The United States will host Brazil today (12) in Orlando amidst high expectations to play against the five-time champions, but also facing considerable domestic criticism for poor results. The match is set for 8 PM (Brasília time) as a precursor to the start of Copa América 2024.
The North American team is coming off a tough 5-1 loss to Colombia last Saturday. Their track record against South American opponents is quite poor: they have suffered 11 consecutive defeats, with their last victory dating back to 1998 when they beat Brazil in one of the CONCACAF Gold Cup semifinals.
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Gregg Berhalter, the American coach, is the target of criticism amid the pressure to build a strong team for the 2026 World Cup, when the team will be one of the hosts along with Canada and Mexico. The coach is working on a generational shift in the team, evident in the roster for the Brazil match: the average age of the players is 25 years and 219 days.
The most internationally experienced player and one of the key figures is Christian Pulisic, an offensive midfielder for AC Milan, with previous stints at Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund. The veteran is Tim Ream, a 36-year-old central defender who is likely leaving Fulham after nine seasons with the London club.
Brazil prep. pic.twitter.com/o6BaLlfCoo
— U.S. Soccer Men's National Team (@USMNT) June 11, 2024
Weston McKennie, who plays alongside the Brazilians Danilo and Bremmer at Juventus, also stands out. At the Turin team, Timothy Weah also plays; he is the son of Liberian legend George Weah, a forward who so far has promised more than he has delivered, both in the U.S. national team and at the club level.
Unless there are surprises, Berhalter is expected to use a 4-3-3 formation against Brazil, although the two attacking wingers would drop back to form a line of five midfielders. This is the final test before their Copa América debut against Bolivia in Group C, which also includes Uruguay and Panama.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Binge the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.
