USA vs Bolivia: Preview, predictions and team news

USMNT’s road to the Copa America final begins on June 23 as the USA take on Bolivia in the tournament’s first Group C fixture.

The U.S. Men’s National Team has high expectations heading into Copa America 2024 on their home soil. The USA were drawn into Group C along with Uruguay, Panama, and Bolivia, and Gregg Berhalter’s squad should have no issues advancing to the Knockout Stage.

Before the USMNT can dream of the quarter-finals, though, they must start out strong against Bolivia, a team who has not beaten the Stars and Stripes this century. The host nation is due for a statement game after their 5-1 loss to Colombia and 1-1 draw to Brazil, and La Verde are the perfect opponents.

Here’s 90min’s guide to USA vs Bolivia on June 23.

USA vs Bolivia H2H record (last five games)

Current form (all competitions)

The USA struggled to find a win in their two international friendlies leading up to Copa America 2024, but Berhalter’s men start out the competition against a much easier opponent in Bolivia. The match presents the perfect opportunity for Joe Scally, the new starting right-back for the USMNT after Sergino Dest’s injury, to get comfortable on the big stage.

Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, and Tim Weah should get plenty of opportunities up top against Bolivia’s defense. The forwards will look to find the back of the net multiple times after being held to just one goal against both Colombia and Brazil.

USA predicted lineup vs Bolivia ( 4-3-3 ): Turner; Scally, Richards, Ream, Robinson; McKennie, Adams, Reyna; Weah, Balogun, Pulisic

Bolivia are coming into the Copa America only having won two of their last 14 matches. La Verde have struggled to find a consistent starting XI, and the constant changes in formation and players seem to have hurt the team rather than helped.

A positive for Bolivia, though, is just how many matches they have played leading up to the tournament. From March until June, Antonio Carlos Zago’s squad have participated in five international friendlies, with their best performance coming against Andorra in a 1-0 victory.

Bolivia predicted lineup vs USA (4-4-2): Lampe; Medina, Haquin, Je. Sagredo, Jo. Sagredo; Cuellar, Saucedo, Vaca, Fernandez; Miranda, Algaranaz

The USA should beat Bolivia in a comfortable fashion. The Stars and Stripes have plenty of firepower to capitalize on the shaky defense of La Verde.

Bolivia have also not found the back of the net in seven of their last 14 matches, a statistic that does not bode well for Zago’s men against the backline of the USMNT. In fact, in the last three meetings of the two sides, Bolivia has not scored a single goal.

Prediction: USA 2-0 Bolivia

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90 Mins