Matt Turner, the goalkeeper for the United States, stated on Tuesday that no team at the 2024 Copa América should be taken lightly. He also rejected the idea that the USMNT should no longer focus only on winning.
After the squad’s 2-0 Copa opener against Bolívia on Sunday, Turner was reacting to claims that the team has to win in flair or by more lopsided scores against lower-ranked opponents.
“No, we’ll never have that luxury,” Turner said in a press conference on Tuesday. “I think you take wins when you get wins, no matter the context. You take the result — especially in tournament play, is the end all be all. I implore people to not lose sight of that.”
After one matchday, the United States and Uruguay are tied for first place in Group C thanks to goals from captain Christian Pulisic in the first half and Folarin Balogun in the second half. The victory occurred on Monday in Arlington, Texas. “I think any time you can win a game in an important, worldwide competition, a big-time tournament, it’s good for the program, it’s good for us,” Turner stated.
Of course, there are things that we could have done better, but that’s the whole point of competitions: you want to keep becoming stronger and better as a team, as well as strengthen your camaraderie and culture.
On Thursday in Atlanta, each team’s second group-stage match pits the United States against Concacaf rival Panama. Gregg Berhalter’s team could advance to the Copa America knockout round with a win, setting them up for next week’s group-stage match against Uruguay. In a penalty shootout,
Panama defeated the United States in the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinal the previous year. Turner added, “They bring man-to-man pressure” regarding Panama. “They’re a team that has a lot of really talented players and athletes. It’s to be expected — a physical game, really competitive.”
