USA v Brazil – 6/12/24 Friendly Recap

Allstate Continental Classico (friendly)
@ Camping World Stadium in Orlando Florida
7PM ET : June 12 2024
Lukas Bernard, Olé Mundo Correspondence.

Going into this match, my skepticism only grew towards the USMNT playing two high-level friendlies within two weeks of the start of Copa America 2024. A consecutive loss would be demoralizing for a team that was in desperate need of a moral boost after getting picked apart 5-1 by Columbia last week.

My skepticism continued with US Manager Greg Bethalter as well. A feeling that we had gotten back with our Ex and had already gone back to bad tendencies was lingering. It doesn’t help that Berhalter has a history of horrible performances leading into major cups. The opportunity for an American collapse was tapping at the door.

Within 5 minutes of play, a collective sigh of relief could be heard through the U.S., as our boys seemed sharp, driven, and focused on rebounding from the Colombian bashing. Just into the 4th minute, Yunus Musah unleashed a cannon from 25 yards out crushing the underside of the crossbar. The shot somehow deflected downward hitting Allison’s backside and stalling just outside of the goal-line. I caught myself in this moment thinking how the soccer gods clearly prefer to dance the samba. In hand, it also felt as if the strike seemingly rang hope through this squad and their chances to compete against a world giant.

A willingness to commit to defense and build out of the back flexed a new strength from the USMNT. Setting a deep line of defense the U.S. stretched Brazil forward opening up opportunities. Center back Tim Ream strived to own the defensive third with a calm collected poise. The U.S. defense connected with central Midfielders Geo Reyna and Weston Mckinnie in a way that was nonexistent the week prior. Reyna and Mckinnie both distributed the ball with intention and fueled the American attack led by Christian Pulisic and Timothy Weah. Reyna, who had a poor performance against Colombia, looked like the better version of himself creating change within the match. With this being said, the U.S. midfield still left a bit to be desired. Team Captain Tyler Adams was yet again left out of the starting lineup as he recovers from injury. Adams subbed in late into the game, making a rare appearance after a torn hamstring and back spasms have kept him from playing much the previous year. Adams inclusion showcased some future promise for the U.S. midfield going into Copa America ‘24.

U.S. Goalkeeper Matt Turner looked a bit shaky to start, but I do question whether that’s his expressive ‘resting fear face’ and if that affects my perception of him.

A poor outlet pass by Turner led to the build-up of Rodrygo’s 17th minute goal. Turner’s concession seemingly lit a fire under him as he played amazingly tallying 10 saves including some last second terrors.

Shortly after conceding, a stab at the ball just outside of the penalty box awarded the US a promising free kick. Allison set his wall to cover his far post, but also cheated that direction as Pulisic struck the ball. Pulisic chose near post and got a curling skip off the wet pitch. Pulisic’s 26th minute goal was exactly what he needed for his confidence and leadership. His goal was also exactly what the U.S. needed being a goal down. I will say that I found myself wishing that the U.S. would have scored one of their stellar team-build-up opportunities as Pulisic’s goal did seem a bit lucky. Maybe the soccer gods are reconsidering.

The final five minutes of the match were high stakes and high intensity. Brazil peppered the U.S. goal with winning attempts- as the U.S. counter attacked creating great opportunities of their own. Both Pulisic and Brendan Aaronson had strong chances to win the match, as Allison proved why he is the best in the world. An extremely nervous moment in the 96th minute stemmed from a free kick that saw Turner making yet another massive save for the Americans, leading to a corner. On the edge of my seat I watched a final goal-line meeting between Vinicius Jr. and Turner, of which a surprisingly bad touch from Vini left the scoreline level.

I celebrated the draw as the final whistle blew. With this being the US’s first time drawing against Brazil, I kept bouncing back to the thought that we could have won that match. Even as a draw, this is a major u-turn in the right direction for the USMNT going into Copa America. Tyler Adams summed things up perfectly, quoting that the pursuit of performing needs to outweigh the pursuit of a result.

Brazil did not look to be at their ultimate best, although their starting lineup looked untouchable on paper. Rodrygo and Vini Jr. looked content to avoid injury and play the game as a true ‘friendly’. With that said, these two would also take moments to showcase their creativity and turbo-speed that most defenders live in fear of. This potential is a touch worrisome going into the cup. The late substitution of 17 year old Endrick seemed like the arrival of young royalty. The promise of Endrick adds yet another fear toward future matchups. The potential of a knockout match between these two teams should have the Americans embracing the challenge with their new found hope.

What a big moment for U.S. soccer as many things started to click. Weah and Pulisic both looked very dangerous on the ball. Reyna and Mckinnie enforced the middle of the pitch and distributed well. Ream looked calm and collected. Turner had lots of huge saves and late game heroics. Tyler Adams returned and the other American subs made an impact on the game. Team tactics and chemistry seemed strong. Berhalter is out of the hot seat…for the moment.

Our record now stands 1-18-1 (W-L-D) against Brazil, showcasing the importance of this draw in the moment. Being that we could/should face Brazil in the knockout round, let’s keep our hopes high to start climbing out of this historic hole.

We now await Group C in Copa America, which includes Uruguay, Bolivia and Panama. The grouping provides some promise to the U.S. fans, although our history weighs the scale in the opposite direction. Hopefully the blatant lesson was learned from these pre-cup matches that the USMNT cant coast to any wins, and how passion, intention, focus and adaptability are clearly a cornerstone to any hopes of success.

The U.S. will play its next match against Bolivia on June 23rd, as they open their group stage for Copa America 2024.

(Credit USSoccer.com)