COPA AMÉRICA 2024
Is USMNT eliminated from the Copa América if they lose against Uruguay?
Berhalter’s side are on the ropes in the group stage of the Copa América, and a poor result could spell the end of their tournament.
If Gregg Berhalter can press ‘send the teamsheets to CONCACAF’ on his computer with such severely bitten fingernails, then he’s already halfway there. The USMNT manager is on the ropes ahead of their clash against Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay side this evening at Arrowhead Stadium, with a win a near-must if he wants to keep his Copa América(n) dream alive.
The USMNT beat Bolivia in their first game of the group stages with a comfortable 2-0 victory. Goals from Pulisic and Balogun set them up for their second tie of the round, against Panama. However, Thomas Christiensen’s side threw them a curveball, coming back from 0-1 down to turn the game around and win 2-1 thanks to a couple of second half goals.
Now, ahead of the final game, the US are looking over the cliff edge into the darkness. And the Celeste beast is staring right back at them.
Do the USMNT need to win against Uruguay?
In a word: no; in five: it would be incredibly helpful. The US don’t necessarily need to win the Copa América game against Uruguay to go through to the next round as the second placed team in the group: Panama losing to Bolivia would see the Central American side unable to move past third.
However, that game against Bolivia looks like an easy ride for Christensen’s impressive outfit, and a win would see them move to 6 points. In that case, the US would indeed need a win against Uruguay to keep ahead of them.
The maths, then, is simple: equal or better Panama’s result, and the US remain alive.
When put like that, the pressure feels off, and things seem to fall into place from a mental maths point of view. Now add in the Bielsa measurement and watch the equations fizz and curl off the paper in front of you: Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay side look like the best team in the competition right now and the team I would least like to go up against needing to dig deep and find a result.
| Position | Team | Points | Goal difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uruguay | 6 | +7 |
| 2 | USA | 3 | +1 |
| 3 | Panama | 3 | -1 |
| 4 | Bolivia | 0 | -7 |
They have sizzled past just about everyone in South America over the past months and are currently the only team to know what it’s like to beat this iteration of the World Cup winning Argentina side, having bossed them at La Bombonera. They also crushed Brazil late last year and swatted aside Mexico like, well, Mexico.
It won’t be an easy task for Berhalter to beat Bielsa, but if there is any point in his tenure where he needs the players to play for him, it is now. The game between the USA and Uruguay will be played on Monday, 1 July 2024. Kick-off is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. PT.