who the US face in their second group game in Atlanta on 27 June, are
familiar Concacaf foes. But the concluding group fixture in Kansas City on 1
July against Uruguay – who beat Brazil and Argentina last year during World Cup
qualifying – will be instructive. And after the deflation and elation of the
past few days, no one on the US roster can be in any doubt about what it will
take to get a result against one of the finest teams in South America.

Explore more on these topics
 * USA
 * Copa América
 * US sports
 * Christian Pulisic
 * features

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