USMNT vs. Brazil: Three things that USA need to do to recover after blowout loss against Colombia

With a record loss against Colombia behind them, now is the time for the United States men’s national team to bounce back and show they are ready for the Copa America. There’s just one small problem. The next match will be Wednesday night in Orlando against Brazil. Unbeaten in their last three matches, Brazil’s defense may have some things to work on ahead of the World Cup, but behind super sub Endrick, the attack has been fearsome, scoring seven goals in those three matches, with three of those coming from the 17-year-old. old.

After the USMNT reached a new low and the manager Gregg Berhalter called out his team by not respecting the opponent and the game of football, not seeing an improvement against Brazil would be detrimental to the team and its management.

“I think what he’s trying to say is that we played exactly what Colombia are good at and that’s the transition game and we didn’t do enough to mitigate that type of play in the last 30 minutes and I think that’s what he’s really doing. meaning when he said that.” Tim Ream he said in response to a question about what Berhalter meant by his disrespectful comments.

What can the USMNT do differently this time?

Don’t let Brazil play their game

Ream talked about one of the first mistakes the USMNT made in letting Colombia play their game. Making a similar mistake against Brazil, where they will probably see Raphinha, RodrygoIt is Vinícius Junior in attack it can be fatal as Brazil are a team that can hit the counter and if allowed to keep possession then the USMNT will need to show that they can be physical and keep possession.

In recent matches, Brazil has given teams chances to score, as defense is their weak point in such a strong team, but Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun, and Tim Weah will need to make the most of his chances in this match. If they had been more clinical in the first half against Colombia, the story could have been different and the three forwards are the USMNT’s strong point. If they can get into form and strike fear into their Copa América opponents, defending will be a much easier job.

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Time for a back three?

Speaking of maintaining possession, although this can hinder the attack, one way to slow down the game and focus on defense is to field a three-man defense. This is something Berhalter mentioned as an option that replaces Sergino Dest and as Tim Weah is used to playing as a winger for his club, it is an option that would not be strange to him either. The difficult part of this is that it would be necessary to leave the dynamic Gio Reyna on the bench, but something needs to change to challenge Brazil.

The addition of a third defender may seem a little redundant as Brazil do not play with a recognized number nine, but it also offers more defined game goals to make the most of dead ball situations. If what we’ve consistently seen from the UMSNT hasn’t worked in the big games, why not shake it up a bit and see what’s in a different formation?

Potential lineup: Matt Turner, Antonee RobinsonTim Ream, Chris Richards, Cameron Carter-Vickers, Weston McKennie, Yunus MusahTim Weah, Christian Pulisic, Folarin Balogun

Fight for the crest

Tactics are important, but the things that went wrong against Colombia weren’t just down to Xs and Os, which is why it was such a disheartening defeat. Although the former USMNT teams may not have had players in the top five European leagues, they would go out and leave everything they had on the field in every game to fight for victory. At the end of the game with Colombia, it looked like the USMNT gave up, which is unacceptable even in a friendly.

A win against Brazil is not necessary, although a win could go a long way in boosting morale, what is needed is a better performance. The USMNT needs to want the ball more. By doing this, good things will come, otherwise they will be facing a quick exit from the Copa América.

How to watch and odds

• Date: Wednesday, June 12 | Time: 7 p.m. ET
• Location: Camping World Stadium – Orlando, Florida
• TELEVISION: TNT | Live broadcast: Fubo (Try it for free)
• Chances: USMNT +500; Draw +225; Brazil -225