USA's 'selfless leader' Pulisic inspires win over Bolivia - ESPN

ARLINGTON, Texas — United States men's national team head coach Gregg Berhalter hailed the leadership of captain Christian Pulisic after his one goal, one assist performance in the USMNT's 2-0 win over Bolívia to kick off its 2024 Copa América campaign.

«He's a selfless leader,» Berhalter told reporters after Sunday's match at AT&T Stadium. «He goes out and he just competes and works really hard, and that helps the team. And then you add to the fact that he's highly skilled and he can make plays on the offensive end, it's a great combination.»

«To me, it was an outstanding performance tonight,» added Berhalter, who said that Pulisic earned the coach's man of the match award.

Pulisic opened the scoring three minutes into the match, burying a shot after playing a short corner to Tim Weah and receiving the ball back near the edge of the box. Pulisic ran to the sideline and looked for set-piece specialist coach Gianni Vio in the stands, eventually pointing at him as he celebrated.

«It's Copa América, it's a big tournament,» Pulisic said. «I feel like I'm always pretty excited after I score but it's a big moment, it's a major tournament.»

Pulisic then tallied an assist just before halftime, collecting the ball and turning in central midfield before finding Folarin Balogun for the left-footed finish.

Tyler Adams also earned his first USMNT start since the Concacaf Nations League final in March. Adams played 45 minutes, which Berhalter said was always the plan even though Adams asked to play longer.

«I was like, 'Dude we've been down this road,'» Berhalter said with a smile.

«But of course he wants to stay on the field, and that's Tyler. You see how much he means to the team; you see his attitude and his intensity. He's a guy