The United States men’s national team’s preparation for the Copa America got off to a sputtering start as a series of errors saw them throttled by Colombia in Landover, Maryland, on Saturday.
Head coach Gregg Berhalter went with his customary 4-3-3, with Joe Scally getting the nod at right-back as he auditioned to fill in for the injured Sergino Dest. Johnny Cardoso got the start in midfield alongside Gio Reyna and Weston McKennie while up top Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, and Tim Weah looked to put pressure on the Colombian backline.
Things got off to a rough start for the Americans in the sixth minute of play when Jhon Arias opened the scoring. Antonee Robinson’s attempt at a sliding clearance from James Rodriguez’s through ball was laid perfectly into the path of the winger and he made the U.S. pay as he fired his shot past Matt Turner.
Rafael Santos Bore then doubled Colombia’s lead in the 19th minute when he connected with an overhead kick.
The U.S. sputtered out of the gate, but they came close to cutting the deficit in the 31st minute by accident. Pulisic played the ball out wide to Robinson who tried to cross it into the center of the area. However, it did not reach its intended target as Pulisic somehow ended up putting his headed attempt on target and forcing Colombian goalkeeper Camilo Vargas to make a quick save.
Despite the rough first half, the Copa America host would finally get on the scoreboard in the 58th minute. Balogun would hold the ball and then play it to Weah in the 18-yard box to slot his effort home.
However, that would be the only bright spot as the error-prone American side allowed Colombia to go on a tear in the late stages of the contest.
La Tricolor restored their two-goal lead in the 77th minute when Cardoso lost the ball at midfield. Richard Rios pounced on the loose ball and fed it to Luis Sinisterra. Every American player in the box had their attention on their attention the winger which allowed him to send a low cross into the path of a wide-open Rios to fire home.
Jorge Carrascal made it 4-1 in the 85th minute when Weah tried to dribble the ball up the field only for him to lose possession. Juan Quintero recovered the ball and went on the charge toward the U.S. goal, setting up Carrascal to finish off the play.
Colombia sealed the game in the 89th minute when Jhon Lucumi intercepted a pass from Cameron Carter-Vickers that was not directed at anyone. He then played it to Quintero who slotted it over Sinisterra to put it in the back of the net.
This game was not certainly the way the U.S. wanted to head into the Copa America and there will be a lot of concern as to how they will fare against Brazil when they take on the Selecao on Wednesday in Orlando, Florida.
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