Watch USMNT vs Uruguay Live Stream at Copa America 2024 Today
After the 2-1 loss to Panama on Thursday night in Atlanta, United States men’s national team captain Christian Pulisic was asked how he would approach the challenge of facing Uruguay on Monday with his team’s Copa America hopes on the line.
“We accept every challenge,” Pulisic said. “We have to go out there and represent our country with passion and pride. We have to go out there and play the best game of our lives, that’s all.”
Pulisic hesitated again when asked to return to that quote on Sunday.
Yes, the United States needs a result against a very good Uruguay team to advance to the eight-team knockout stage, provided Panama beats Bolivia, beaten in both games so far by a combined score of 7-0, in the other Group C game taking place at the same time. Yes, the pressure is enormous for the United States to get out of the group. But there are ways to do it that don’t require extraordinary performances.
“Looking back, I don’t think it’s true. I don’t think we had to play the best game of our lives,” Pulisic said. “Maybe I was a little bit emotional.
“I think we have to play a very strong game. I know we have a good enough team to do it, to put in a very good performance. That means starting with intensity, not letting emotions get the better of us, sticking to our game plan, having confidence that we have a good enough team and that after 90 minutes we can score a goal and go ahead and win the game.
“So I think we just need a really good performance. The best game of our lives would be great, but it doesn’t happen often.”
Pulisic celebrates his first American goal at the 2024 Copa America (Omar Vega/Getty Images)
It will take a special talent to beat a highly talented Uruguay side, although manager Marcelo Bielsa, beloved by Leeds United fans after leading the English club back to the Premier League in July 2020 after 16 seasons in the second and even third tier, will be absent from the bench. The Argentine will be suspended for one game tonight after his side came off the bench late in the second half of last week’s 5-0 win over Bolivia.
For an American team that has yet to record a notable victory outside its region, Monday represents a prime opportunity to cross that title off the list.
Here’s a look at what’s at stake for Gregg Berhalter and the U.S. men’s national team, and what you need to know ahead of the group stage finale in Kansas City (9 p.m. ET).
What’s at stake?
The United States sit second in their Copa America group, but after losing to Panama last week in Atlanta (a game in which they played with 10 men for 70 minutes), they now likely need to get a result against one of the tournament favourites in order to qualify for the quarter-finals.
A win would allow the United States to advance to the next round, although three points alone might not be enough. The United States has a two-goal lead over Panama on goal difference, the primary tiebreaker in this tournament. So if Panama beats Bolivia in Orlando, the United States not only has to beat Uruguay, but it has to do so while protecting that two-goal advantage.
The United States could also advance to the round of 16 if Panama draws with Bolivia or if Bolivia beats Panama. They could even advance to the round of 16 if Bolivia beats Panama and fails to close a significant gap on the United States in terms of goal differential. The United States is currently +1, while Bolivia is -7.
Panama are favourites to beat Bolivia, in a match that will start at the same time.
Although Uruguay are yet to qualify for the next round after two games, they sit comfortably top of the table with six points and a goal differential of +7 and only need to avoid a four-goal defeat to the United States to stay ahead of the hosts in the standings.
The winner of Group C will play a round of 16 match against the runner-up of Group D (Brazil or Colombia) at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on Saturday, July 6. The runner-up of Group C will play the winner of Group D (the other of Brazil and Colombia) at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, also on July 6.
Results so far:
- June 23: USAMNT 2-0 Bolivia; Uruguay 3-1 Panama
- June 27: USAMNT 1-2 Panama; Uruguay 5-0 Bolivia
Key areas to watch
The United States will have to find an interesting balance between using and embracing the emotion of a crucial game in front of their home crowd at Arrowhead Stadium, and finding a way to not open up too much against a Uruguay team that is incredibly dangerous up front.
“Looking at Uruguay, they do two things that are really high level,” Berhalter said. “The intensity with which they play, the speed at which they play, the way they maintain the intensity throughout the game is a different level. Looking at the data, they are above and beyond the other teams in this tournament.
Bielsa gives instructions during Uruguay’s win over Bolivia (Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
“The second thing is the counter-attack, the transition. When they get the ball back, they immediately position themselves behind the back line. And that’s something we have to be prepared for.”
Uruguay’s dominance has been led by Liverpool’s Darwin Nuñez and Real Madrid’s Federico Valverde, although they are bolstered by the likes of Facundo Pellistri, 22, who spent the second half of the season on loan from Manchester United at Granada, Flamengo’s Nicolás de la Cruz and Toluca’s Maximiliano Araujo.
So what’s it like to face a Bielsa side? “You win the ball back and they immediately attack you, forcing you to make a mistake,” says Paul Warne, who faced Bielsa’s Leeds while managing Rotherham United in 2018-19. “It starts to get to your head pretty quickly and you get tired. If the ball gets to your full-back, he either has to make sure he plays the perfect pass from there or they steal it from you and take it back. It gets exhausting. You don’t have time to breathe.”
The American backline and midfield will be tasked with limiting Uruguay’s impact, and it will be interesting to see how they go about replacing Tim Weah on the right wing after his red card against Panama.
Weah brings verticality and the ability to take players on 1-on-1s. There is no similar replacement in this U.S. team, though Berhalter has options such as Haji Wright and Brenden Aaronson, and could also move Gio Reyna to the wing and play with the 2022 World Cup midfield of Tyler Adams, Weston McKennie and Yunus Musah.
Finally, USMNT goalkeeper Matt Turner was substituted at halftime against Panama after injuring his left leg. Early signs were positive but Turner only participated in limited training this weekend and his availability to face Uruguay is not confirmed.
Turner was injured after a heavy fall against Panama (Eliecer Aizprua Banfield/Jam Media/Getty Images)
Who are the managers?
Marcelo Bielsa took charge of Uruguay in May 2023 and the team known as La Celeste (the light blue of the home jersey in Spanish) has thrived under the famous manager, going 9-2-3, including wins over Brazil and reigning Copa America and World Cup champions Argentina in World Cup qualifying. Bielsa, who coached his native Argentina at the 2002 World Cup, has also managed the Chile national team and coached several club teams, most recently Leeds United.
Bielsa is suspended for the match against the United States (Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Bielsa will be suspended for this match due to Uruguay’s late exit at half-time in the win over Bolivia. Long-time assistants Diego Reyes and Pablo Quiroga will lead the team.
The U.S. team is led by Gregg Berhalter, who was hired in 2019 and led the team last cycle through the 2022 World Cup, where it advanced out of the group before losing to the Netherlands in the first round of a 16-team knockout round.
Berhalter, a former coach of MLS’s Columbus Crew, is 44-16-13 in 73 games as the USMNT’s head coach and 29-8-7 in 44 games in competitive play. The United States has won three consecutive CONCACAF Nations League crowns under Berhalter.
Berhalter greets U.S. fans after victory over Bolivia (Aric Becker/AFP via Getty Images)
Who said what?
Reyes, Uruguay’s assistant coach, on Bielsa’s absence: “As a staff, we have been working with Marcelo for a very long time and preparing for the match is something we do as a team. Of course, Marcelo’s absence due to his suspension is important, we are taking all the precautions so that it affects us as little as possible, but we are sure that even if Marcelo is not here, we will be able to implement everything we have been working on not only for this match, but for a very long time.”
Pulisic on the importance of qualifying for the Copa America for the growth of the sport in the United States, which is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with neighbors Canada and Mexico: “It’s a major tournament. We’re all extremely motivated, we want to put in a very good performance, especially at home. Here in the United States, we want to show everyone that we’re here to compete with the best. We want to continue to participate in the tournament because that’s our competitive nature.”
Berhalter on playing smart but aggressive against Uruguay: “You have to be measured. It’s a 90-minute game, it’s not about exposing yourself or opening up in the first few minutes of the game, it’s about playing your whole game. It’s about managing the game accordingly and knowing that they have very good strengths, but also weaknesses, and we have to be aware of that. Our job as a staff is to prepare the players, stay calm and be prepared for the different scenarios that can happen during the game.”
How can I watch?
In the United States, the match will be broadcast live on FS1 in English, and on Univision and TUDN in Spanish.
(Top photo: Carmen Mandato/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)