ATLANTA — American goalkeeper Matt Turner said Tuesday that no team should be taken lightly in the 2024 Copa América and dismissed the premise that winning is no longer enough for the USMNT.
Turner was responding to suggestions that the team needs to win in style or with more lopsided scores against lower-ranked opponents following a 2-0 victory over Bolivia to open the Cup on Sunday.
“No, we will never have that luxury,” Turner said at a news conference Tuesday. “I think you get wins when you get wins, no matter the context. You take the result, especially in tournaments, it's the end. I implore people to not lose sight of that.”
The United States won in Arlington, Texas, on Monday thanks to an early goal from captain Christian Pulisic and a goal from Folarin Balogun before halftime, leaving the Americans tied on points with Uruguay atop Group C after one round.
“I think any time you can win a game in a major world competition, a major tournament, it's good for the program, it's good for us,” Turner said. “Obviously, we wish we could have done some things better, but that's what tournaments are about. You want to get better and better throughout the tournament and continue to grow as a team, and as a bond and culture.
“As much as we could have done things a little differently, at the end of the day, we got a clean sheet, scored two goals and won. Going into the next game, we know we'll have to be a little bit more. It'll be a little bit better if we want to.” win that game too.”
The United States faces Concacaf foe Panama on Thursday in Atlanta in the second group stage match for each team. A win could secure a spot in the Copa America knockout round for Gregg Berhalter's side ahead of next week's final group match against Uruguay.
Panama defeated the United States on penalties in the Concacaf Gold Cup semifinal last year.
“They put pressure man-to-man,” Turner said of Panama. “It's a team that has a lot of really talented players and athletes. It's to be expected: a physical, really competitive game.”
USMNT forward Tim Weah said the team is not thinking about whether Panama will try to play a more open game or resort to more physical tactics, but instead will focus on themselves.
“We don't know which Panama team we are going to have,” Weah told reporters. “We're just going to go out there 100% and take nothing for granted, put all our cards on the table and make sure we execute.”
The USMNT is the favorite going into Thursday's match despite last year's Gold Cup result, particularly with the game at home. A large crowd is expected at the more than 70,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Thursday, just a few miles from the presidential debate taking place that night.
Turner stressed caution not to overlook any opponent, especially in tournaments. He referenced Austria's victory over the Netherlands at Euro 2024, which took place moments before Turner spoke, as an example of how unpredictable tournaments can be.
“You just have to take care of what's in front of you,” Turner said. “I think the most important thing is just to build on what you just did. Teams that can continually improve throughout the tournament… we have that foundation of what it takes to win a game in this tournament, and now “We need to overcome it against a different opponent.”
Berhalter has emphasized similar points recently, saying Friday before the team's first game that he wants the United States to adapt in this tournament based on the demands of a given game. That characteristic, he said, is shared by the best teams in the world.
The American coach reiterated this after his team's victory on Saturday, but also emphasized the importance of winning games and called the victory over Bolivia “comprehensive,” while explicitly rejecting the idea that the United States should have scored more goals against a Bolivian team that had not won away from home in nine years.
Still, there was room for improvement. While the USMNT may have been unlucky not to score more goals against Bolivia, the defensive line gave the ball away frequently. The team impressed in a 1-1 draw with Brazil in the Americans' final warm-up match before the Copa America, four days after a humiliating 5-1 loss to Colombia.
Any of those teams could be an opponent in the quarterfinals if the USMNT advances. Turner said Tuesday that the United States could be “more opportunistic” in goal, while reflecting on the victory over Bolivia. He also said the team could take better care of the ball in possession.
“We talked about being more expansive and playing more fluidly, attacking and at the same time that brings risks in counterattacks and concessions and where we are,” Turner said. “I think we learned that lesson the hard way in the Colombia game.”
Attention now turns to Panama, one of the USMNT's most frequent historical opponents. The Americans have a 17-3-6 record against their opponents.
“Honestly, we stuck to the plan,” Weah said. “We've had this game plan since day one. We stay true, we're intentional in the way we play. Now we're a team that understands each other, and I think we're starting to see that a lot more.” as we get into these other games and as we grow as a group.
“I think it's beautiful to see us grow as a unit, as a family. We're starting to show it on the field. We just have to continue with positive performances.”
