06/22/2024
After almost three decades, USA and Bolivia They will face each other again in the America Cup, in a match that promises to be an exciting challenge for both teams. While the host team has shown significant growth in recent years, Bolivia is still searching for a generational change that has not yet materialized.
Till the date, The United States and Bolivia have faced each other eight times. Of these matches, seven were friendly matches, and the balance is even with two wins for each team and four draws. The only time both teams met in a Copa América was in 1995 in Uruguay. In that match, the Bolivians won 1-0 thanks to a goal from the legendary forward Marco Antonio “The Devil” Etcheverrywho is well known in the MLS.
In their last two friendlies, the United States has dominated Bolivia decisively, winning 4-0 in 2016 and 3-0 in 2018. In the 2016 match, Christian Pulisic He became the youngest player to score for the North American team, at just 17 years and 253 days old. Today, known as the “Captain America”, Pulisic plays for Milan and is a key player in the team led by Gregg Berhalter.
The “Stars and Stripes” team has shown significant progress in international football. Although sports such as baseball, basketball and football remain more popular in the United States, The level of the men’s soccer team has improved considerably. A clear example of this is the recent 1-1 draw against Brazil, a result that demonstrates their ability to compete with the best teams.
In addition to Pulisic, the coach Gregg Berhalter will probably have figures like the goalkeeper Nottingham Forest’s Matt Turner midfielder Yunus Musah, Pulisic’s teammate at Milan, and forward Tim Weah, who plays for Italian club Juventus. These players, along with other young talents, look to take the United States to new heights in the continental tournament.
Bolivia, for its part, has not managed to maintain the level it had in the 1990s, when it qualified for the 1994 World Cup in the United States and was runner-up in the Copa América in 1997. Since November 2023, the Bolivian team has been directed by Brazilian Antonio Carlos Zago, who faces the challenge of returning it to the path of success.
They come into this match with a recent record of four lost friendlies and just one 1-0 win against Andorra in March. Without its all-time top scorerMarcelo Moreno Martins, who retired, Bolivia is looking for new leaders in the field. The Strongest’s goalkeeper Guillermo Billy Viscarra will likely guard the goal, while up front they could be Carmelo Algarañaz from Always Ready and César Menacho from Bloomingwho inherited Martins’ number 9.
Zago could also count on some of the few “legionnaires”, including midfielder Gabriel Villamil of Liga de Quito, to try to reverse the trend of not progressing from the group stage in the last three editions of the Copa América.
