The United States Men’s National Team (USMNT) held Brazil to a 1-1 draw in a friendly match on Wednesday night, as both teams gear up for the upcoming Copa América tournament.
Christian Pulisic, the American forward, scored a clever free kick, helping the U.S. team rebound from a 5-1 loss to Colombia last weekend. This draw ended the U.S. team’s 11-match losing streak against Brazil, marking their record against the South American giants as 1-18-1. Their only win came in a 1998 CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinal.
Goalkeeper Matt Turner was a standout performer for the U.S., making 11 saves - the most by an American goalkeeper since Tim Howard’s 15 saves in the 2014 World Cup. “It’s obviously a huge bounce back performance for us,” Turner said. “We really stared in the face of adversity and we were able to bounce back a few days later.”
The U.S., one of the six invited guests to the Copa América, will open against Bolivia on June 23, followed by matches against Panama and Uruguay. Brazil, the last South American title winner in 2007, will face Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Colombia in the first round.
U.S. coach Gregg Berhalter expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance. “We feel like we made a little step. It’s not a huge step, but it’s a little step to be able to play against an amazingly talented Brazil team and bend but not break and I think give them problems, as well,” he said.
The match, held at the Camping World Stadium, drew a mostly pro-Brazilian crowd of 60,016, marking the largest attendance for a U.S. national team game in Florida.
The game saw some near misses, with Yunus Musah’s 25-yard shot hitting the crossbar in the fifth minute. Brazil took the lead when Rodrygo scored his sixth international goal, but Pulisic’s free kick equalized the score.
The U.S. team, wearing jerseys with rainbow numbers for Pride Month, is now looking forward to the tournament play. “It just puts us in a good place,” said Tim Ream. “Obviously, it’s a good result going into tournament play and I think that’s what we needed.”
