USA outclassed Bolivia in second gear at the Copa America - but cracks need filling if Christian Pulisic and his team are to go far in the knockouts
- READ MORE: Christian Pulisic reveals what USA stars demand of each other
- READ MORE: Pulisic dazzles for the United States in Copa America opening win
- READ MORE: Pulisic says it's time for USA to 'prove ourselves' at Copa America
While the entire 90 minutes of the match against Bolivia screams dominance from the United States, in reality, it was a tale of two halves - but bizarre versions of them.
The first half was the one where the goals were scored - but the offense often stumbled and got in their own way before chances could come about.
Then came the second half - where the Americans were fleet of foot, where passes connected and crosses were aplenty. Yet, not a single goal was to be found.
Gregg Berhalter's men left the field with heads held high but admitted that they could have done better.
'I think in a lot of ways, yes,' said captain Christian Pulisic when asked if his team felt like they lived up to their standards. 'There's always things we can improve on. I'm not going to say it was perfect, but yeah.'
There are some areas of Gregg Berhalter's US men's national team side that need improving
But the United States can walk out of Arlington with heads held high after a 2-0 victory
It was a perfect assessment of an imperfect game. Yes, the Americans showed their class and dominated the field - letting Bolivia only have six shots to the United States' 20.
But some cracks showed - ones that will need fixing if the USA hopes to achieve their goal of deep advancement in this tournament.
At least the US showed that they were the better team right from the start.
Pulisic's goal was sublime. Off a short corner, he rocketed a shot off the crossbar and down into the net to take the advantage just 141 seconds into the contest.
What followed was 35 minutes of frustrating football where the USMNT pushed deep, but continued to stumble over themselves. The Americans were left wanting for a goal when Folarin Balogun finally broke his duck and bagged his fourth in a USMNT uniform.
Half no. 2 saw brilliant linkup play on the wings - with fullback Antonee 'Jedi' Robinson pushing up the pitch on the left side and Timothy Weah dominating the right side.
The only problem is the goals didn't come - not with Balogun and not with his replacement, Ricardo Pepi, who had multiple shots saved.
Credit for those saves truly goes to Guillermo Viscarra - Bolivia's best player on the night - who managed six stopped shots against the Americans.
This was also the half that Bolivia generated its biggest chances - often through clumsy defensive giveaways.
Timothy Weah had a dominant night on the right flank for the United States against Bolivia
Ricardo Pepi (9) did a great job of generating chances, but he couldn't finish any of them
So with all of this said there are two questions that need answering: 1) what did we learn about the United States from this game? and 2) what do their prospects look like for this tournament - and beyond?
First, we learned that the United States has the pieces to be a very talented team.
It was shown throughout the match for some, and in spurts for others. Christian Pulisic's goal and his assist on Balogun's converted shot showed that he was the best player on the pitch for the Americans on Sunday.
There's promise in the attack as well as the midfield - especially once Tyler Adams gets back to 100 percent fitness.
His presence was missed in the second half after being taken off in a decision that Adams said was Berhalter's - despite the midfielder insisting that he was healthy enough to continue.
In reality, this is a game that should have finished with a scoreline of 3-0 or 4-0 or even 5-0 against a side which showed that the US could outclass their South American opposition.
The Americans dominated so well that the scoreline could have been much more in their favor
Which brings us to question number two: what does this mean for the United States going forward?
It's important to look at what awaits them in the knockouts - if, of course, they reach them (which they are expected to).
If the Americans win the group, they will likely play one of Colombia, Paraguay, or Costa Rica. Coming in second likely means they face off against Brazil.
Which is what made Sunday night's matchup against Bolivia - and the match between group-mates Uruguay and Panama - so important.
With a 3-1 win over Panama, Uruguay sits top of Group C on goals scored. If just one of Pepi's shots go in, if a chance from Weah doesn't go wide, or if Balogun could have converted one of his many first half shots, the Americans could be top of the group.
It leads to this hypothetical: the United States can still top the group if they manage a win over Panama and a draw with Uruguay, so long as they have a better goal difference. But right now, that advantage is with Uruguay instead.
It puts the Americans in a position of need - they'll have to dominate their Thursday game against Panama in order to have that chance of topping the group without a win over Uruguay when the two teams play in Kansas City on July 1.
US Soccer hopes growth and success in this tournament will push the team forward for 2026
But while advancement is the goal directly in front of them, US Soccer is viewing this tournament as a chance to truly build toward the 2026 World Cup.
Some of the positives have already started to develop. We've heard multiple times this week about player attitudes and demanding more from each other.
That's in part because the team has had so much time to gel and bond in the three weeks they've been in training.
The longer they last in this tournament, the deeper that bond can grow - which will be important in the long term.
So yes, the United States will want to win the Copa America. But along the way, they'll get a rare opportunity to grow as a team in a way that they don't normally with other international tournaments. The deeper they progress, the stronger they grow as a unit.
It could spark a turning point in the perception of this team - going from pretenders to contenders at a World Cup that is expected to have a large impact on the sport in the United States.
Success at the Copa America might not just be in the form of a tournament win or a loss - it could reveal itself fully in the years to come.
